You Can Be A Powerful Business Woman!
We still seem to be living in the era that believes business is a mans world. It is just that, there’s other careers that hold the same stigma, such as the military. But that most definitely isn’t the case. Yes, some of the most powerful entrepreneurs are men, but there are so many women that are doing just as good of a job. Women are powerful, we’re amazing thinkers, and we know what needs to be done if we’re running our own business. For a lot of women, it is the fear of the unknown that stops them from entering into the world of business. It is the fear of not being able to compete with their male counterparts, and it is the fear of being disrespected. Well, we’re here to tell you ladies to cast those feelings aside. We’ve got some awesome tips on how you can build a successful empire, and become the powerful business woman you deserve to be.
Empower Yourself
If you first want to make an impression within the huge world that is that of business, you need to empower yourself. Self belief is the first step to getting anywhere in life. We understand why it might be intimidating going into the environment you are. To try and empower yourself, you need to set yourself goals, and keep the end vision in mind at all times. The more you believe in yourself, the more your confidence is going to grow. In terms of goals, you need to start with the short term. Think of the small steps you want to make like selling your first product, hiring a member of staff, making a bit of profit. Whatever it is, tailor it to your own personal needs and your end goal. Secondly, you need to have a good network of support around you. If you’re going solo, and there’s no copilot on your journey, then family and friends are going to be your biggest support network. Talk to them about your business, what stage you’re at, what worries you’re having. Just having that ear to listen is all you need sometimes to take the stresses away. Plus, no one empowers you more than the people around you. You might also benefit from some home meditation in the beginning. There are plenty of apps that are tailored towards motivation and self belief. Just listening to them before bed to wind down, and motivate you for the following day can help.
Empower Your Staff
You’ll soon learn that your staff are going to become your biggest asset. In a way, what you put in, they will give out. Empowering them is nearly as important as empowering yourself. As women, we know what it is like to be undermined and disrespected in the workplace. So whether you’re hiring male or female, make sure you’re bearing this in mind. As the bible quotes, do unto other as you would have them do unto you. Respect works both ways, and this couldn’t be more true than with the the relationship with you and your employees. It is important to try and treat them fairly with the benefits that they get. The last thing you want to be doing is overworking them. Slowly, over time, they’ll become unmotivated, tired, and irritable. You also want to try and instill your own work ethic onto them. If they see you working hard, always at the office, always getting involved with the nitty gritty of things, they’ll hopefully pick up on this. Finally, try and form a sort of colleague friendship with your employees. Knowing them on a personal level, and them knowing you, is so much better than you being this mysterious boss to them.
Start Off On The Right Foot
If you’re going to make your mark, you’re going to have to set off on the right foot. At the base of every business, is a good brand. You need to have a good website set up that is going to propel your business to success. It’s best for you to have a vision and take it to a web developer. They’ll have the skills and knowledge to take your ideas and turn them into a professional looking website. One thing we do recommend is making sure you have SSL certifications to show your customers your website is safe and secure for when they make transactions, and that you’re not clogging up your website. It is all well and good getting the theme and ease of use right, but if there’s things jumping out at your customers face, if there’s pop ups every time they click on a category, your conversion rates are going to plummet. You also need to have your levels of customer service at the highest the can possibly be. If you’re selling a quality product, have a fab website, and can talk to customers with ease, and possibly diffuse any tricky situations, then you’re going to go far. All that is left to do then is push hard on marketing. Marketing is one of the main ways of growing a business, and it helps to connect you with a much wider audience.
Build Connections
We’ve already talked about building connections with your employees, but the main connections you need to be building is with your customers, and with your suppliers. For one, your customers are the reason your business is going to be staying afloat. If you find yourself in a tricky situation with an angry customer then you need to stay focused and remember that the customer is always right. Even if you think they aren’t. It is the only way to keep them returning. With your suppliers, you need to make sure you’re always keeping them sweet. Uphold your end of the bargain, always remain polite and make sure you’re always on time with any payments that need making. If you want to keep things professional and organised, always invoice, and always have an account manager to handle the financial side.