10 Ways Female Entrepreneurs Are Breaking Traditional Barriers in Business
Today, women lead with determination and are redefining the norm in entrepreneurship. Everywhere we look, women entrepreneurs are breaking traditional barriers by leading and reshaping business norms.
Erica Nicole, who left the corporate world and founded YFS Magazine, “The definitive digital magazine for startups, small business and entrepreneurship culture” shared one of my favorite quotes about Female leadership: “The once presumed, impenetrable glass ceiling is now a way towards entrepreneurship, where women simultaneously manage family ties and business expertise.”
The increasing number of women in the entrepreneurial world represents a significant move from traditional business norms toward a more inclusive approach. Regardless of women entrepreneurs' challenges, like funding and cultural biases, female leaders continue to foster resilience and creativity and aim to achieve gender equality in business.
Despite the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, we have inspired a new era of diverse female leadership through mentorship and collaboration. This post discusses the importance of women's entrepreneurship and the ten ways female entrepreneurs break traditional barriers and make a name in business.
10 Ways Female Entrepreneurs Are Breaking Traditional Barriers in Business
1. Innovating Women: Redefining Business
In business, women have revolutionized the business world with innovation and groundbreaking ideas. Women are founding companies that challenge the status quo and introduce fresh perspectives to the traditionally male-dominated business field.
Just look at Canva, founded by Melanie Perkins, which makes design accessible to everyone. Canva has completely revolutionized how people market their businesses by creating a low-cost, user friendly design tool that has become almost ubiquitous in online business. According to How a 32-year-old turned a high school yearbook idea into a $3.2 billion business by CNBC, she made headlines as one of tech’s youngest CEOs at just 30 years old.
Women entrepreneurs break down barriers with our creative ideas, bringing great innovation. The creative work of these women inspires the coming generation to accept diversity, challenge the status quo, and break the barriers in the business world.
2. Teamwork Triumphs: Women Entrepreneurs Uniting for Success
Women entrepreneurs are overcoming the barriers in business by fostering an environment of collaboration. This is achieved by sharing experiences and resources and actively engaging in peer support programs, like Founding Females® Meet Ups.
This way, female entrepreneurs support and learn from one another, which helps them succeed and remove many obstacles as they move forward. Collaboration with a “community over competition mindset” promotes an atmosphere where diversity flourishes and possibilities overflow.
When women are bound together to assist one another, we demonstrate the strength of female leadership and encourage others to follow in our footsteps for greater success.
3. Breaking Boundaries: Women Entrepreneurs Advocate for Equality
Women are breaking the traditional barriers by promoting gender equality. Women entrepreneurs highlight groups and projects that promote inclusivity and gender balance.
Such initiatives highlight the significance of female leadership that addresses systemic biases and fosters an environment where everyone, regardless of gender, has equal opportunity to thrive.
By promoting inclusiveness, women entrepreneurs are breaking traditional barriers and reshaping the rules of the business culture. Our efforts inspire a new era of female leadership where the inclusion of women in the business world is not just a goal but a reality.
4. Guiding the Way: Women Entrepreneurs Mentoring Future Leaders
Women further break traditional barriers by playing a pivotal role in empowering future female leaders through mentorship. Realizing the importance of women in the business world, female entrepreneurs have taken it upon themselves to inspire and guide the future female generation.
It’s not uncommon that women carry an attitude of, “Come with me. I’ll show you how to do this.” in my circle. In fact, I have very intentionally sought out mentorship from three women in particular who were two to three steps ahead of me. Here are three instances where I’ve sought out another woman’s wisdom in a particular topic:
My Friend Erin - When I first married my husband, Hans, I really struggled to figure out how to make our two separate methods for banking work together. I asked my friend, Erin, who was a few steps ahead of me to share how they do their banking. She had been married for several years. Erin laid out exactly how they distribute money when they get paid. I took her advice and set up our system similarly.
My mentor, Doris - I first met Doris as one of my SCORE mentors. She finished one career in HR and began another helping uplift and support women in our local Peoria, Illinois community. Soon enough, Doris and I crossed paths frequently and became friends before I formally asked her to mentor me. Today, Doris mentors me in much more than just business. She sends life, marriage, and friendship advice frequently and I soak it up like a sponge.
Real estate investing, Jessica - My husband would tell you that we would not have our investment properties if it weren’t for me and now we’re on a track to retire early. I showed up to a local real estate Meetup where I knew no one. I networked, I made conversation, and I turned to the person next to me who had multiple properties at the time and I said, “Tell me how you did that.” Jessica offered to go to lunch with me and guided me in the right direction. Soon enough, we bought our first rental property.
I believe community is so important for women because even informal mentorship happens all the time. Aside from business, as women, we surround ourselves with other women to learn from in parenting, money matters, marriage, and faith.
Through mentorship, we aim to instill the new generation with our experiences and knowledge to help other women navigate challenges and seize opportunities in the business world.
By mentorship, female entrepreneurs pave the way for future female leaders in the business world, which has never been a norm.
Check out: The greatest stories of female entrepreneurs of the 21st century!
5. Breaking Barriers: Empowering Women in Inclusive Workplaces
Establishing inclusive workplaces has also helped women overcome traditional barriers in the business world. Women recognize the value of fostering a culture that celebrates differences and values diverse thinking. In fact, one of our core principles at Founding Females® states the following about inclusivity:
Our common denominator is entrepreneurship. We are not only tolerant, but supportive, curious, and welcoming about our differences. We aim to become an ever more diverse population in race, ethnicity and culture, religion, orientation, age, ability, and industry. We link arms, share specialized knowledge, and mention others’ names positively in rooms they aren’t in to clear the path for more opportunity.
Promoting an inclusive environment sets an example for all businesses to embrace diversity. This way, we ensure the future females that gender equality in the business world is valued.
6. Tech Trailblazers: Empowering Women Through Innovation
Women are also defying conventional norms by embracing technology, harnessing our creative ingenuity to maximize the potential of technological advancements, and streamlining corporate operations.
Using data analytics, automation, and e-commerce platforms, women entrepreneurs have used technology to level the playing field in male-dominated industries. Through our inventiveness and ability to embrace technology, women entrepreneurs break not only traditional barriers but also set new norms in the field of business.
7. Digital Diversity: Women Redefining Tech
By overcoming funding challenges, women are breaking traditional barriers in business. We explore various financing strategies to secure funding, from bootstrapping and crowdfunding to government grants and venture capital. By being able to navigate funding challenges, women entrepreneurs can break strong barriers in the field of business.
8. Resilient Revolution: Women Defying Business Boundaries
Women are breaking the traditional barriers in business by building resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity. Our stories of overcoming obstacles showcase our determination to succeed.
From confronting social biases to navigating funding obstacles, women exhibit resilience in every aspect of the entrepreneurial journey. Our ability to recover from setbacks encourages others to face challenges with bravery and determination.
9. Sustainable Strategies: Women Leading the Change
In today's business world, women break old barriers by focusing on sustainable practices and putting social responsibility first.
Unlike the traditional business model, new women entrepreneurs are integrating sustainable practices into our business models. These include aims of reducing carbon footprints and promoting fair labor practices, practices that have yet to be part of traditional business models.
By prioritizing sustainability, female entrepreneurs break the traditional barriers and set new bars for responsible business practices. This way, we motivate other businesses to embrace sustainability and promote sustainable practices.
10. Green Goddesses: Women Championing Sustainable Living
Female entrepreneurs are breaking barriers by inspiring people who drive businesses intending to impact society with purpose-driven initiatives positively. We align business goals with some meaningful cause, from combating social injustice to promoting a sustainable environment.
Female entrepreneurs demonstrate that profitability and purpose are not mutually exclusive but complementary to any successful business. Hence, by our example, female entrepreneurs inspire the new generation to lead purposefully.
Conclusion
We have talked about 10 ways female entrepreneurs are breaking traditional barriers in business. By being creative, speaking up, working together, and staying strong, we’re changing how things are done in the business world.
Instead of just watching in awe, let's get motivated by forging new paths. It's our turn to face challenges, smash through old barriers, and set new standards.
It's about shaping a future where female entrepreneurs thrive, leading passionately, and making the business world a welcoming place for all.
P.S. Here are some of my top favorite female small business resources:
Dream, Build, Grow Free Resource Suite - free business templates for your business plan, marketing plan, ideal client persona, financial statements, and more!
Founding Females Community - an online female mastermind space for entrepreneurs to connect, support, and get inspired
Dream, Build, Grow: A Female’s Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business - a guided handbook including everything you need to know from business idea to launch to profiting and scaling your business.
Free Downloads for Female Entrepreneurs
Free PDF Download: 25 Ways to Market Your Business (Aside from Social Media)
Free PDF Download: 33 keys to Business Success
Free PDF Download: SEO Tips for Entrepreneurs
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About Founding Females®
The mission of Founding Females® is to help women build thriving businesses. We create safe spaces for women to share business challenges and receive peer support.
In addition, Founding Females® offers an online female business mastermind, a how-to guidebook for female entrepreneurs called Dream, Build, Grow: A Female’s Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business, and in-person events, like an annual women’s business conference and local Founding Females® Meet Ups.
Founding Females® was founded by small business educator, Francie Hinrichsen. She believes anyone with a dream on their heart can pull up a seat to change the world through entrepreneurship. Click to learn more about working with Francie.
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Curious to connect with women business owners who are paving new paths, providing tremendous value to customers, and growing their businesses? Our Women’s Business Mastermind blog series features women business owners who are raising the tide for all of us.