This short piece by Sue Stockdale seems to be in line with a lot of what I’ve been reading lately. Is there really such a clear division between entrepreneurs of either sexes? And why are issues relating to work-life balance always discussed in the same breath as female entrepreneurs or businesswomen??! I’d love to know if there is anything out there on work-life balance as it relates to professional men…
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How would you describe today’s woman entrepreneur? Is she a focused individual driven to work all hours in the pursuit of profit? Or is she a woman who wants a lifestyle business with the minimum of stress?
There has been a lot of research into the characteristics of women entrepreneurs. This research has been borne out bythe interviews I carried out with ten of today’s leading female entrepreneurs in the UK. These women include Michelle Mone, creator of the Ultimo bra and Penny Streeter OBE, Founder of Ambition 24 Hours recognised as the fastest growing unquoted UK company in 2002.
It shows that today’s woman will have a strong need for achievement and a passion for her product or service. Shewill have carried out some research into her market but also relies on intuition and her existing business knowledge tojudge whether her business idea is likely to be viable.
She is also driven by the need for autonomy. A confident focused individual with self-belief and tenacity, today’s woman entrepreneur has a clear vision of what she wants to achieve and strong personal values by which to drive the business. These values are founded on respect, integrity, ethics, honesty and a passion for excellence.
Whilst she will encounter challenges on the way, including access to finance and balancing work and life requirements; her determination and tenacity to succeed will shine through.
She will lead her business in a manner that promotes genuine concern for others, team-working and openness. Amongst her measures of success are interaction with people and helping others and she is open to sharing her learning andexperience.
This profile applies to both women who are growing large businesses and also those who are running lifestyle businesses. So do you agree with this description? Do you know women who have these characteristics or maybe different qualities and are equally successful? How do you match up?
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Sue Stockdale is a motivational speaker, successful business woman and record breaking explorer. Buy her latest book, “Secrets of Successful Women Entrepreneurs” at BookShaker.com http://www.bookshaker.com/product_info.php?products_id=111
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About the author
Sarah Dillon is a qualified, accredited and experienced professional translator originally from Co. Clare in Ireland. She specialises in producing English-language texts that don't "sound" like translations, ensuring her clients' message has the desired impact in their overseas market. She is based in Brisbane, Australia and works with corporate clients, small businesses, agencies and nonprofit organisations all over the world. In her spare time, Sarah is also Marketing Director of eCPD Webinars.
Sarah Dillon has written 252 posts for There's Something About Translation.
