W00t! It’s Women Entrepreneur Day!
Are you a female entrepreneur, or do you know one? November 19th is Women Entrepreneur Day, so let’s celebrate!
If you’re a woman business owner…
Take a page from the men (but maybe only the one page.) In my experience, one thing that many male entrepreneurs are really good at is delegating. They rarely do work just because it “needs to be done”, but I know so many female entrepreneurs who do the work their staff should be doing.
As I discussed last week, there’s an opportunity cost to doing work that should really be done by someone else, or something else in the case of automation. Your time is finite, so every minute you spend working on something that should be done by someone else is a minute that you can’t spend doing your own work as the owner of the business.
Solopreneurs can automate or outsource many of these tasks, and those who have employees, even if only a VA, can delegate. Things that do need to be done, but don’t require your specific expertise or aren’t related to the mission critical aspects of the business.
That means you have fewer things to complete, which means more time you can spend with loved ones instead. Bring back more life into the work-life balance.
… and you know other women entrepreneurs
One thing that I think women business owners are far better at than men is collaborating and taking care of each other. Tending and befriending is a way that women especially can relieve stress.
Many women have been socialized to think of ourselves last. A great gift you can give your women business owner friends is to make sure that they’re taking time to recharge and refresh away from the business.
Maybe you go to the spa together, or on a retreat, or even vacation. Take them out for lunch so the two of you can connect away from work – it’s great for both of you. Go to the gym together or take walking meetings. Spend time connecting outside the business. That helps prevent both of you from burning out.
If you know women entrepreneurs but you’re not one yourself
Connecting with business owners is always good and gives you both the benefits of socializing. But if you really want to support a woman entrepreneur, support her business. Recommend her. Post about her business on social media. Keep an eye out for opportunities that you might come across.
Another great way to support women entrepreneurs is to buy their products and/or invest in their services. Now that the holidays are around the corner, what if you shopped at businesses owned and run by women, instead of waiting to go to the mall or the big box center and circling around the parking lot to find a space?
You probably can’t spend money with every woman business owner you know. If they’re service-based, you just might not have a need for their service. If they’re product-based, the style of their product might not be something that resonates with you or might be out of your budget. That’s OK, but spending money where it makes sense for you is good for both of you.
Recap (tl;dr)
Women entrepreneurs can reduce overwhelm and stress by focusing only on important tasks that they need to work on and tending to their women entrepreneur friends outside of work. If you’re not a female business owner but you know one, support her business even if you can’t buy her product or service.
If you want to be more productive, we can support each other! Click here to set up your free consultation.