Have a Meaningful Memorial Day

Pay Yourself What You are Worth

As more and more women take the leap from Corporate America to starting their own businesses, one of the key factors to ensure the leap goes well is to focus on having confidence.  Many women doubt themselves and their abilities.  Sometimes it just takes a couple of good pals around you to say "you can do it!" The next thing you know, you you can!

Another challenge for women who start businesses is determining what you should be paid.  Don't skimp.  If the money is there, take it, do good work, and be proud.  Here's what a SCORE volunteer mentor says:  

Simply put, women need to be paid what they are worth. A lot of times women feel like that they can’t charge enough. However, in order to be successful in business and remain profitable, a shift in thinking — and a boost in confidence — is necessary.

Read more about what is available to women-owned businesses and what is necessary to succeed in business ownership.

Photo courtesy:  Hust Wilson on Unsplash

Women Leaders Tend to Collaborate Better than Men

Thanks to a new study conducted by Richard Devine, Gonzalo Molina-Sieiro, Michael Holmes and Siri Terjesen, we now have data that shows women-led businesses, in certain scenarios, do indeed perform better than those run by men.

In the research, the authors started by comparing how female-led companies performed in terms of employee growth versus those helmed by men.

The point of the study is not to show that female-led companies – high growth or not – perform better than men.

Rather, our [the author's] research suggests that women do bring valuable and unique skills and experience to the table that can make a significant difference to business success. Yet, given so few companies are run by women, their skills and experiences are not fully utilized.

Learn more about how women leaders tend to collaborate better than men.

Read the study:  Female-Led High-Growth:  Examining the Role of Human and Financial Resource Management

Photo courtesy:  CoWomen on Unsplash

Surround Yourself With People Who Believe in You

Ever have a bad day?  Oh come on, who hasn't?  The important part of being faced with difficult, complicated and high-stake situations as a female entrepreneur is having the ability to face them, head on—and with strength and confidence.  Below, six brave leaders reveal the tumultuous points of their companies and how they were able to handle them and move forward.

One entrepreneur shared the following:

“Surround yourself with people who believe in you, because there will be so many times when you don’t believe in yourself.  Most of us have never started a company before, and most of us don’t come from a background where our parents can bankroll us until we figure it out,” she [co-founder  of Hu Kitchen, Jessica Karp] continued.

Read the article on how women dealt with the worst and came out stronger on the other side.

Photo courtesy Katrina on Unsplash.