Women who own businesses are often in a frustrating position when it comes to starting, operating, and succeeding with their business ideas. Women are strongly disadvantaged in our modern economy; while there are 27.9 million businesses operating in the United States, less than half of those (11.9 million) are owned by women.
Although that number has climbed in the past few decades, women still see significant structural barriers as they seek to open their own businesses. Fewer women can get venture capital funding, women have lower access to traditional funding, and women face social barriers to STEM fields and many corner office positions in traditional companies.
Finding tools and resources specific to small business owners helps simplify and innovate more efficiently.
Score
Score is one of the better known organizations for women in business, whether they are just starting out, or have been in operation for some time. While they offer articles, tips, and tools, they are best known for the podcasts and webinars they offer to business owners. Since women are less likely to find mentors in their fields, they can get targeted information by seeing where people like them have struggled and found success.
Franchises For Women
Although some women have a business idea they want to pursue on their own, others see an opportunity for a particular franchise to open and operate in their community. Franchises for Women offers a number of suggestions on what franchises are for sale which would be particularly successful for women. This can be singularly useful for women who are also working as a primary caregiver for children or other relatives. Many franchises can be operated out of the usual 9-5 business hours, making these jobs more flexible and feasible. Before investing in any franchise, make sure to do research and ensure that the investment is solid and reliable.
American Business Women’s Association
Again, the ABWA focuses on providing information and connections specific to women business owners in various industries. Since women are just starting to make inroads in many different fields, it makes sense to offer advice on how to succeed from those who have been able to do it. Connections with other business owners, again, can help women find more specific advice to their situations. Women may also be able to find other information on fields in which women are traditionally more successful, such as crowdsourcing their startups, or which areas are more friendly to women business owners.
Freelance Mom
Many parents find that the cost of daycare for a child to be as much as they would earn at their job. In two-parent households, it is often sensible for one parent to stay home and take care of any children. Yet that parent, often a mother, may not be willing to complete remove themselves from the work force. Freelancing is often a solution to this problem. Freelance Mom offers suggestions to those women (moms or not) who are running freelance businesses. Whether people are searching for information on how to get more clients, how to manage billing, or how to keep their work from bleeding into free time, there are resources here to help.
Boss Network
The Boss Network focuses on offering networking and mentoring opportunities for women business owners. While women can certain participate in traditional networking venues, such as LinkedIn, it is helpful for most women to have some resources that are particularly targeted towards their needs and struggles.
WomanOwned
When women business owners need tools that will help them find funding to start their businesses or find cash infusions, the tools on WomenOwned can help. Other tools help women find savings on necessary office equipment, or discuss which marketing tools are most effective for their businesses. Sorting through all the different programs and options out there can be overwhelming, and it’s possible to let the perfect become the enemy of the good as a business owner tries to find the right email tool for their company. WomanOwned can help sort out what might be right for a particular business.
Organizational Apps
All business owners need tools to stay organized, and women are no exception. There are hundreds of organizational apps available for both Android and iPhone users. They are often customized for homeowners, family use, business options, and more. Figuring out which one will be the best for your company can, again, be a challenge. Finding lists, such as the above, that offers comprehensive descriptions of each can avoid the irritation of download a dozen apps to find the right one.
Women face continuous challenges as they claim their place in the business world, but they’re knocking down those challenges one by one. While the Internet has been crucial for many different aspects of our modern world, its ability to connect previous disparate communities may be one of the most important changes in our community. Women who may have struggled to find inspiration in their dream career before internet access became common may now be able to get the support and mentorship they need to be successful.
