Women in business

According to a recent article published by Forbes Online, 20% of all Small and Medium Businesses registered in the UK are run by women and I think it’s a safe assumption to make that a high proportion of those are also mums! For I am one of the 20% and I suspect if you are reading this…you might be too!

Whilst 1 in 5 Small and Medium Business owners is far from being a balanced market place in terms of gender, it is certainly head and shoulders above where we have been before, so what is it that is driving more and more women (and particularly Mums) into the realms of self-employment?

Well how about these for starters…

1.Social Media

Yes! It’s a biggie…and has a huge impact on all our lives, whether we are ready to admit it or not! Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and the like) have given traditionally local and small-scale businesses a platform to reach huge audiences (when utilised effectively!!) Industries which have perhaps traditionally been ‘female heavy’ often relied upon a faithful local reputation. A small business producing hand-made children’s clothes, may have relied upon craft fairs or maybe a regular market stall to share their creations. The good old ‘Party Plan’ type of business, where you gather your friends and family in their living room, crack open the nibbles and hope they will need the eyeshadow, face cream or sandwich box that you have brought to show off. Whilst effective as it could possibly have been, this type of business model is both time sensitive and has limited window of earning.

Enter Facebook….and suddenly the whole world is just on the other side of your laptop! Suddenly you can reach customers on a national or even an international scale and you can do it 24 hours a day!

2. The pull of the ‘Side Hustle’

I suspect this is a term you have heard before, some people love it, for others its cringe inducing, but often, this is where new businesses are born! Few of us are able to leave our main income jobs in the pursuit of self-employment…and as such the ‘Side Hustle’ a real thing, now more than ever. Some of us start with the view of earning some extra income for the family, to book a holiday or upgrade the car. Some people start their side hustle just for fun! They enjoy doing ‘their thing’ and maybe the social side that comes as a result of running your own business and the income is a nice bonus. Whatever the reason, often the ‘Side Hustle’ can seem very appealing to Mums!

3. Striving for a better… [fill in the blank!!]

A better work/life balance is usually at the top of this kind of list that and as mums, new mums and seasoned ones alike, it often feels like we are spinning a lot of plates, yet we still strive for things to be ‘better’, ‘easier’, ‘happier’….or whatever your own interpretation of this is and often practicalities of being in control of your own income and time is incredibly appealing.

So, what is the solution?

Will adding an extra responsibility on top of your ever growing parental ‘to do’ list really be worth doing?

You bet it is!!!

Starting and running a business is not for the feint hearted, but with hard work, passion and finding the right support it can be an amazing journey!

I would love to hear where you are on your ‘business journey’! Get in touch and let us know where about you are and let us help you move forward!