7 Reasons Why Women Make Great Entrepreneurs

By Joel on November 19, 2011

Only one in four companies in the US are run by women. Does this mean that women aren’t cut out for the suits, ties and big decisions? This subject has been debatable for a long time so we are are here to clear the scene with 7 cold hard facts as to why women make great entrepreneurs.

We can see this comment section turning into battle of the sexes as we type this, haha. Enjoy this post and dont forget to chip in your 2 cents worth.

Do Women Make Great Entrepreneurs? Read On:

1. Women possess strong communication skills and social intelligence. The digital economy requires these skills, and women enjoy a slight edge over their male counterparts (according to numerous studies). A stronger network means they will be better resourced throughout the life of the venture. By leveraging their connections, they will have to reinvent the wheel less and learn fewer lessons the hard way.

2. Female-owned companies tend to offer family & friendly benefits. These include such perks as job sharing, parental leave and telecommuting. They argue that their more worker-friendly policies boost morale and lead to less turnover, less absenteeism and higher productivity.

3. Women also make good listeners. One study found that the collective intelligence of a group rose if the group included more women. They have open minds. They’re not autocratic.”

4. Women start companies to better balance their work and family lives. Wealth is not their primary focus, so most remain smaller. But there are exceptions, like Martha Stewart (Omnimedia), Ruth Furtel (Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse), and Lillian Vernon, which make big money.

5. Women collaborate. Women have worked well together since the earliest female enterprises, whether dividing grains in the village or working in quilting bees. Even some of today’s cultural stereotypes have legs, for instance, women’s joint trips to the restroom!

6. Female owners are more likely to have positive revenues. They prefer lower risk opportunities, and are willing to settle for lower returns. Some women feel that pushing profits is “not polite.” More women entrepreneurs are single person businesses, while men tend to have more employees. Researchers have begun focusing on the relationship between testosterone and excessive risk, thus evaluating whether groups of men spur each other toward reckless decisions.

7. Females aren’t afraid to ask for help. Many men (not all) have difficulty asking for help when it comes to something like their very own business. Pride can sometimes get in the way. But most women don’t have a problem admitting that they’re not sure how to accomplish a certain task or what needs to be done next in the building-a-business game. This can sometimes provide an advantage in a well-spring of knowledge from sources that help ground their business more quickly.

If you haven’t already, make sure you checkout “The 7 Reasons Why Men Make Great Entrepreneurs“

About The Author: Joel

Joel Brown is the CEO and Founder of Addicted2Success.com. With a long time passion for Entrepreneurship, Self development & Success, Joel started his website with the intention of educating and inspiring likeminded people all over the world to always strive for success no matter what their circumstances. Joel’s passion for what he does shows through the continual growth of Addicted2Success.com's online community. Follow Joel Brown on Twitter

28 Comments

Jennifer

July 17, 2012 at 2:45 am

Great article! I can definitely see what women can be great entrepreneurs based on what you said! Overall, I’ve always felt like women have a greater drive for “harmony” and “community” rather than to really compete for more money or “be better” than others in the field as men more often tend to (and I’m considering that by looking at our past history in how businesses are run, which were male-dominant). With women’s drive for social networking and a sense of community I feel can definitely create a balanced economies and, ultimately, societies overall.

I must say, it’s such a inspiring and uplifting shift to see!!

Reply
- Dan
  
  January 12, 2013 at 3:37 pm
  
  I just wish this whole debate would just go away. I know brilliant men and women business owners and to keep bringing up this broad general studies just generates a divide between men and women! People are people and gender is completely irrelevant to whether you succeed or not. Stop these studies now! We all have the potential to succeed! I have seen terrible women managers as well as men managers! Please start posting things that are useful not dividing! Give me strength!
  
  Reply
- Vimla Gungapersad
  
  January 15, 2013 at 12:03 pm
  
  great article inspirationally motivating to all business women… u can succeed.
  
  Reply
Rebecca

July 17, 2012 at 9:30 am

I love the woman power going on. Let us all man and women step into our feminine and masculine power to be the best we can be! So inspiring to be living right now

Reply
Samantha

August 16, 2012 at 2:54 pm

So refreshing to hear that we as women can be just as successful and productive as our male counterparts. We are nurturers by nature and we always seem to know what will work best. Great information and very inspiring.

Reply
Lola

August 19, 2012 at 2:56 pm

Good inspiration for women who are yet to tap into their God given values and inner strength. Any woman still not sure she wants to go into entrepreneurship should read this.

Reply
Cheryl Rickman

August 21, 2012 at 11:18 pm

Completely agree. Empathy, sharing, a strong ability to collaborate and communicate and help others is at the heart of a community of women I’m proud to be a part of. I started a little group on Facebook called WiBBLE: Women in Business – Brilliant Local Entrepreneurs which grew from 20 to 300 members within a week. The collaboration, advice, help, generosity, caring and sharing that has gone on from the outset has been nothing short of inspirational and amazing. Consequently, I’m launching WiBBLE.us as a website to harness that power and empower self-employed women to really make an impact – together, united.

Reply
- Madeleine Zember
  
  September 5, 2012 at 2:20 am
  
  I loved your article. As in all fields, more and more women are getting into creating their own businesses. I find that many men are respecting women and ask for their advice. It will be great when we see men and women collaborating in businesses and each gender brings in its contribution.
  
  Reply
Ijeoma

October 29, 2012 at 3:15 pm

A good reminder that women need to start their own ventures and be in the boardroom making decisions!

Reply
Alex Westergaard

November 3, 2012 at 2:29 pm

I have seen more women who are afraid to ask about help, because they are afraid of people see them as stupid.. :/

Reply
- Joseph D. Shiller
  
  November 3, 2012 at 3:03 pm
  
  Alex, not sure the “more women” you are basing your conclusion on is a fair representation of all women. I tend to think some men are living in fear as well.
  
  Reply
Jill Salzman

November 6, 2012 at 7:37 pm

In addition to these fantastic points, may I introduce you to my TEDx talk on “Why Moms Make The Best Entrepreneurs”?

http://bitly.com/jillsted

I talk a lot about it since I meet hundreds upon hundreds of mom entrepreneurs regularly!

Reply
Emma

November 11, 2012 at 4:45 pm

I appreciate how this recognizes the differences between men and women – I’m all for gender equality, but don’t like it how the workforce tries to say men/women can do the exact same things the exact same way. If we could, that’d be boring, and we’d miss a great deal of the other gender’s input.

Reply
Name

November 27, 2012 at 10:19 pm

Well actually women and men won’t make great entrepreneurs, as all these facts are based on very broad generalizations.

Gender has nothing to do with it, it’s all up to the person themselves – just because you are this gender or that gender won’t make a difference. I’ve seen men and women fail, and have also seen men and women succeed.

Person not gender.

Reply
- Krystle
  
  January 1, 2013 at 2:02 pm
  
  I agree. Although it is entertaining to read why women would be good for business and men are good in certain aspects as well, it is solely on the individual, how determined, driven, focused they are and how they provide their services to the world. But it is exciting, motivating, and inspiring to see more women being empowered and making huge strides in our world today! Girl Power!:P
  
  Reply