As a woman in business, for nine years now, my reasons for wanting to be in business h
ave changed over the years, or should I say developed? Getting women into business is the main one now but…

Initially, I just knew I had, had enough of working for someone else and being made redundant provided me with the opportunity I needed to look at self-employment more seriously.

As a single parent of a teenage son I was less concerned with flexible hours for school runs and more focused on flexible hours to achieve the work/life balance, I wanted to experience. I wanted to do more of the work I loved and less, if any, of the work I didn’t enjoy (goodbye spreadsheets!)

Over those nine years, my business model changed with a frequency some may have found disturbing. Some of those changes definitely came from my personality – the need for challenge and doing new things – and some of them from becoming more of me, discovering what was at the core of me. I knew I was here for a purpose and my journey helped me to identify what that purpose was.

My business roadmap is certainly filled with lessons, good and bad, and it is this map of experience that has afforded me to create the business of my dream and design programmes, such as Launching Women into Business. Not only is it on purpose and my passion, it is on time too.

Just for the record in the UK alone:

• Twice as many men than women are self-employed (6% of women compared to 14% of men)

• If the UK had the same level of entrepreneurship as the US, there would be around 600,000 extra female-owned businesses contributing £42billion to the economy

• The government reports that, if women set up businesses at the same rate as men, there would be an extra 150,000 start-ups in the UK annually

The reality is there is a huge untapped market of potential women in business waiting to step into their own and my intention is to serve that community, to raise the bar and to be a part of the female entrepreneurship revolution.

Using my experiences as a springboard alongside those of my business associates, my team and alliance partners we help women make the switch from unsatisfying jobs, long-term unemployment and redundancy to starting a business that helps them to create the life they desire and deserve.

There are definitely some gaping holes that need to be addressed in order for these wonderful women to understand the true potential of going into business, including:

• Building confidence & self-belief
• Childcare requirements in place
• Business models that offer flexible work hours whilst generating an income that contributes to the lifestyle desired
• Access to finance to start up in business or low cost start up solutions

Research shows that many potential female entrepreneurs fail to overcome their fears, meaning they never see their business ideas become reality. It is time for change!

I’m on a mission – join me and let’s make female entrepreneurship an absolute reality choice not just in the UK, globally… Here’s to being a ‘woman in business!’

Live Blissfully!

YvonneB

Statistics quoted from The Fawcett Society Report