Women have proved countless times they can be good entrepreneurs. There are many successful women who run their own businesses out there. Women usually have good organizational skills, they are disciplined and committed. These are just a few of the factors that contribute to their success.
However, many women who might do a great job at managing a firm are not yet ready to take the big step and start their own company. One reason is that they’re not sure what line of work to choose. If you’re one of them, here are some business ideas for women entrepreneurs that might inspire you.
How to Choose the Right Line of Work?
Some people are lucky enough to know what they want to become when they grow up from early age. However, these are generally exceptions. Most of us experiment with different jobs and domains to understand what we’re truly good at. Therefore, don’t panic if you’re an independent and strong-willed lady who wants to open a firm but doesn’t know exactly what products or services to offer.
The first recommendation you’ll get from just about any article or business book dedicated to wannabe entrepreneurs is to choose something you genuinely like. This rule is a bit generic. For example, many people love good food, but they are terrible chefs. Investing time and money in cooking classes to one day become a Michelin-starred chef might not be the best career path for them.
So, the golden rule should be the following: choose something you really like and you’re good at. Think about your most developed skills, your hobbies, and the qualities you’re often praised for. All these will help you determine what you’re good at.
Establish Your Business Goals
Some women become entrepreneurs later in life after working for multinational companies and realizing they’ve got the necessary skills, know-how, and attitude to start working on their own. Others make this choice early in life, right after finishing college when they have the necessary energy and enthusiasm to build something from scratch. Many others only think about working independently after they become mothers and realize they need more time for family.
No matter what your case is, to start on the right foot, you should always establish your goals first. To do this, you have to play the role of the visionary. Where do you see your business in 2 years, how about 5 or 10? Do you want to work alone, as a freelancer? Do you want to involve other members of your family or friends in your business or do you aim to have employees? If yes, how many?
Answering these questions will help you understand the scale of your business endeavor and how much time, money, and effort you need to invest. This will help you realize if you’ve got the necessary resources to accomplish your dream.
If what you’ve read so far inspired you, but you’re still not sure what type of business you could start, here are a few common domains in which women entrepreneurs excel.
Real Estate Business
Real estate is a tough and competitive market, but there are plenty of women who thrive in this field. Whether you want to work as a solo real estate agent or manage a team, to be successful, you’ll need a robust website and marketing strategy. Something else that helps in any line of work where you deal with people and will certainly help here is good networking.
Interior Design
If selling houses seems overwhelming, how about decorating them. Each time you’ve moved to a new place, you were probably the one who redecorated the house. If you love doing this, why not turn your passion into a career? Both residential and commercial properties need this service. If you like shopping for furniture, fabrics, and decorations, this can be your dream career.
Wedding Planning
If you love weddings and you’ve even organized some for your closest friends, you could start a wedding planning company. In the beginning, you don’t need to invest a lot of money in this type of business, especially if you’ve got good networking. What’s important is to start building a portfolio. A decent website and some budget for marketing will also be necessary.
Content Writing & Proofreading Services
These are great jobs for stay-at-home moms or women who need more independence and flexibility. You can choose your working hours and write/proofread as much as you want. If you’re good with words, start a personal blog you can showcase as a portfolio to prospect clients and marketing agencies.
Marketing & Social Media Services
A marketing job is a great choice for creative women who have good communication skills. Moreover, this field also allows you to work fully remotely. Whether it’s social media management, blogging, advertising, or email marketing you’re good at, start looking for clients. You can approach companies who might need your services directly or apply for projects on freelance platforms. If everything goes well, you can even build a small team of freelance collaborators or open an office and offer a more diversified package of services.
eCommerce
eCommerce is a buzzword these days. Many entrepreneurs make it to the top by selling products online. The good part is that this type of commerce is far less complicated than opening a physical store. Moreover, you don’t need to be an expert in a specific domain to start selling products on Amazon or Etsy. You just need to do your research to realize what successful sellers do, so you can follow their steps, and have initial capital for the goods you’ll sell.
Clothing Shop
If you’re a fashion addict. There are many ways to make a living from your passion and one of them is opening a clothing shop. Be it a traditional or an online shop, it’s recommended to focus on a specific niche as a small, new business since there are plenty of giants out there who sell any type of apparel. Be unique and target a specific clientele to get steady sales.
Bakery or Coffee Shop
Both of them are great ideas if you have the necessary budget and you’re passionate by these products. In the beginning, you could prepare the products yourself and once the business grows, you can hire someone else and only focus on management and marketing.
Beauty Parlor
As a lady, you know how important it is to look good in order to feel good. Beauty services are never out of fashion, which means you’d never run out of business, especially if you open a beauty parlor in a busy area, close to the center, or a market where passers-by automatically notice you.
Florist
Do you love flowers and gardening? Have you ever created beautiful flower bouquets everyone admired? Why not become a professional florist then? Countless people buy flowers every day for special occasions. If you open your business on a busy street and you nicely showcase your offering, you’ll certainly attract many eyes and make wallets open.
How to Get Started?
All these ideas sound great, but besides being ambitious, talented, and hardworking, there’s one essential thing you need to become a woman entrepreneur – money. Not all entrepreneurs have the necessary capital to start a business. This is why there are business loans for women you can access. From startup loans to personal loans, or short-term loans for companies that have been active for at least 6 months, there are plenty of ways to get funding.
Work-from-home franchises
If you are a single mom looking to make some money from home, consider work-from-home franchises. This will allow you to make a good income as well as make time for the things that matter most. If a work-from-home franchise sounds like your ideal path to entrepreneurship, we recommend you use a directory such as Franchiseek South Africa, listing the best franchises recruiting new franchisees.
