Today is American Business Women’s Day. How fortunate to be able to celebrate this day in the current era. We live in a time when women are such a dominant force in the business world. We are thriving now more than ever before.
I remember growing up in the ’80s when this day was formed by Congress and initially proclaimed by then-President Ronald Reagan. The women sporting shoulder pads in their 80’s pinstriped business suits paved the way for the businesswoman of today, who can wear just about anything. You may even find her wearing leggings while doing deals on her phone on the side of the soccer field.
I just had lunch with a friend who is a mom to four children but also runs a bustling bed and breakfast out of her home while simultaneously leasing part of her property to a Montessori school that she initially started. This woman went from doing real estate full-time to acquiring a series of real estate properties that now provides the cash flow for her to be a flexible working mom running a thriving business.
Building wealth is all about thoughtful strategy and today’s successful businesswoman understands that she can choose how she participates in the business world.
Mobile officing has also created so many opportunities for today’s generation of working women. For example, my business is a hybrid of the traditional wealth management office but with entirely virtual staff.
The traditional office is now optional, so women thrive by doing business however it works. Co-working spaces are popping up everywhere, and business has always been done over coffee or lunch, so paying commercial rent is no longer mandatory.
Customers are more comfortable doing business online, and although I love supporting local shops and entrepreneurs, you can do that often without leaving your home. E-commerce allows for a much lower barrier to entry for those who want to build an income stream in various ways.
If you have a great business idea and aren’t afraid of risk, you can start a business today and be successful.
“You can’t be what you can’t see,” is a phrase that resonates with me, and it comes up frequently on my podcast, “The Black Swans Podcast,” where we spotlight successful women in finance.
Coming into the financial field, I didn’t see many women as examples, but I sought them out and developed a broad network of local entrepreneurs.
Making money while positively impacting the world is an honorable endeavor. I love the character of a hard-charging entrepreneur, male or female. The quiet bravado of a successful businessperson is like magic to me.
To me, running my business is entirely fulfilling. It allows me to serve- my passion – to help, teach, and guide.
It allows me to be a mom without guilt. Finding work-life balance is tricky as a working mom, but, in my mind, entrepreneurship is one of the best ways to balance it successfully.
We live in a virtual world, but relationships still mean the world in business, and I’m grateful for all the people who have allowed me to be the successful businesswoman I am today.