Female
entrepreneurship is a hot topic. You can’t throw a rock without hitting
a news article about a new investment fund, site or community for
women.
But I didn’t really understand the groundswell of enthusiasm for female entrepreneurs until I became one (by starting basiccontent) and until I published a list of 50+ resources for female entrepreneurs. But once I did, I quickly became aware of the massive amount of content out there for female entrepreneurs or #girlbosses.
Here are a few examples:
1. Inspirational quotes on instagram
2. Online communities to help me to get to my goals
3. Stories of entrepreneurs who “made it”
4. Conferences for female entrepreneurs
To me, these all seem to be examples of writers and publications cashing in on the female entrepreneurship trend.
Sure,
I love self help, a good inspirational quote, and general positivity.
But I am getting frustrated with the glamorized image of female
entrepreneurship these articles portray.
All
the images seem to be promoting the myth of perfection. Shiny, happy,
sexy women, that are doing it all. It’s the Instagram version of what it
means to start and grow a business.
Unfortunately,
the reality looks pretty different. It can be lonely, isolating,
depressing, hard, and tiresome. Trust me it is not always a pretty
picture, for me it often looks like me in my bathrobe at 6AM grinding
away.
And
while I admit that my company and personal Instagram is pretty upbeat,
it’s starting to upset me that people and companies seem to be selling a
whitewashed dream of entrepreneurship to women. Sure, they are
promoting a positive message. But I am getting frustrated with the
widespread capitalization on female entrepreneurship.
Why
are all these people trying to make money off of women, when instead
they could actually put their money where their mouth is an invest back
in the community? Have conference about female entrepreneurship? Maybe
you should have a scholarship to go with it. Have a website telling
stories of women who made it? Maybe you can offer mentorship. Have a
website selling business tips? Maybe you should give some away free.
Instead of advertising female entrepreneurship let’s acknowledge the hard parts and do what we can to actually foster it.
This
article is meant to spark dialogue around female entrepreneurship,
leave your thoughts in the comments section, and please share it with
other female entrepreneurs.
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