The Pleasure of Being an Entrepreneur

One of the great pleasures of being an entrepreneur is that, perhaps more than any other demographic, we can use our business to express who we are or who we want to be in the world. Being a for-profit business carries its own requirements, but a large percentage of us start businesses to give voice to our creativity–from painting or making jewelry to designing clothing for ourselves or our grandchildren, writing books or creating a business that has a life of its own. The examples are endless.

Every women I have discussed about has started or maintained her business not only to make money, but also because it is a true expression of who she is as a human being. These businesses model good business practices, but they are also a forum for expressing to the world how these women would like to be treated and viewed. I am sure there are exceptions, but each of the women I have interviewed is a fanatic about customer service. They have experienced the frustration of not having someone listen to them seriously about a problem and, at some level, vowed that if they had a business they would do it differently. There is a statement says that behind every successful woman is someone who dissed her (cleaned up here for younger eyes!). After I stopped laughing, I thought about it and find that it’s generally true.

In more ways than one, we are changing the world one business at a time. Now this is exciting!