Why 75% of Women Struggle to Succeed in Business
Posted By MaryPat Kavanagh on March 4, 2010
When you look at the list of what women ‘do’ in their businesses it looks something like this:
- General administration
- Website maintenance
- Phone calls
- Marketing
- Social Networking
- Client work
- Bookkeeping
- Running errands
plus much, much more.
Of course this ‘to do’ list is similar to what men ‘do’ in business, however the woman in business is also responsible for the personal side of life. Having children and partners plus take care of the household can consume your day without even going anywhere near their business!
The biggest barrier to their success is they often try to ‘do’ everything themselves, which is impossible. While they are ‘doing’ the day-day basics, there’s no time to work ‘on’ the business. There’s no time to look after their no. 1 asset… themselves.
That’s why getting help is essential. If you’re a woman in business, you need to look at letting go and asking for help. ‘Superwoman’ is a myth.
I recall one lady who had three pre-school children who was spending every possible minute working on her business. Well she really wasn’t working ‘on’ it, she was working ‘in it’. Mary did everything including packaging orders, bookkeeping, delivery of orders and all the paperwork. She wanted to make more money but she was very reluctant to let go of anything.
She also had the mentality that she couldn’t ’spend’ money on the business, until she made some first. If Mary outsourced the menial tasks, she would have easily freed up her time and tripled her current income, and been much more happier. The business was a heavy noose around her neck. She was a perfectionist and felt that if she didn’t play the part of Superwoman, she would have failed.
Freeing up your time is crucial, however what do you do with that free time? You see most women in business (and also a lot of men) are unsure of what to do next and that’s why they keep themselves busy buried in paperwork and general daily busyness.
Identifying what type of help you need is also vital. I recently came across a woman who was struggling to keep her holistic health centre viable. She thought by investing in a special machine for an additional $25,000 which can diagnose various ailments she’d make more money. A new machine wasn’t the solution.
The truth was she had no idea how to run her business. She needed a business coach. And it wasn’t all about marketing that she needed. Her self-esteem and personal image needed to be addressed for her to be seen as credible.
Lisa thought it would be a ‘good idea’ to start a small retail store. That way she and her friend could be in business together. So thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of blood, sweat and tears later she was left with:
a. Her friendship destroyed.
b. A nervous breakdown
c. Her marriage broken up
d. $75,000 of additional debt
e. No chance of having the baby she so desperately wanted
The pretty brochures, advertising costs and flashy website didn’t bring in the business. And unfortunately a lot of women in business ‘fluff’ around and spend time and money in the wrong areas.
So if you want to stop struggling, find out what successful women in business do. Every successful business woman I know continuously gets help through coaching, attending seminars, reading, finding mentors etc. They are on a constant personal and professional development journey.
They also outsource their weaknesses and use their strengths. There is always help available and depending on your needs you can access the help you need very inexpensively. If the assistance you require can be done without being in your office or premises, there are many very affordable options.
So what can you do to change your situation? If you want to achieve different results in your business, you need to do something else.
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Do you ever feel like losing yourself is easier than dealing with all the demands of being a mom? Do you ever admit that to yourself?
I always knew how lucky I was when I would talk to my friends who ‘worked somewhere’ at their J.O.B. and they told me all the insider drama, politics, etc. that went on and how they can hardly get their work done. They’re miserable, work long hours and all for someone else.
Katrina is the founder and CEO of K. Sawa Marketing International and the creator of The JumpStart Your Marketing™ System and the Love and Money Business Summit happening this Nov, 2009 in San Francisco. Katrina is a regular Business Expert on News10 in Sacramento, California and she speaks to groups of all sizes on how to start, build, grow and market your business. She is also one of the happiest people you will ever know living in Roseville, CA with her honey Scott and his two daughters, Kat calls herself a S.M.I.T. (Step Mom in Training). You can download her Free Entrepreneur’s Success Kit at 
So, are you ready to finally figure out how to put your marketing and other business tasks on autopilot? Did you know that by doing this ONE simple thing (and doing it the right way!) could literally DOUBLE OR TRIPLE your revenues??
Lucinda Cross is a speaker and author and founder of Corporate Mom Dropouts, blog, radio show and book. For several years, she has made it her life’s mission to uplift, inspire and change women’s lives. She likes to call herself a catalyst for motivation, passion and high energy and has worked with momprenuers and women business owners supporting them to work on their business and not in their business, and women who were interested in learning how to work from home and take charge and create the life they love. 
