More and more women are becoming entrepreneurs today. For some, it’s a way to realize their ideas and creativity. For others, it’s a way to earn a living while looking after their families.
For women to achieve success in entrepreneurship, they need to develop the right skills, stay motivated, and work hard. But there’s another critical factor that women entrepreneurs need to include to meet major goals: the power of community.
In this post, we’ll look at why a woman entrepreneur should join a community and how to find and join one.
Get support and mentorship
It’s not uncommon for a woman starting a business to feel like she’s on her own. It’s often an unusual step to take.
I used to be a registered nurse and turned into an entrepreneur quite by accident. I was looking after my newborn during maternity leave and had more time than I knew what to do with. When my husband’s cousin needed help with his business, I took the opportunity to learn to code.
Over time, I started to help clients build websites and one request that kept coming to me was the need for an advanced form tool. And since there was no such thing in the marketplace, I built one. The result is that I now own and manage a successful WordPress plugin business.
What helped me was the mentorship from my husband’s cousin who was experienced in building products and running a business.
The power of community lies in the fact that you can connect with other women who can help you. Their experience and their business expertise can be a game-changer for someone new to entrepreneurship.
Get timely insights
When you’re part of a mastermind group for women, a major advantage is that there are several people with the same interests who are willing to share and discuss relevant information.
Depending on your group’s aim and purpose, you could get market news, find out what tools can help you in your business, become aware of any problems in your industry, or even start a book club.
While you could look for content on your own, it simply won’t compare to the depth and breadth of information that can be found with the help of a group of dedicated people.
What’s even more important is that you can discuss topics and ask questions, creating a greater depth of understanding in your area of interest.
Connect with the right people
A major reason for you to join a community is that it could directly help you grow your business. Networking is a key activity that puts you in touch with clients, mentors, and partners.
So, how do you find the right people or the right community? Here are a few ways to find a women’s community for entrepreneurs:
- Start talking about what you’re looking for. Do this with friends, peers, and family. You’ll be surprised by how much hidden and unusual knowledge people have. There’s a good chance you can connect with the right community by just asking around
- Look on social media. Using a few relevant keywords like ‘women entrepreneurs in New York’, carry out a search on places like LinkedIn, Facebook, and other platforms. There’s a good chance that a community exists and you can join them.
- Start a community! If you can’t find a community, start one. You can create groups on social media, build a membership website, or volunteer at your professional association
- Do a search on Google or some other search engine. Play around with keywords and you may find a forum for women entrepreneurs or a networking space you can join
Over to you
As someone who’s had success starting her own business, I think that more women should start businesses and even learn coding. This is because doing these things allows women the ability to manage multiple things in their life like earning an income, childcare, and more.
Joining a community puts you in a virtual environment where you connect with women who think like you and have similar goals.
When you’re in a positive and motivated space like that, your chances of achieving your dreams become real.