Are Women Too Intimidated to Be Solo Entrepreneurs?
June 25th, 2009 | 
Author: 
Look at any traditional work at home mom site and you’ll see clusters of women connecting to support one another in a pre-made business venture. The owner of the site, of course, has carved her place out as a leader of female entrepreneurs, but is she sharing that same pioneering spirit with her loyal followers?
The work at home business opportunities being presented to women (moms or not) are pigeonholing them to some degree. Cookie cutter business in a box deals – like hosting parties for cookware, jewelry or lingerie, for example – are not your only option.
If that’s what you wish to pursue, then by all means, go for it – and learn how to increase your exposure to your target audience and perfect your online marketing techniques. But what if I told you that you could be your own boss – not restricted by product possibilities or promotional guidelines?
More women need to know that they can be information marketers – a career selection where you truly are your own boss. Work at home women don’t have to push products of a tangible nature – they can sell information in the form of digital downloads just like some of the most successful male entrepreneurs who aren’t afraid to brand their name and dominate a niche.
Women typically gravitate toward offers such as:
- Mystery shopping
- Transcription
- Virtual assistant
- Writing
- Party hosting (candles, crafts, candy)
What do each of those opportunities have in common?
You’re working with someone else at the reins. You either work for a company who pays you a salary for completed missions or projects, or you have clients who pay you for jobs completed.
Even with party hosting, your income relies on the quality of the product and your ability to build a downline and rely on other people’s efforts. Plus, there are certain hours you may need to work – whether you’re logging in as a virtual assistant or adhering to store hours as a mystery shopper.
Wouldn’t you like to break free from that?
Info marketing is one of the best ways to make money on the Internet for women and here’s why:
- It doesn’t require you to tap your contact list of friends and family.
- You set your own price points and keep 100% of the profits.
- There’s no stock to carry.
- It’s timeless in nature. No 1970s Tupperware stock to toss out – your info product can be readily updated as necessary.
- You’ll have a sales force of affiliates helping you make money.
Being a solo entrepreneur means you have to shoulder more of the responsibilities. It can be more stressful if you don’t know what you’re doing because you’re giving up the comfort of being able to turn to a company and get help or even direct blame at them.
With a traditional work at home women’s business opportunity, the product’s been picked out, they decide how much you can earn, and it’s their responsibility to show you the ropes on how to sell it.
Info product development, where men are primarily cashing in, provides you with no infrastructure for emotional support or training, but it’s one of the few online marketing options that knows no boundaries and lets you set your own hours.
Is this the reason women are reluctant to pursue a career as an info marketer? Do they feel more comfortable behind the scenes, or are they resting on their laurels because they believe they don’t need the glory and fame of being a “big name marketer?”
Being an online entrepreneur isn’t a turnkey overnight riches gig. It’s a real business that you build from the ground floor up, but if you’re ready to soar to great heights and be in total control of your financial destiny, it’s time you embraced the challenge and positioned yourself to become a pioneer on the path to unlimited info profits.
Tiff 
Posted in Internet Marketing
Hi I only started on line about 6 months ago. I didn’t know nothing so I downloaded everything free I could and read and learned. Its not easy theres a lot to learn. But I think that it can be done if you really want it, even if your a woman. We have more things to do in our lives than men do. We look after kids, work and the home. So we have less time to pursue different avenues and that includes working on line.
thanks fr Heather
Hi Tiff –
Nice post and provacative title! I agree that that’s what women tend to do and I think it’s to do with social conditioning and self belief.
It’s said that a man will have no trouble applying for a job and being confident in the interview if he feels he can do 80% of it on reading the job description (”WooHoo – I can do 80% of this). Women tend to be more cautious and would worry that they couldn’t do 20% of the job and so not apply or be a lot less confident in interview.
Particularly from my personal experience it takes a HUGE amount of reading, thinking, talking and planning before I actually “DO” online and I think it’s because I AM support system to my husband, sons AND ME – so I need to take care to make sure I can cope! And to be honest, I think women just think about things a bit more. Men can be spontaneous – women think about how they’re going to get back in time to pick the kids up!
I read recently a “rising guru” say he was willing to “fly around the world at the drop of a hat” to meet “gurus”. Anytime, anyplace. Fine for him. He obviously leaves his toddler with his (understanding and supportive) girlfriend/mum and doesn’t need to worry about doing an equal share of relationship work. If I tried that, there would be point blank resistance from my husband and accusations that I’m putting the “computer” ahead of my kids!
I think women make fantastic solopreneurs – but more of them would do it IF only, like the men, women had WIVES too! LOL!
Hi Tiffany,
I do agree that there are many women that are timid about business, however, my wife, Gina Sprenkle-Gunning certainly isn’t one of them.
My wife has worked online since 1997 and has mastered many of the skills necessary to be a top marketer. She is no stranger to self-employment, having owned several successful offline businesses as well.
The handful of online marketers that don’t know her are typically surprised at her copy writing, marketing, web master skills and overall knowledge when meeting her. It’s a rare day the she isn’t sought out for advice in those areas by both genders.
The days are long past where women can’t stand side by side with men in business on equal footing… and role models like you and my wife are there as proof.
I agree Susan! lol But from my experience even women who don’t have those restraints use inner fear and intimidation as an excuse not to go for the jugular in the business world. (matching what you said in the first part of your comment).
I don’t know how I overcame it like I did. It was HARD. When I launched that Squidoo eBook, for example – I had to openly brand myself as the Squidoo guru – and I DID – because no one else had done it at that time. But I wonder if I’d do it now that there are others if I were new to the marketing scene. It’s hard to go up against an already established group.
I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that I played golf with men all the time growing up and I kind of developed a cocky attitude (”My teeshot outdrove yours so bite me!”) I gambled for money, I trash talked with them. I learned a lot about being confident like a man through that period of training.
Tiff
Hi Pat!
Congrats to Gina for going after what she wants. I admire that
Tiff
A very interesting topic. I owned my own brick and mortar business for almost ten years. I am now getting started in the online world. So I am definitely interested in this topic. Do I believe that women can be successful entrepreneurs in the online world? Yes I definitely do. I have a feeling that there are a lot out there working under the radar…we must get together…with technology the way it is today…we wouldn’t have to fly around…we could get together online and meet each other online.
True Cyndie! And there are those of us who prefer the virtual scene to in person networking. I’ve been invited to speak in seminars in the UK, Japan, Singapore, MANY places here in the US but I always turn the offer down because I’m the primary caregiver to my kids. My husband works a normal job – he can’t stay home with them while i jet around to build a brand.
Tiff
Hi Tiff
I’ve worked with many female and male embryo entrepreneurs over the past 23 years both offline and online and I agree with all of the limitations mentioned in your post and responses so far. However, most of these liimitations are holding back both genders.
The population as a whole tend to prefer the apparent certainty of employment, either as the bread winner or support person. Only a tiny percentage of the population aspire to something greater. You and I, and all of us in business (or trying to get there) tend to mix more with the latter few than the many, so we get a ’slanted’ view.
Within this few the same apparent imbalance of opportunity explains why so many high profile Internet Marketers are male. It’s partly conditioning from the world of employment, from the media and unfortunately from a mistaken and outdated belief that women have to be ‘more responsible’ for the family.
I hate generalisations because for every timid female there is an even more timid male somewere, and for every aggresive, risk taking male there is out there a female who could bring him down without breaking her fingernails. (I am addressing stereotypes here of course).
From my experience women are not so much risk averse as less likely to take stupid risks. They also tend by conditioning to be less confident than some males (many of which are way over confident!)
On the plus side women will take a more considered approach to risk, will research more carefully, are very much more in tune with the customer and tend to be more focussed & task orientated and less likey to be constantly distracted by the next ‘easy buck’.
This, IMHO, makes them ideally suited to internet marketing, especially as the distractions get bigger and more numerous. Their time will come, and very soon. Us guys had better watch out!
Good point John. I didn’t know men had the same kind of hesitation that we women feel. That IS a sweeping generalization though, isn’t it? I love this quote: “From my experience women are not so much risk averse as less likely to take stupid risks. ” LOL That made me laugh
And we thank you.
OK Tiff, since you asked for fresh comment from either sex on this earlier post…
I can only speak from a baby-boomer point of view really. (1) pc’s arrived in the mid-80s; the Web 10 years later. (2) typically even school teachers are not naturally computer-savvy in my country. (3) females are less inclined to be technically minded. So…
(4) in essence you’re challenging gals to become marketers of their own infoproducts. The reality is that it’s one very huge leap to set up such an online business from the get-go. Heck, they might not have written anything since school days, and even then they may not have seen themselves as creative. Sure I know all about the wisdom of easily turning your interest/hobby or expertise into a product. But few people would garner sufficient confidence even were they to be convinced that they had a product within them.
I’ll risk adding a point (5): motherhood, which you spelt out as a limiting factor in growing your own business Tiff. Yes, usually moms run the home and have so much to do in guiding their children’s lives. By the time the kids have left home maybe many a woman feels there’s no killer drive left. Time to back off and have some self-time.
Oh and I have no answer to the #5 dilemma. My kids have become adults and my wife still works a day job to help pay household bills. She’s never seen herself as being able to run her own business. Too risky, yes.
What’s happening in the newer generation(s)? I suspect not a lot of change is taking place. What do young women do with their PCs? Facebook, email, photo-sharing, shopping. Anything else? I suspect only a few of them see that they can eventually make a living off their laptop right from their own home. But somehow the young guys do. They quickly rise through the guru ranks, taking no prisoners.
Tiffany
I just HAD to comment on this blog. Very well written and to the point. I’m 60 years old and grew up in the “Leave It To Beaver” era. I was expected to be a nurse, teacher and/or mother….not to own a business or think outside the box.
Fortunately I was never able to accept that as my role…Yes, I love being a mother but I wanted something more. It was not the money that drove me but the expectation of DOING IT MYSELF. I have had my own businesses and tried to overcone the obvious stumbling blocks (like financing and time constraints). Being women and mothers we have the developed the insight to multi-task, problem solve and manage time extremely well. All of which are necessary to be an infopreneur!!
I applaud the young women today who demand their spouses share the housework and raising the children BUT how many of these do you see in info marketing? Just look at the sites with all the gurus listed..where are the women….this is a male dominated business but with leaders like you, Tiffany, I believe we will see some fabulous leaders in todays women.
I don’t believe its confidence in ourselves that we lack …its the lack of vision of others to see the amazing results we can have when we use our feminine gifts to better others AND ourselves.
This business is still in its infancy. It’s just a matter of time until there are more women starting their own IM businesses from a natural position of strength and professionalism.
Tiff,
I’m thinking this is a great niche opportunity.
I wonder if you would create a bunch of plr articles to address this? $5 for a set?
First, would be on self-esteem. How the genders deal with it, males no problem, females, ouch!
Second, it’s a male-dominated jungle! Females need not apply. Example, a recent challenge had 90% participation by females alone. Males wouldn’t stoop down to such a lowly affair. An article on how females cope with disappointment would be enough.
Third, self-esteem redux (whatever that means), how to get away from under your husband’s thumb. This is a doozy! Most women rule the home but they love their husbands to the point of slavery. It would be a tough one to write, I’m sure! Who wants to fight that? It’s definitely a lost cause but I’m sure you would be able to rise to the occasion. Remember Lincoln, though.
Fourth, business blueprint. Online businesses are clear cut and straightforward. “All’s” you need to do is read any old book at the library on business success and you are all set. Every one is doing it already so this should be another easy article.
Fifth, business networking. This is another easy one. Businessmen know women spend their time chatting up a storm when they get together so all this would need would be advice on where to go and what to wear. Maybe a little appendix on business etiquette, as in, don’t carry a business card, carry a DVD with a synopsis of your business plan and obligatory website url. And don’t mention laptops. They are so passe’. These days it’s a smartphone.
Last, but definitely not least, business attire. Make sure to write up something on what women should wear when they have to make the daily commute to the bank to deposit the millions of dollars they will be making once they become business moguls. And a short mention on what to wear when you have to put in long hours on your business after the dishes are done, the menfolk fed, and the dog is pampered. Sometime between midnight and midnight 01, if you don’t mind. After all, everyone knows we men work in our underwear, (how’s that for a charming picture to leave you all with?) making all those big bucks from our easy successful online businesses.
Let me know as soon as you are done with the writing, as this is sure to be a hot niche and I’m looking forward to taking advantage of it.
Also, what do you think will be a “hot domain name”? “freewomen.com”, “freewomen.net” or “freewomen.org”?
I’m really looking forward to your prompt response on this,
Very sincerely,
Joe
PS: Great post but … this could be said about either gender, as some “male” commenters mentioned. Seriously though, I do believe that if you were to do a serious survey, you would find more women are involved in online businesses than men and on an individual basis, more women are successful than men.
I have been using Wealthy Affiliate for over 2 years now and have purchased many other projects. Unfortunately I came within seconds of dying in the midst of marketing and it took me a year to recover from the lack of oxygen to the brain and other complications. I gave nursing to become a mother and I have raised, and still am raising, 6 children. They are intelligent well adjusted awesome kids. I have backed my husband for 11 years in his career often carrying the load when needed. This is something I want so badly for myself that I can taste it. I want to learn how to do marketing and then I want to pass it on to other women so they have choices in their lives. I have come a long way from where I started. I have some good tools to use and I know the terminology and mostly how things work but I have not earned that first dime. If I had one wish it would to have a program that led me to my first earnings and then I would put that learning into place and build on the income until I got where I wanted to be. I have fibromyalgia and it is very severe. I am lucky some days to walk down the hallway but I am lucky in a way that it provides me many hours a day to work, and that is what I am avidly doing and I will never give up!
Hi Jeanna! Thank you for sharing your story. There are a lot of women (and men) who have the same desire to learn and then teach – that’s what my goal was!