When the first generation of women entered the workforce in earnest in the 1970s, they succeeded in the only way they could – by imitating men.  Authoritarian leadership and tight control was the hallmark of that day’s businessman, and women were not exactly welcomed into the ranks of management.  Well ladies, that was yesterday, and today is today!

Forget what your mama or your boss told you, because following the rules can be bad for your career.  Today’s CEO/entrepreneur can no longer tap his/her company’s full potential using a “command-and-control” style.  The 21^st century business woman needs to be able to build a vision based on the awareness of economic transformation, then help her partners and staff fulfill that vision.  She must draw on a wide range of skills to get to the top and stay there.  Following are 7 Key Characteristics that are essential:

1. Sell the Vision: A leader with a fresh, independent plan for her company’s growth and future has a distinct advantage in luring and keeping great talent and investors.  Vision is not some lofty ideal, but an obtainable concept that is easy to understand and will make the company grow to another level.

2. Reinvent the Rules:  While women have traditionally been socialized to please others, the 21^st century leader knows that good girls rarely post great returns. The strong managers/owners today not only anticipate change, they create entirely new organizations that respond to shifts and search for innovation.

3. Achieve With A Laser Focus:  Go where others fear to tread! Being aggressive and ambitious has long been considered male traits, but they are key qualities for new leaders.  Today’s business woman has the ability to home in on opportunities that others may simply not see, and then excel in that uncharted territory.

4. Use High-Touch in a High-Tech Era:  When a number of leaders are conducting business by e-mail, voice mail, passwords, and PINs, the female entrepreneur succeeds because she guides with a strong, personal, bed-side manner. Today’s business woman is just as technologically savvy as her peers, but her skill with staff and customers is “high-touch” which gives her a critical edge and separation from the “pack”.

5. Challenge or Opportunity? – Women are great at turning a challenge into an opportunity instead of using the “slash-and-burn” approach.  They are able to make bold strokes, but they also win the cooperation of others in the organization in making any transformation a success.

6. A Customer Preference Obsession:  In this information age which makes it easier to shop around for the best “whatever”, businesses must work harder to give people what they want before their competitors do.  There is no substitute for spending time with clients to become expert at their businesses and learn their demands.  Female leaders are almost intuitively adept in doing just that, and without the client even suspecting.

7. Courage Under Fire:  Show me any career woman or female entrepreneur today that isn’t able to “stand-the-heat” in any tough-call situation.  Their decision-making skills are rooted in a high level of confidence, because they’ve had to weather and surpass any and all “corporate” storms they’ve encountered over time.

It takes a certain mind-set and bravado for anyone to start their own business and succeed, but it’s even more difficult for a female entrepreneur.  Let’s face it, ladies!  You’ve always had to be twice-as-smart and twice-as-confident as any male counterpart in the corporate world.  After all, if you can bear and raise the future generation, how can running a successful business scare you ?

When you have registered your business, you actually upgraded yourself to an Employer or a Business Owner status. You will start to do things that will benefit your business plan and you will be extremely conscious with your spending ( expenses ).

Whatever you do, your ultimate aim is profitability. It is a long process and it usually takes quite a while for you to break-even or to start making more money.

Your utmost concern is to identify where and how to start the business proper.

The usual considerations are as follows :

Your Workplace

• Choosing and setting up an office can be challenging. You might want it to be situated near your home or perhaps in a presentable and prime area such as the business district. However, Cost usually is the main factor here.

• What kind of office equipments will be required for your operation ? Do you need transportation for the type of your business you are providing ? E.g. Computer System, Printer, Telephone, Fax Machine or a Truck.

• How to keep the place safe from people you are working with you ? E.g. Buying Fire or Home Protection Insurance, Workman Compensation Plan, Safety Goggles or accessories etc

Inventories, Taxes, Payroll and Bonuses

• How are you going to keep track of your documents for the following matters :

Income, Corporate and other business taxes
Insurance
Employment ( Records of Employee )
Sales and Marketing
Financial Control, operations and transportation
Contractors and Suppliers
IT and e-Commerce
Importing and Exporting
Minutes of Meeting for your business
Trainings or Seminars
and much more……

Most of these new owners or entrepreneurs usually get over-whelmed in the beginning because the Number One concern they have in order to satisfy the above is to have more money.

Very often, when they are new in the market, the trust level of customers may not be high and this affects the profitability of the business. However, as time goes by, they will eventually get more businesses when the customers trust them more and more.

When the going gets tough, these enterprising businessmen will usually look at their business plan to make modification where necessary. Some will reach their goal faster than the others.

Meanwhile they always remind themselves the purpose for doing the business as well as the outcome they can derived from doing it. Some of these purposes are :

• The satisfaction of owning their own business!
• The ability to work as much, or as little, as they want!
• The flexibility to set their own work schedule!
• The pride of a job well done!
• The joy of helping others!
• A chance to spend more quality time with family and friends!
• The power to control their financial future!
• The option to take vacations whenever they feel like it!
Plus much, MUCH MORE!

William Siong

Here is Napoleon Hill’s take on living our dreams:

” First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.”