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Even today, in times of modernity and globalization, for some it is surprising that certain women run large companies or hold distinguished management positions, possibly they have forgotten that we are half of the population, but they also assume that nature, for endowing us with qualities such as tenderness, beauty and the possibility of bringing life into the world,  with pettiness would have deliberately limited our brain capacity. Brave women from remote, violent, and complicated times fought great battles in search of achieving basic rights and that over time became what today seems almost normal to us as the possibility of being owners of our destinies, free to choose, create and undertake, although that dreamed balance of genders has not yet been achieved, progress has been made with certainty and some lucky woman more than others enjoy the pleasures of change, gradually, but without pause.

Clearly, in some geographies far from the American reality, female entrepreneurship is almost an odyssey, cultural lags, ignorance, and lack of opportunities condemn the few who dare to shipwreck in the choppy sea of business. It is common to hear comments such as “What is a woman doing this” or “If she is prepared to do it”, “It is that men are good for business”. At least that was my experience and possibly that is the same path that most Latin American women who have tried to launch themselves into the difficult business world have traveled.

However, returning to the local context in the USA, official figures revealed by the United States Census Bureau indicate that in 2018 the number of women-owned businesses increased by 0.6% according to the Bureau’s Annual Survey from the US Census Bureau in its Annual Business Survey (ABS). Women-owned businesses in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector increased by 10.5%, from 22,219 in 2017 to 24,542 in 2018. The 10 sectors shown in the chart below are also experiencing growth in women-owned businesses.

According to the article Overcoming Some Of The Barriers To Women Entrepreneurship published by Forbes magazine in September 2021, more women than men started their small businesses during 2020, unfortunately, the pandemic hit these businesses hard due to prolonged closures in businesses and the need to take care of the children to which they were forced, due to the implementation of virtual education in response to the seriousness of the health situation. The article also highlights that the main barriers faced by women entrepreneurs are lack of financing, gender bias, inequity at work, and lack of support.

But not everything is negative, there are currently several initiatives that have contributed to the increase in female entrepreneurship, as well as institutional initiatives that seek to strengthen entrepreneurship led by women and give them the necessary tools to achieve success. Some of them are the Small Business Administration (SBA), Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) and Women’s Opportunity Resource Center (WORC) among others.

It is also important to highlight organizations such as The Welcoming Center in Philadelphia and its entrepreneurship program, which has been working with a representative group of entrepreneurs offering them technical assistance, workshops, and training that allow them to better guide their businesses and make them more competitive. Likewise, Widener University  in Chester has been developing programs aimed at small businesses and women, such as its Ella Emprende program, which is aimed at Latina entrepreneurs, with the purpose of offering tools that help them model their businesses, strengthen their leadership, create connections between them and guide them in their creation and growth.

Entrepreneurial women have understood that the first to believe in their projects should be themselves and that despite the difficulties they have all the skills, creativity, and motivation to achieve success. They also know that their steps are a source of inspiration for others who have not yet decided or who have greater limitations in accessing financial, educational, and technological resources that will allow them to turn their business ideas into a real source of income. We have the opportunity to transform our reality and the power to continue building more spaces for the women of today and the future.

Today, having a company website is as crucial as having a shop, office or telephone number. Research has found that 6/10 customers expect brands to have content online about their business. Why wait any longer your customers are looking for you! If you own or operate a business which hasn’t taken that step into the online world, here are 10 reasons that will leave you wondering why you hadn’t done it sooner.

#1 Online Presence 24/7

Having a website means customers are always able to find you – anytime, anywhere. Even outside of business hours, your website continues to find and secure new customers. It offers the user convenience as they can access the information they need in the comfort of their own home, with no added pressure to buy. Plus, as most companies nowadays have their own website, there’s every chance you could be losing customers to your competitors by staying offline.

#2 Information Exchange

At its simplest, a website provides a quick and easy way of communicating information between buyers and sellers. You can list your opening hours, contact information, show images of your location or products, and use contact forms to facilitate enquiries from potential customers or feedback from existing ones. You can even upload promotional videos to really engage your customers and sell your business in an effective and cost efficient way. This is also a good way to promote your social media channels and build up a community with your customers.

#3 Credibility

In today’s modern world, there is an expectation for any reputable company to have some kind of online presence. Potential customers would likely be distrusting of any business that didn’t have a telephone number or a physical address, and the same can be said for not having a website and email address. These are useful tools to share crucial information about your business with customers and answer all the What’s and Why’s that they may have. What’s more, having a good quality, easy-to-use website makes customers feel comfortable using your services, as they will assume they can expect the same positive experience in all areas of your business.

#4 It Cuts Costs

As well as simply displaying information, you can also use your website to sell goods & services directly to consumers, in some cases removing the need to use “brick-and-mortar” stores which involve large operating costs (staff wages, rental, utilities to name just a few). Eliminating these overheads will also allow you to lower your prices, giving your business that real competitive edge. It can also be used internally within your business; do you have any news you want to share with colleagues or have any important information that can be accessed by management? Having an internal website can save you a lot of time as everything you need is one place and can be accessed at any time.

#5 Market Expansion

As your site is accessible to anyone all over the world, the ability to break through geographical barriers has never been easier. Anyone, from any country, will be able to find your company and as such, is now a potential customer.

#6 Consumer Insights

Analytic tools allow you to identify who your typical customer is, how they found you, what they like, and adapt your business to maximise purchases through your site. The diverse range of data available can also help you better understand how your social media channels affect your brand, and can even highlight opportunities to change the offline aspects of your business such as branch opening times, promotions and product ranges.

#7 Advertising

Tools like Google AdWords or advertising on Facebook give you the power to reach customers with much more accuracy and reliability than with traditional offline advertising methods. SEO and online advertising are a great way to help build up awareness, if it’s done correctly traffic to your website can see an increase. Be the first company that a potential new customer sees when searching for a specific product or service online, and use your website’s contact page or e-commerce features to make purchasing a product or finding a retail outlet easier than ever before.

#8 Competitors Online

If you don’t have a website it is highly likely that your competitor will do, this means that you are missing out on gaining new customers and can be in the forefront of their minds. It is crucial that no opportunities are missed and are gained by the competition.

#9 Customer Service Online

Websites provide an easier way to handle customer service. Offering answers to regularly asked questions in a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section, you can reduce customer service costs and save yourself time and money, as well as providing much more information. This also means that customers can receive a reply instantly and saves time, which helps to encourage positive customer relations in the long run. This could be a benefit for you, all positive feedback can be uploaded into a testimonial, your customers are happy why not show it off?!

#10 Growth Opportunity

Websites, in general, are great ways to in providing a place that potential investors can be referred to. It shows what your company is about, what it has achieved and what it can achieve in the future.