One of the reasons  women start a small business is because they want more control over their life, more freedom, flexibility, and control. They want to be able to spend more time with and on their family and themselves. These business minded women have always been more focused on their roles  as a wife, mother, and entrepreneur and seek to build a business to create more flexibility than a traditional 9-to-5 job.

Men Tend To Dream of the Possibilities

Recently more men are beginning to think about lifestyle control and other options when building a business. It’s not that men don’t put values and family on the front line of their business or job, but most women entrepreneurs make it the number one priority over everything else. In my opinion, men are the dreamers and less pragmatic than women. The traditional business philosophy is either in direct conflict with feminine tendencies of acting on intuition or connection with others, or has no relation to it and feels very unnatural to a woman.

For example, telling a woman that upon conception of her entrepreneurial idea she needs to write a business plan at once, work out all the figures, and define her exit strategy is counter-intuitive and counterproductive to her natural tendency to go out in the world and associate. More typically she would get the information and work through an idea slowly bouncing ideas off those around her area of interest, get information from friends and colleagues, or enjoy a long dinner from which a prospective or unexpected partnership might arise. Women are more likely to have a creative idea when out and about mingling or even having lunch with a friend, rather than buried in paperwork at a desk. That is why many women entrepreneurs create products that they developed out of their individual needs. These ideas come from either frustration or a strong desire to have something they aren’t able to find on the market.

How She Does It: How Women Entrepreneurs Are Changing the Rules of Business, (written by Margaret Heffernan) wrote that women think about what their business will stand for before they start planning anything else. According to Heffernan, male entrepreneurs see their businesses as a machine, while female entrepreneurs see it as a living organism. 

It’s not to say that the way women deal with business is better than the way men develop a business or the traditional business philosophy – it is just can be different. You need to take charge and do as you feel. See your business idea through your eyes.