How to become an independent businesswoman in 2022?

When the "Girlboss" author Sophia Amoruso started out, she only had an idea she believed in. Months later, Sophia would be featured on the cover of Forbes magazine as a successful businesswoman. But how did she achieve that? In this article, we talk about what women are capable of doing to become their own bosses in 2022 in spite of all the obstacles of the business world full of stereotypes and prejudices.

"I want this. I`ll give you $8."

“No way. The tag says 12.”

“9 bucks and I`ll give you free business advice?”

“Deal. And what would that advice be?”

"This is an original 1970s East West calfskin motorcycle jacket in perfect condition. You need to know the worth of what you sell. Because you just got played."

These are words spoken by Sophia, a young woman in her 20s who took the first steps of her company, which became a giant fashion brand after opening a store on eBay, in the trailer for the TV series Girlboss created by Kay Cannon and released in 2017. The story is based on the bestselling autobiography of the same name by Sophia Amoruso, the creator of the brand Nasty Gal.

The story of Sophia, a high school dropout who is looking for ways to do e-commerce on eBay at that time, starts by photographing the products she buys from vintage clothing shops and sells them on eBay. Her brand, which she named Nasty Gal, attracts so much attention in a short time and its revenues reach millions of dollars. In fact, Sophia was entitled to join Forbes magazine`s list of Richest Self-Made Women in 2016.

Kay Cannon, who turned this story into a TV-series with the same name so it could reach and inspire more women, defines the word "girlboss", which means self-employed woman, independent businesswoman, and boss in English, as follows: "A girlboss is strong, intelligent, resilient. She is determined, confident and brave. She lives the life she wants to live.”

Names like Sophia Amoruso inspire people to break the mold in the business world, be their own boss, and achieve enviable success by wisely realizing an idea that no one else has thought of. We, too, feel that 2022 is the best year to turn that inspiration into courage and take action as we know that any decision can be delayed indefinitely.

Equality in the business world still lags a century behind

We know that the business world is years away from achieving gender equality. The World Economic Forum measures this distance completed to parity at?68% ?in its 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, whereas the gender gap in Economic Participation and Opportunity is at 58%. Different reports prove that the pandemic caused a decline in female employment in businesses, that the number of women laid off during the pandemic is higher than the number of men on a global basis, and that women do not return to business life even after the pandemic and its effects will be over. Independent initiatives such as?Gender Pay Gap Bot ?show that many corporate brands, even non-governmental organizations, that drew attention to the representation of women and gender equality in the workplace on March 8, International Women`s Day, have not developed adequately consistent policies on equal pay for equal work. Introduced by Marilyn Loden in 1978, the "glass ceiling" stands out as a concept that is still highly debated in the world of business. Women remain?underrepresented ?in management positions compared to men, even if they have equal levels of expertise.

We can be a little more optimistic thanks to the entrepreneurship ecosystem, yet it is obvious that the result has not changed.?Some data? show that out of a total of 582 million entrepreneurs worldwide, only 252 million are women. On the other hand, the data of the World Bank reveal that only one of three small, medium and large-sized enterprises globally are owned by women. According to the survey conducted by the?Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, ?women have been 20% more likely than men to report closing their businesses due to the pandemic.

So, even with the picture looking so adverse, why should women be their own bosses? And how can they achieve this?

3 reasons to be your own boss as a woman

Finding a way out in global economic uncertainty

The world goes through times in which inflation rates break records every month, supply problems continue, and markets follow fluctuating course. With the fact that economic challenges created by the pandemic affect women more than men, it becomes even more essential for women to secure their future.

Pursuing your passions

Just like in Sophia`s story, you may want to sustain yourself with a job you are happy with and therefore successful at and realize the business idea that you have always dreamed of. This stands out as one of the most valid reasons to initiate the entrepreneurial journey.

Being more focused in the business world and economy

Being an entrepreneur paves the way to a life where you will be your own boss and determine your own working style and work arrangements. Thus, women are not content with the salaries or bonuses given to them and they rise to stronger decision-making positions in the business world, regardless of the success achieved and earnings gained by them when working in a corporate company. They participate more actively in social life by undertaking tasks such as transforming industries, breaking down prejudices, and making the world a better place with their business ideas.

Challenges Girlboss candidates may face

Women trying to establish a growth-based business initiative and be a part of the start-up ecosystem may encounter difficulties even in the entrepreneurship community that advocates innovation and develops via innovation.

You may experience difficulties in reaching investments and investors

Investment is not necessary to put a business initiative into practice, but if you need larger capital to establish your business, you will need investors at some point. However, according to?Crunchbase ?venture capital (VC) investment companies that invest in startups still maintain their "men`s club" nature. According to a survey conducted by Axios, 65% of US-based venture capital firms lack female partners. You have to keep in mind that some theses?promote ?the idea of investors preferring to invest in startups from their “own tribes” and when taking into consideration the stereotypes due to gender roles, it can be difficult to reach mostly male investment institutions.

You may encounter challenges of being taken not seriously

No matter at what levels all companies deny this fact and try to take precautions in this regard, the business world maintains its male-dominated structure. Many female CEOs therefore find themselves in a male-dominated industry or workplace that is unwilling to accept female leadership roles. These people may sometimes be your boss, sometimes your employee —or if you are an entrepreneur— even your partner. Men`s insinuations about the way you conduct your work, sometimes unconsciously but mostly intentionally, and claims of "I know better", which are called "mansplaining", can damage your self-confidence.

You may be prevented from laying claim to your achievements

The humility imposed by gender roles may even affect your statements about laying claim to your achievements. Molly MacDonald, founder and CEO of The Mobile Locker, explains this occurrence, also called the “imposter” syndrome: “When I talk about my company, I always find myself saying `we` instead of `me`. Using the first-person singular when talking about achievements feels like I`m praising myself. I work very hard to claim my achievements.”

You may find it difficult to balance work, life, and family.

And if you are also a mother, it will be even more difficult to maintain work-life balance. Housework, which usually is not considered a job and is called invisible labor, is generally imposed on women as a result of gender roles. Women, who have to allocate their schedule in three parts in order to spare time for their work, family and themselves, may feel more exhausted from time to time on the journey to becoming a “girlboss”. McKinsey`s report on the subject takes notice of the fact that women feel more “burned out” in their careers compared to male employees.

Ways to overcome these challenges

Do not allow all these to deter you from the path you ventured. Successes are achieved by taking risks and facing challenges, and there is a solution for every challenge. How, you ask? Let`s see:

Challenge social acceptance

How about starting your job with confidence? To be able to trust your business idea, operating model, revenue sources, path to growth and strategy, you must first trust yourself. This requires challenging social acceptance, objecting where and when necessary, and taking a strong stance.

Be part of a community

Whether you are a female founder who initiated her own enterprise or work in a field such as supply chain, sales or human resources. It is possible to find communities, non-governmental organizations, working groups, associations, unions or trade organizations that focus solely on women entrepreneurs and sector workers In your own country. These communities, where you can benefit from mentorship and consultancy, will encourage you to trust your work, achievements, yourself and your decisions, and will offer opportunities to expand your business network.

Remember: success may take time

It takes time for everyone to come up with the best idea, implement the best practice, establish the best venture. If you are committed to your idea with passion, accept that failures can always happen due to the nature of the business. Remind yourself that in a male-dominated world, you`re trying to build a structure from scratch, and it`s normal to encounter difficulties while doing so. Be persistent and push the limits to achieve what you want to achieve.

Do not procrastinate, do initiate

If you have accepted that you are embarking on a long journey, start taking your initial steps without wasting time. When you procrastinate, it is possible that your self-confidence will suffer and your worries of failure will increase. But you won`t know unless you try. Whatever you believe in and dream of, think about how you can realize it.

When you succeed, bear in mind other “girlbosses” like Sophia Amoruso who inspired you and remember this article.