It’s no secret that the challenges women face in business are tough. Compared to men, there are different expectations placed on women, as both employees and business owners. After speaking to a handful of female founders over the past few months, we’ve learned a lot.
How do the challenges women face in business make an impact on start-ups?
Women take 1p in every £1
First, one of the challenges women face in business is gaining belief & trust from investors. Financial backing is crucial to developing any start up.
However, in 2018, female led businesses took just over 1p out of every £1 of start up funding. Male founder teams took 89p and mixed gender teams took 10p.
Although investment in female founders is increasing- it’s very slow. Before women even get a chance to build their businesses, they’re restricted.
Working wife guilt is real.
Whatever industry you’re working in, another one of the challenges women face in business is juggling family life. Managing a business and personal relationships is tough- something Uspaah founder Iglika Ghouse relates to.
‘My husband often complains that I’m glued to my phone at dinner, and I feel guilty for that, but this is quite normal in the early stages,’
Instead, Iglika uses this as motivation to grow her brand. ‘As the team grows, I will get more support so that I can turn my focus back on the family,’ Read more from our interview with Iglika, on her hopes from her personal spa brand.
What about the age-old family debate?
Following from the problems of working wife guilt- what about working mum guilt? It’s said it takes a village to raise children- maybe a small city if you’re a business owner. Although every family is different, socially, a lot of childcare responsibilities fall to mums.
Another one of the challenges women face in business is balancing active parenting and duties as an employer. Self-employed personal stylist- and mother of two- Claire Jacklin uses social media to document the realities of being a young family.
Plus, we spoke to Claire about not forgetting yourself. Not burning out is key to everything. Here’s some more on how Claire specifically believes fashion & self expression can be a major part of your wellbeing.
With the challenges women face in business, can women be successful?
As a female team ourselves, we don’t think women should shy away from following their passions. Chatting to our founder, Iris, she mentioned how important being part of a community is to learn as a female founder.
“Reading books recommended by other founders rally helps me to learn. Plus attending events to listen to other professionals share their experiences and success stories is really inspiring!”
Overcoming the challenges women face in business can be done- as women, it’s up to us to build each other up.