This is a man’s world. That’s what some people would like for us to believe, isn’t it? And in some instances, women can be made to feel that it is. While we as a society maintain a veneer of equality, there are many economic, social, cultural and political inequalities in the workplace and the world of business which ensure that for the moment it is still very much a boys’ club. Just take the gender pay gap which economists predict could take over 200 years to close, or the cultural phenomenon of “Queen Bee” syndrome which plays women in the workplace against one another. In this climate, it’s no wonder that the number of female entrepreneurs continues to increase. Many women turn to the world of entrepreneurship to take their careers into their own hands and carve out a future for themselves on their own terms.

Entrepreneurship is a great liberator. It can transport talented, imaginative and intelligent women to heights that they might never have reached in their previous careers. No longer need they be overworked, underpaid and underappreciated, nor need they bang their head repeatedly against the glass ceiling. While there is a multitude of disadvantages that women face in business in general, I believe that there are a few advantages that women have over men in this entrepreneurial space.

Most Don’t Lead With Ego

While many women pride themselves on being ambitious high-achievers, most women tend to be less ego driven than their male counterparts and are less inclined to act as though they have something to prove. While it may not happen right away because determined women are very independent, women are more likely to ask for help when they need it rather than pridefully choosing to go it alone. They know their limitations and are smart enough not to let them become detrimental to their business. For example, if she is an IT expert and enjoys using her skills, she’ll gladly take on those challenges in her business. However, if she knows things of that nature are not her forte, she will willingly outsource this work to IT managed service providers like Frontline, marketing agencies or HR service providers. Not only does effective delegating insulate them from entrepreneurial burnout, but it also allows them to spend more time doing what they do best ensuring that they are satisfied, happy and productive all day every day.

Networking Prowess

Women are generally more gregarious than their male counterparts, making them naturally predisposed to networking, an essential business skill. They are able to forge positive relationships quickly and with apparent ease. Perhaps this is due to their intuition.

Intuition

Women are often more intuitive than men. That’s a scientific fact. They’re inherently better at reading facial expressions and the subtler forms of nonverbal communication while men focus more on what is said, context and text rather than the minutiae of subtext. The art of intuition tends to give them a notable inside track in the world of entrepreneurship. They’re less likely to hire someone who could compromise their business, less likely to be wrong when following their gut and will be able to make decisions more quickly and fluidly to keep their enterprise agile.

Listening

Who could deny that women are better listeners than men? Listening is a vital skill in entrepreneurship, and if you don’t have it, you can’t expect to adapt to the changing needs of your market. Only by listening to the needs of your customers, clients, shareholders, and employees can female entrepreneurs hope to build a business with longevity and long-standing brand appeal.

So, all together now… Who run the world?

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