Introduction
The business life of every country is a crucial aspect of its economy. As anybody who has any understanding of economics would tell you, businesses are the backbone of the economy of any country.
From time immemorial, however, women have always played a part in the running of businesses; small or big. They have always helped their husbands out with the menial jobs, while some helped out with the business itself, though their spouses took the benefit.
However, history, until recently, has not recorded many successful female business owners. Though our society today allows it and even, to some extent, encourages it, women do not yet seem to have the visibility that their male counterparts enjoy.
Now, while there might be many reasons for this, the question is, what can be done to promote women’s visibility for women-led businesses? The following are some suggestions:
Encourage women participation in business
The first route to visibility in the business place for women is their participation. The fact out there is that there are many areas of life where women generally find more comfortable or fulfilling to participate in, and in most cases, it is not the business world. So, the first step is to encourage women participation in business by promoting its advantages and the impact it can have in their lives.
Business education
The next thing after encouraging women participation in business is educating them on what it means and what it takes to run a successful business. Many people in the society, not just women, do not have the proper knowledge of how to run a business. If women are taught that, they will definitely gain momentum in business.
Right business orientation
Again, for many women in business, the mindset is to just run a small business that will cater for the needs of their immediate families and, of course, pay bills. This is a wrong mindset for which a re-orientation is needed because, with this mindset, there is a limit to what you can achieve because you wouldn’t even let yourself attain greater heights.
How then can you be seen beyond your immediate environment, if not by growing? The idea in running a business should be for it to grow as much as possible and be known in the business world.
Give them credit
When you patronise a business run by a woman and it so happens that the services are top-notch, you can promote the visibility of the business by mentioning them publicly and recognising their work. This has two effects, first of which is that it serves as commendation for the business and ultimately its owner, who is doing well; second, it serves as an advertisement of the services to the public.
Creation of women business networks
It is said that a tree does not make a forest. This saying applies in this context because there are certain very visible and powerful businesswomen in the world today, but they are few and far between. While their businesses might be visible, the others owned by other women might not be as visible. The solution to this challenge is the creation of women business networks, where they can refer businesses to themselves, sponsor one another and, most importantly, patronise one another. By doing this, the network becomes more powerful and ultimately more visible.
Conclusion
It is understood that women face a lot of challenges in the area of business. These challenges are both societal and personal. However, there is no challenge that is impossible to surmount once there is the determination to do so. The above are just some tips on how visibility can be achieved by women in business.
At Creativespace, one of our initiatives, GoDo Hub runs series of programmes that are geared towards promoting women-led businesses.
We are open for partnerships, donation, sponsorship and collaboration. You can reach us via
CALL +234 909 990 0115
E-MAIL info@godo.com.ng
