Personal Skills – Page 16 – More from the Institute for Women's Entrepreneurship at Cornell

#Girl Boss?

Woman in grey suit and white shirt holding sign that says "I am your boss" — Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Annie Liao Jones of Rock Candy Media discusses her desire to change perceptions about a woman being a “female boss” to simply being “a boss” in this July 2, 2019 Fast Company article entitled “I’m Not Your Girl Boss. I’m Your Boss.”

On the flipside, in 2017, British tennis player Andy Murray corrected a journalist after being asked about opponent Sam Querrey ‘becoming the first American to reach a grand slam semi-final since 2009’, by pointing out female American players have achieved the feat more recently.

The key takeaway is that adding a gender descriptor should never demean, degrade or reduce a title!

3 Rules for Business Success As A Female Entrepreneur

Learning how to handle rejection, learning when and when not to be cautious and learning to embrace a leadership role are the three rules shared by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Meeta Vengapally. To read more about her thoughts, check out this June 23, 2019 article in Forbes

What Makes A Leader?

Woman on laptop speaking to group assembled behind her

For a long time, women were taught to “act like men” to get ahead at work…but now women are changing these old rules and using traits like empathy and collaboration to get things done. Take a look at this June 17, 2019 article in the New York Times to learn more.

10 Tips on Empowering Other Women

Two adult women high-fiving each other at a restaurant — Photo by **rawpixel.com**

The best way to become empowered is to help empower others. Check out this June 13, 2019 article in Forbes which outlines ten ways you can help empower other women in your professional network.

Setbacks Don’t Have To Set You Back

Failure is all part of the entrepreneurial process. But how do we move forward after we stumble? This NPR TED Radio Hour podcast on “Setbacks” includes comments from entrepreneur Leticia Gasca who was a co-founder of the movement “F***up Nights” which provided a place for entrepreneurs to stand on stage, share stories of failure and find a community that understood the process.

Strategies For Women Who Self-Fund Their Businesses

piggy bank with coins — Photo by **Skitterphoto**

According to the 650 female small business owners surveyed in Visa’s State of Female Entrepreneurship study, 61% chose to self-fund their own startup (mostly out of necessity). This May 4, 2019 article in Forbes shares other options for funding. In addition to bootstrapping, women can also look to grants or SBA loans

6 Questions Investors Don’t Ask Male Founders

Research shows that investors interview women differently than men. Women who want to maximize their chances of getting funding need to learn how to navigate the bias that investors may not even realize they have. Check out this May 1, 2019 article in Fast Company to learn more.

Women Entrepreneurs Helping Each Other

Five hands coming together in fist bump — Photo by **rawpixel.com**

This April 22, 2019 article in Fast Company highlights how women entrepreneurs are creating their own networks of women. In addition to opening doors for each other, women are providing needed support during those early days of launching a company. The article shares that, “finding a group of women founders who talk candidly about their experiences can also help silence one’s inner critic.”

Minority Women Entrepreneurs Are Thriving Despite Funding Challenges

Cartoon image of minority woman standing on a stack of currency — Image credit: Sebastien Thibault

This April 9, 2019 article in Entrepreneur discusses the explosive growth of female minority owned businesses but also highlights how funding options are less available to these founders. The piece also shares examples of how these women are using pitch competitions as alternative funding sources.

Young Women Shouldn’t Let Fear Prevent Them From Starting Businesses

Woman sitting on a rope swing overlooking a gorge — Photo by **Artem Beliaikin**

Disparity in the number of young male and female entrepreneurs can often boil down to lack of confidence.

This March 27, 2019 piece in Forbes has advice from young women entrepreneurs including the comment, “Your confidence will grow as your success does, so don’t be afraid to invest in yourself and your skills – this is what will really grow your business and your confidence.”