It takes a lot of guts to be an entrepreneur – for men or women. But my heart goes out to all the women in the world who have the courage to show up and put themselves on the line.

Leading up to Women’s Entrepreneurship Day on Nov 19^th, I’m sharing thoughts, ideas, quotes, and articles about the special role women play as entrepreneurs and what it takes to be one.

A long time ago now, after working hard for years to get my master’s degree in social work, I just walked away from it all. I saw my future sitting behind some administrator’s desk and thought… do I really want that to be my life? No, thanks.

I boldly decided to turn my very new hobby into a business.  A couple years later, back in 1979, I spent my weekends on Venice Beach boardwalk in Los Angeles selling my handmade batik T-shirts. A 10 x 10 foot square of asphalt for my shop with the sky as my ceiling. I lived the artist’s life of an entrepreneur – with side gigs to keep it all afloat – for years.

Here’s my 7 Reasons Why I Love Women Entrepreneurs

Women Entrepreneurs are:

Courageous

It takes courage to put ourselves in the marketplace and see what happens. Courage to go through all the other reasons in my list. There’s something that drives us to step into our own power enough to take action and build a business.

Face our deepest fears and do what needs to be done anyway

For me, this one is the key. In the early days, my youthful optimism pulled me through. But years later, when I switched careers and tried to sell my services, I was stunned to discover all these fears lurking in my unconscious. I discovered the path of the entrepreneur is one of the most direct routes to dealing with our inner demons.

We learn to face rejection, humiliation, and ridicule. We find our own inner strength and learn to love parts of ourselves we really do not like. We learn to let go of any victim mindset we might be hanging onto. We fail and get up and try something else. Learning to trust and believe in our self.

A Little Bit Crazy

Really, it’s true. You have to be a little bit crazy to do what we do. But this ‘crazy’ is all about a spirit of creativity and innovation. A try it and see, never give up attitude.

Leaders

We follow our own inner light, even when friends and family are skeptical. It might not happen right away, but we learn to move into being the leaders of our lives. We name and claim our own talents and gifts, using our businesses as a channel to share our blessing with others. We stop wishing, waiting and hoping and steer our own course. And in that, we become a lighthouse for others to find their own way home to themselves.

Know Our Limitations

At the same time, we learn how to ask for help. We know we can’t do it all alone. We hire others as support team so we can stay grounded in our strengths and mastermind with other on the journey to grow together.

Visionaries

Our vision guides us… something greater than ourselves drives our success.

Builders of a New World

Side-stepping the current competitive, war-zone model that often runs corporations, we’re bringing a more balanced feminine-masculine model into our companies. Moving past the top-down authoritarian ways, we’re exploring new ways of working, of supporting each other as team members, where cooperation and the triple bottom line of people, profits and planet are valued and put into practice.

Women around the globe create jobs to take care of themselves and their families – often out of necessity, yet also from their own passion. Entrepreneurs can adapt their schedules more easily to accommodate family life. They serve as role models for their children, showing how to take risks, be creative and develop confidence.

So I invite you to celebrate your strengths, make friends with your demons, and be that lighthouse for others to follow.

You are so needed in this world right now.

What does this bring up for you? Share your thoughts below.

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Click the link if you’d like to know more about my Make Peace With Power ~ Leadership Playground. And be sure to download your free guide below: Meet Your Sacred Masculine-

Women on a Mission: Meet Your Inner Partner in  Creativity, Power, & Leadership