Entrepreneurs? Yes, We Are!

Entrepreneurship is a word that was mentioned decades ago. I remember when I was in high school, my dream as a pre-college student was to graduate and apply for a solid job to work in a big company. My friends had the same goal.

Women were less concerned with entrepreneurship. Fortunately things have changed a lot in recent years and aside from having their own businesses, women are exceeding men in numbers, at least in some countries. This is the case of Brazil where the number of new businesses owned by women is higher than the ones owned by men. Moreover, women owned businesses grew firmly, from 21 percent in 2003 to 31 percent in 2013. The reasons behind these numbers are various but one in particular seems more relevant to me: being an entrepreneur, at least ideally, means managing your own agenda, which is very much appreciated by women, who have to juggle work and family. Thus, the promise of flexibility often drives women to have their own businesses.

We have just conducted a study in Brazil aimed at defining different segments of entrepreneurs, considering different motivations to start a business. The sample was comprised of men and women over 18 years of age from different regions of the country. Briefly I will describe the six segments we identified during the study:

1. Born to Be One. This group has the body and soul of an entrepreneur and being an entrepreneur was always a dream, since childhood.

2. This is My Way. This segment looks at the option of entrepreneurship as the possibility of freedom, doing things on his/her own way, without having to follow other people’s rules, agendas and priorities.

3. It Happened to Me. They were pushed to this situation by several circumstances. They had no plans to become an entrepreneur; instead, the opportunity fell from the sky and dropped on their laps.

4. I am an Heir. This group was raised in a family where having his/her own business was the pattern. Either they decided to work in the family business or start a new one. This segment had always had support to become an entrepreneur.

5. I am a Dreamer. They want to change the world, build a better place to work and create businesses. Having their businesses was the chance for starting a change.

6. Show me the Money. This segment wants to be rich and believe the shortest way to become a millionaire is to start their businesses. Maybe they do not have the skills to be one but the desire to have lots of money moves them.

Any guesses in which segment we identified the higher number of women entrepreneurs? I have a dream? Show me the money? Born to be one? I am an heir? This is my way? It happened to me?

We discovered the segment with the higher presence of women is THIS IS MY WAY! Women, more than men, feel that the way companies are structured offer no space for their own demands. It means, rigid schedules, long hours, trips and no childcare support are pushing women out of the third-party companies and putting them in their own companies. Differently, the segment with higher presence of men is the “I am an heir.” It seems that men, more than women, are being chosen to be successors in the family business.

This research, although limited to Brazil, reveals that women are panning the current structure of companies and envisioning the entrepreneurial path as the best alternative for balancing work and family. “This is my way” as the leading segment of women reinforces that women are searching for a more flexible environment, where policies are more suitable for their needs. Yes, we are entrepreneurs and good ones, in our own way.

By Cecilia R. Troiano
Photo by Inga Ivanova | Shutterstock

Cecilia R. Troiano is a Brazilian business owner, COO of Troiano Branding Group, and author of two books related to working mothers, both published in Brazil.