Woman in Business - Part I

I'm a woman in business, not a woman in a man's world. The business world does not belong to men. It is comprised of people – good and bad, liars and cheaters, givers and takers, nurturers and the not-so-nurturing. Watching my father for many years as a small business owner, I knew owning your own company was hard, but very rewarding. It is all I ever wanted to do.

I started my company in 1992, the year my son was born. I remember that when I decided to name it Penguin Suits, my then-husband asked me to repeat it. I said "Did I stutter?" I started by hand-painting clothes which I sold to neighbors and to clients as far away as Germany. It was exciting.

Penguin Suits grew, and I tried my hand at a new division, called Discover the Hill Country, a local television show that marketed local businesses. From this experience I realized that marketing always was and always is my focus. While the division still exists and we produce commercials and videos under that heading, I have learned to stay focused on Penguin Suits' core.

Below are a few other lessons I've learned that I thought I'd pass along:

How to be respected as a business owner

Have a quality Product, with sound business value. Make it real and stand behind it. A smart business person, man or woman, who has their act together, will be respected no matter what. Smart people respect good ideas and legitimate businesses, hand down.

You will sacrifice . . . sometimes a lot.

Yes, you can have it all, but not all the time. As a mother-wife-business owner, you may not be as available as often as you and your family would like. You will give up time with your family more than once to pursue your goals. You will often be distracted by business issues when your spouse is talking to you. On the other hand, you will have financial advantages and the freedom to rearrange your schedule for events. Don't miss the important events. These will make it all worth it. Make the good days really, really good.

Find a stress reliever

Find something, that you like to help relieve your stress - walking, knitting, yoga, whatever it is for you. You need to take care of your health and mental state on a regular basis. And no, a business networking event doesn't count. Make time for yourself! If you do not, no one else will.

Be driven, not overbearing.

Women who are driven are often seen as bitchy, demanding, controlling etc. If you focus on being fair, consistent and upholding your quality standards, the folks who align with you will get it; let go of the ones who don't.

And those are just the tip of the iceberg. In my next post, I'll include 4 more lessons I've learned that may help you.