Success is not about gender, it’s about your attitude

I’m not going to beat around the bush or paint a rosy picture – the first few years of entrepreneurship are pure baptism by fire. Almost two years now into my own entrepreneurial journey, I can confirm that no matter who said what, you will face one of the toughest times of your professional life – the best-laid plans will fall apart, promises will be broken, money will run out, your abilities will be questioned (by others and yourself), and your support system will slowly fade away. In short, your guts will be wrenched out and you’ll be gasping for breath to stay afloat.

Rewind to two years ago, when I was still in my corporate life. I got an opportunity to speak at a women entrepreneurs’ gathering. I made my presentation and answered questions from many entrepreneurs present at the meet. I remember walking out of that meet thinking about the kind of entrepreneurs who interacted with me – not in terms of business scale or size, but in terms of ambition and hunger. While there were many successful women entrepreneurs present in the meet, there were others who were smaller but far more aggressive and inquisitive. You could see their hunger and drive to succeed, and how they were soaking in all the possible information they could get to achieve their goals.

Soon thereafter, at a client cookery contest, I came across a girl who came from a very humble background and was participating in the cookery contest. It was difficult to imagine that she would even have the basic resources available to train for such a contest with other established participants. I even wondered how she found out about the contest, coming from her background. However, that girl won the contest against everyone’s expectations and mine.

So what is it about these two instances that stay imprinted on one’s mind? Why does one remember them? Because they are stellar examples of one’s attitude and hunger to succeed, irrespective of the circumstances they are in. It inspires me even more that both these examples were of women. I am sure there are similar success stories in the male domain, but there is something extra special about a woman being inspired by another woman’s success. It’s the female bro-code I guess.

If you look at the entrepreneurship world in India, you will be able to count a handful of women at the top. There are many at the middle, but very few at the top, and definitely not as many as one would like to see. The corporate world in India has a large number of women at the top, but the entrepreneurial world hasn’t seen the same growth for women in the recent past. Is it a difference in talent, or skills or capabilities? I doubt that’s the case. The answer lies in my own entrepreneurial journey and when I look at other entrepreneurs around me. It’s all about the attitude, and perhaps the ‘shakiness’ of things.

Most women do exceedingly well in the corporate environment but struggle after a couple of years in the entrepreneurial world. In the worse case, they choose to keep their endeavours small. Over my two-year journey, I have met many women entrepreneurs who had the potential to make it big but decided to keep their businesses small-scale.

Part of this approach can be rightly attributed to the volatility of an entrepreneurial business. Working towards targets in a set and formal structure with all the right enablers in place versus going out on your own, trying to get all enablers in place, and banking on your own brand to succeed can seem miles apart. Both are equally tough, but the latter does happen to be far tougher and can be difficult to handle emotionally as well as professionally. The good news and the bad news is that the ‘shaky and tough times’ last only a few years. The good part is that it finally gets over, and the bad part is that many dreams may have died by then.

So, whether you are going solo or with a partner, my advice to every woman entrepreneur would be as follows:

Be comfortable with your idea

The entrepreneur world is rife with buzz words such as “unique ideas” or “different proposition/ unique content”, etc. According to me, “uniqueness” is highly over-rated, and while it’s good to work on an idea that’s different, it’s even more important to have a business idea that you are comfortable with. There have been too many cases where entrepreneurs have jumped into an idea/business and then realised it was way too different for them, eventually leading them to shut shop. To avoid such situations, make sure you have thought out your idea/approach and that you are comfortable with it.

Be financially ready

Entrepreneurship can be tough if you’ve made the switch from a regular job. There is no security blanket of a regular salary and you will have to keep investing in your business without earning that much. My advice is to make sure you are debt-free before you start your venture. This means clearing all credit card bills, EMIs, loans etc. Having no debt or being debt-free will help ease your financial pressure when you are building your venture. The other advice is to save some money in advance versus taking an investment/loan immediately. This is best done when you are in your job and can save money.

An ideal savings estimate would be to have enough financial back-up to run your home and business for at least two years.

Be mentally prepared

Running an entrepreneurial venture will also be a challenge for your daily schedule. From a busy work life, you will probably be on your own for some time, and the shift from a hectic/regular schedule to being your own can be a big mental challenge. Prepare yourself for this challenge and build a daily schedule for yourself right from the start, including exercise, work, meetings, socialising, rest, etc. This will help manage any boredom/insanity coming your way. Also, try and join a co-working space where you are surrounded with like-minded people who can inspire you.

Find a mentor

A mentor doesn’t necessarily have to be someone who is associated with a monetary investment in your venture. Times have changed, and you can now approach successful entrepreneurs who are interested in mentoring young entrepreneurs as a way of giving back to the ecosystem (without any benefits). Find these mentors through your peer network or through entrepreneur-focused organisations, and work with them to learn from their knowledge and experience of the entrepreneurial world. Mentors are also very valuable in helping you see the big picture and can help scale up your business when you hit a road block. A good mentor is nothing short of a blessing, literally – so find one!

It’s ok to think big and start small

Finally, it’s estimated that 94 percent of entrepreneurial ventures in India fail within the first 4-5 years. Having said that, 5 percent do succeed and make for great inspirational stories. It’s all about the right passion, attitude, and adaptability, and these statistics should not scare young entrepreneurs – everyone should have a shot at their dream once in their lifetime. An advice that can come in handy here is to “think big and start small”. No one has to build the biggest entrepreneurial venture in the first few years, and those who do are often found fumbling as they scale up too fast.

Go lean, go small, and go wise, and be comfortable with your pace. This is your journey – enjoy it and take it one step at a time, and you will succeed.

Finally, remember that success and ideas are gender-neutral, and there is no hard-fixed glass-ceiling for women in the entrepreneurship world. So go ahead, revisit your idea-book and take the plunge!

Megha Sharma is the Founder and CEO of Adrift Communications.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)