“You need to have courage when starting out in your business,” says Toni Carroll, founder and CEO of beauty supplements brand, My Beauty Luv.
“If you have an idea, find your courage and go for it. Just start, and the rest will follow,” she says, while also acknowledging there are other things women need to know before taking that leap.
Here are the top five lessons she learnt about being a woman in business that will help you:
Anticipate chauvinism
Unfortunately, chauvinism is still very rife in today’s business world. However, you can be crafty and clever in how you handle it. If you are a female entrepreneur, when meeting with a prospective client or company for the first time, try to plan your meetings so that the women outnumber the men.
This way, you minimise the chances of being spoken over and disrespected since you will be in the majority.
Find your niche
You will need to thoroughly research the market to determine where the gaps are, develop solutions, and fill them. For example, before My Beauty Luv, Carroll began one of the very first online professional haircare stores in South Africa and recognised the need for a holistic approach to hair health.
So, Carroll began introducing ingestible health products to my platform. At the time, hardly anyone else was doing this, and the business did exceptionally well as a result.
Adapt or die
The Covid-19 pandemic threw a spanner in the works of all businesses, and it meant that entrepreneurs would need to pivot or perish. Prior to the lockdown, Carroll had planned to put her products in stores.
With the lockdown being introduced, Carroll had no way of getting products to clients. Thanks to my previous experience, she was able to develop an online shop and use online retailers to keep my clients happy.
Listen to your inner voice
Women are blessed with an extremely powerful inner intuition. Do not go against your grain, doubt and fear comes when you act in contrast to how you feel, said Carroll.
You can do anything, but not everything
Learn the art of delegation. It is crucial that you do not try to be the master of every aspect of your business. If you can get this right, you will also have a decent base to work with if you need a more hands-on deck, Carroll stated.
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