.

Entrepreneurial Success

Anneliese Zausner-Mannes

Though there is much debate over the success rate of an entrepreneur there are key factors one cannot dispute. Primarily, one must have the capital to fund their idea or project. Although we live in a society wishing to break the barriers of inequality, we live in a society dominated by economic status. Depending on one’s economic status lay their opportunity to engage in different kinds of activities. For example, a person living in an urban environment trying to support a family by working two or three jobs will have less opportunity than one living in a comfortable suburban environment where there is more exposure to socially cognizant ideology in relation to academia and extracurricular activities. It is that ideology and economic opportunity that fuels the initial thoughts of entrepreneurship. And it is, undoubtedly, all of these aspects that factor in to create the individual in terms of aspirations, acquisitions, and lack there of.

Research has shown that when children are nine years old and living in low-income areas, they are on average three grade levels below nine year olds in high-income areas in reading ability alone.¹ Moreover, these children growing up in these communities are seven times less likely to graduate from collage than children in high-income areas.² Though being an entrepreneur is not about education opportunity it is about having the right encouragement and educational background to ground and establish your perspective plan. How can a young person focus on expanding her/his horizons and different options with entrepreneurial thought when she/he is not even at grade level? Being a child in contemporary America is difficult enough, without the stigmas of socio-economic background, race and the gender of being a woman. Not only have women faced sexual discrimination and inequality throughout history, but the modern covert prejudice of women within institutions makes most industries more difficult to penetrate. Keeping this in mind as a huge filter of entrepreneurial women in the United States today, I would judge that the one aspect necessary for success as an entrepreneur is a characteristic past economic status or passion, it is deeper than strength or political savvy, the fundamental characteristic is courage.

When I think of courage the first person that comes to mind is Eighteenth century writer, Mary Wollstonecraft, who, in her 1792 publication Vindication on the Rights of Woman, drastically challenged the former roles of women. She worked “to persuade women to endeavour to acquire strength, both of mind and body, and to convince them that the soft phrases, susceptibility of heart, delicacy of sentiment, and refinement of taste, are almost synonymous with epithets of weakness”.³ Without Wollstonecraft’s courage to speak, write, and fight for the rights of women challenging a completely patriarchal system who knows that kind of a world women would face today.

Embedded in courage is confidence, the belief that you can and will succeed, and if you are able to conquer all of the above stigmas, you are still not guaranteed anything, it is within the individual’s mentality. The courage to accept defeat as successfully as triumph, the courage to be honest to yourself and who you are, the courage to believe that your idea is necessary and worth the attention of more than just your friends; that is character. It is when an individual has that courage that they have a key component to success as an entrepreneur.

The word entrepreneur comes from the Old French word entreprendre meaning “to undertake”. To undertake is a fundamental aspect of being an entrepreneur because there is so much responsibility, like in any job, time management, intelligence, and professionalism are key, but it is that courage that cuts one step above the rest.

In 2004 Elisa Balabram, of Women and Biz Magazine, interviewed Marian Banker, President of Prime Strategies. Though Balabram cited her strengths and successes she also noted the one challenge Ms. Banker faced: “ The challenge, according to Marian, is to keep herself out there. Since she never knows where the business may come from, she needs to be constantly promoting herself, giving workshops, listening to clients and creating new services.”⁴ To stay fresh and mindful in any industry despite its orientation relies, once more, on that basic characteristic of courage. You need to feel secure enough to step outside the box and challenge. You need to be comfortable putting new ideas on the table. And most of all, you need to be ready to get feedback and turn it around the benefit your agenda.

Audre Lorde, the first prominent black lesbian feminist theorist and activist wrote in her 1984 book Sister Outsider "I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood. That the speaking profits me, beyond any other effect…” (Lorde 1984: 40). Though it is out of context, Lorde’s words can be applied to entrepreneurial women everywhere. Whether a young girl wants to have a lemonade stand or a teenager wants to make and sell homemade jewelry. Whether a college student wants to start a non-profit organization or a grown woman wants to switch careers, she must express what is important to her despite success, wealth, race, or sexuality, she will be a free⁵ woman who had the courage to step forward with her idea, she spoke, and she took a chance at disappointment. It is only then that an individual can truly be heard.

So what does this mean for entrepreneurial women in contemporary America? Whether they want to be in business, creative arts, or humanities, the world is your oyster, as long as you have the courage. “Mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty”⁶ is challenging, but it is necessary, even fundamental, to success as a female entrepreneur in America.

¹ Source: National Center of Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2000
² Source: Education Trust, 1998
³ Her introduction is cited here: www.bartleby.com
⁴ www.womenandbiz.com
⁵ The term “free” refers to a term I first heard spoken by Cornell West at Temple University’s Conference in Honor of Martin J. Kilson www.temple.edu
⁶ Merriam Webster Dictionary www.m-w.com

Bibliography

Websites:

Merrium Webster Dictionary: www.m-w.com

Teach For America: www.teachforamerica.org

Women and Biz Internet Magazine: www.womenandbiz.com

Statistics:

2000 National Center of Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress

1998 Education Trust