Women in business are receiving empowerment everywhere in the world, including South Africa. Nicci Columbine is one of those women. She is drawing on the resources offered through the Businesswomen’s Association to help her succeed, reports FM.
Columbine’s motivation for creating her own business was to become empowered. “I wanted to realise my full potential but I was undermined in my previous job. Self-realisation comes only through experience, and that is what entrepreneurship has given me.â€
Her experience affirms some of the conclusions drawn in a recent study by FNB that tested the perceptions about women-owned businesses. It proves that many commonly held beliefs are myths.
Of the established businesses in SA, 38% are owned by women . They are already an important part of the entrepreneurial landscape, Myres says. But in spite of this, the assumption made is that their businesses are “less seriousâ€.
FNB’s research polled 870 “high-potential†women entrepreneurs by means of an online survey. Its results show that about 40% of business owners say the motivation for starting their own enterprises was a lack of career opportunities. Women believe their chances of moving into senior positions are limited, says Myres.
Businesswomen’s Association president Kunyalala Maphisa says women choose to run their own enterprises because of the flexibility this provides. They also leave the business world because they have hit a glass ceiling.
Screenshot from Businesswomen’s Association