Female Entrepreneurs and The Great Resignation

As the year comes to an end one thing is certain, the shift from corporate jobs to freelance work is permanent and growing. Over the last year, more than two million Americans decided to leave the traditional 9-5 and transition to freelance work. There are obvious reasons why this massive movement took off but many economists and employers assumed normalcy would return. However, there is little evidence suggesting that workers will go back to business as usual.

 

Over the past year, women left the workforce en masse. Overworked and under-appreciated, many chose to leave their careers in search for some balance. Freelance work gives women the opportunity to pursue their passions, build a career, and live a full life. Female entrepreneurs have more control over their daily lives and a greater earning potential. There are no barriers when you own your own business; you get to set the rules and decide how you spend your time. 

 

Of course owning a business is challenging but the data suggests that women are taking those challenges to the bank. More than 31% of small businesses in America are now owned by women and 33% percent plan to increase investments in their business this year. There is a boom in the small business world and it’s being led by women.

 

The movement is an inspiration and a big reason why we decided to create The Empowering Collective. We both left our careers in 2019 because we needed a break. We were in vastly different industries (therapy and finance) but we were both drained and needed a change. We’ve taken the past year to pursue our passions and do it in a way that makes an impact. Helping women grow their own business so they can achieve work-life balance is what motivates us everyday. We know how scary and exciting building a business can be and we want to make it easier. 

 

We’ve learned a lot over the last few years. How to prioritize time for yourself, when to ask for help, and who’s really in our corner. The single most important lesson we’ve learned is that you don’t have to do it all yourself. Our expertises are graphic design and data analysis which are a great foundation but leave obvious room for greater minds. We spent way too much time in a learning trap because we refused to accept that we don’t have to do all the things. There is so much great and truly valuable information out there and it’s tempting to just keep adding tasks to the list. But that defeats the whole purpose - work/life balance!

 

Building this business was certainly life changing. And finally accepting help was one of our greatest investment decisions. So if you’re reading this and thinking “I can’t do it alone” please know that you are not alone. There is a whole community of female entrepreneurs who want to help and, more importantly, want to see you succeed. We’re all in this movement together and when we work together we can do amazing things!