I’ve been in business for nearly 5 years. During that time, I’ve seen glimpses of how the business world works. It’s often rigid, fueled by elitism, and steeped in a healthy dose of “boys club” rules.
I don’t mean to sound negative, but one thing I’ve learned in these 5 years, is that I I don’t want to run my business “like a man.”
I’ve seen articles again and again that claim that doing business in a man’s world requires playing by a man’s rules.
I’m not going to say they’re wrong. In fact, I’ll admit…in many ways, they’re right.
But I’m not here for it.
I’m not here to do things a man’s way. I’m not here to play by the rules. That’s not me.
So I’m writing this for all of the rebel women who don’t want to go with the grain.
To hell with the grain. I’m running against it.
And I’m not alone in this.
There are so many trailblazing women to look to for inspiration.
Women who do business on their own terms.
And I watch them closely. I watch how they invite the “personal” into their business. I watch the emotional investment put into their staff. I watch the delicate, but fierce way that they navigate a business world still heavily dominated by men.
They’re masters of code switching.
They’re leaders, not dictators. Fearless. Open. Considerate. Innovative.
Women do business differently, and that’s a strength that most companies are missing out on.
It’s no accident that so many corporations hire women to run their social media channels, community outreach and recruitment. Women…and especially women of color…have the market cornered on messaging. They are the geniuses of branding. We saw that with Hillary Clinton at the DNC.
Communication is everything.
And women are the masters of it. The masters of navigating complex, and even hostile spaces. The wordsmiths. The creators. The changemakers.
So forget doing things a man’s way or anyone else’s way. Do things your way.
And with that, I leave you with this quote, which has continually been a source of inspiration to me.
“There is no force equal to a woman determined to rise.” — W.E.B. Dubois.
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Chantilly ❤
Tara Kamiya says
I would love to read more on this topic. Everything we have ever learned is from men. Is there a difference? Should there be a difference? I know I cannot operate as a man when I do business with other women, especially moms. It is a completely different model. Thanks for this post!
YES! Tara, that is exactly what I’ve found too. I work predominantly with moms. We do NOT doing things in traditional business fashion. We flex our schedules, work from home, take phone calls with crying babies in the background, rely on email and social media to connect when life is too hectic. So many things. For example…I don’t do mornings. I work two hours at a time during the day so that my family is not neglected. I prefer not to take phone calls most days because they are an interruption to my personal and work life, etc.
I would love to hear more about how you feel that working as a mom differs. Overall, I feel like, as women, we are more accommodating of each others’ lifestyles and schedules. That is huge for me and one of the reasons why I don’t often work with men. Many of them are too rigid and demanding to fit into my business structure.