Male entrepreneurs are control freaks, women are wimps
Ha! Made you look.
I’m not trying to anger all of you out there, but when it comes to business, men want to be in control, while women are the nurturers and consensus builders.
I don't think that's the case in all situations, but the idea is drummed into our heads day in and day out!
Yet another survey points to just this phenomenon among entrepreneurs.
“Small business owners want to control their destiny,” says Sastry Rachakonda, director of Discover's business credit card, which polled 1000 small business owners with five employees or less in its monthly
Discover Small Business Watch is a monthly survey. “However, men and women do this in different ways. For men, it is about being in control and being their own bosses, while for women, it is about having more flexibility with their time.”
The business owners were asked what was the biggest reason they became entrepreneurs and among the women polled, 32 percent had flexibility at the top of their lists, while only 17 percent said it was all about being your own boss. On the other hand, 27 percent of men put independence at the top and 24 percent said flexibility was the key.
When it came to decision-making, “77 percent of men said that they make most business decisions on their own, compared to 72 percent of women who said the same. Similarly, more women than men, 28 percent to 23 percent, allow employees and associates to participate in business decisions.”
So which one of the genders is doing it right?
There’s nothing wrong with consensus building. But sometimes you have to take the bull by its horns.
Who will be more successful? That’s the main question.
“I can't say either gender has any distinct advantages through their preferred approaches to things like decision-making and networking,” Rachakonda explains. “Success in running a small business is more about having done your homework, securing the necessary financing, setting realistic expectations, and most of all, having the aptitude to handle constant change.”
With all this talk about gender differences, the poll did find some similarities, and you’re not going to believe in what area…worklife balance.
Turns out, 81 percent of both sexes surveyed says they were balancing work and home life either “pretty well” or “very well.”
About 15 percent of those polled answered “not so well” to that question and 3 percent said the balancing act was going “badly.”
“The results seem to indicate that the vast majority of small business owners, led by their independence and flexibility, are finding the kind of time they need to spend with their families or with interests outside of work,” Rachakonda explains.
Hey, I guess that’s what really matters, no?
