The art of being a female entrepreneur

With cutthroat competition prevalent in the modern world, each individual is striving to achieve the best in their designated field, which is an extremely daunting journey. We are taught early on in our lives, especially as women, that we ought not to appear overtly aggressive towards what we want to achieve. Thus, we must plan covertly to what we want. For hundreds of years, women have been living in a male-dominated world and resultantly have had to compromise and appear far more submissive than they really are. As time is moving forward, women are realising their potential to achieve financial independence.

I shall expound upon certain principles that were used by Master Sun Tzu in his The Art of War and are thus highly effective for female entrepreneurs, as it ensures that they deal with each situation tactfully and to their own advantage without appearing aggressive. Over the course of time, women have subconsciously learned the Chinese art of war strategies and they apply them to everyday life when dealing with husbands, children, bosses, friends, customers, and clients.

A few other constituent strategies may be of use to women entering the business realm.

Master Sun has explained that with the following five basic elements, we can achieve all that we desire: Tao (righteousness), Tien (timing), Di (resources), Jiang (leadership) and Fa (managing). Tao translates to ‘the right way or morality’. Before any action is taken one must understand the righteousness of the objective. One must understand first why they want to achieve what is to be achieved. Tien is timing for when a certain move must be made or a decision must be taken. Primarily, there is personal timing, one that individuals can control. Then follows Di, your resources, which are your strengths and weaknesses. To achieve what you want, you must be truly aware of who you are, consequently no one will be able to use your weaknesses against you. Now that you have reached a point where you have set up your own business successfully, the battle is only half won. You must ensure that your leadership motivates those working for you. Leadership is not brute force but rather inner strength and the ability to tactfully lead in a male-dominated society where many men are not used to seeing a woman in a position of control and power, as a CEO or a boss in any position. Once you have all of the four factors stated above applied and accomplished, you must ensure that you manage and ensure that harmony and balance are both retained in your business for further future success.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2014.