Why Female Entrepreneurs Should Join Women’s Networks

Networking is a vital aspect of the entrepreneurial process as it allows us access to a broader range of people, experts and opportunities. Female founders who are just starting out typically, are a part of an “old boys’ club” in the networking groups, which is rife with implicit and unintentional discrimination, microaggressions and sexual harassment.

In the end, professional networking for women with the potential to provide more and more unbiased opportunities to grow and provide support is now a common option for female business executives.

Female entrepreneurs who participate in these networks are able to benefit from much beyond the ultimate objective of leadership. Through their entrepreneurial journeys, they can provide women leaders with three benefits that could be the difference between growth in business and stagnation.

Greater Access to Funding

Every startup requires funds to expand. But female founders get only 2.2 per cent of VC capital for early-stage startups.

Women-led networking organizations can help female entrepreneurs turn this situation around by showing them how to effectively locate investors and present them with pitches. SheWorx is a network that is dedicated to helping startups led by women raise funds. A former gymnast and entrepreneur Lisa Wang established the network in the year 2016 after enduring difficulties when raising funds on behalf of the Silicon Valley startup.

Wang states, “Most women’s groups I were in focused on motivation and issues, but not concrete skills, solutions and, most importantly, having access to capital. In my desire to be in a community of ambitious women entrepreneurs with high growth potential, I created SheWorx to provide women with access to the resources and networks that will let them build relationships with the best investors in a secure environment.”

The network today boasts more than 20,000 female entrepreneurs worldwide as well as being driven by the desire to bridge the funding gap by working together rather than competing.

Digital Business Exposure

A lot of female founders believe that female business networks for aiding their businesses to gain recognition and increase their profile. A lot of female-focused networking groups have an online presence via their social media profiles, and it’s these platforms which allow women to connect and collaborate, as well as share details about workshops and events.

Connection and Support

Women for a long time were excluded from male-only networks that prevented women from reaching an elite position in their field. While male business leaders have welcomed more women into their network, men-dominated organizations rarely offer women the help they need and mentor that whom they can connect.

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Being a business owner can be lonely and having a network of women who can relate to you both personally as well as professionally, can make a difference in your company’s performance. Women are drawn to spaces that are collaborative, where they can be open about the unique issues that women face in business. The good news is that female entrepreneur’s networks are providing the opportunity for female entrepreneurs to expand.