Does a mompreneur have the skills to conduct successful negotiations?
What is a mompreneur? This neologism was invented to define female entrepreneurs who are actively balancing entrepreneurship with motherhood. If you’re a devoted business woman but also a loving mother, then you a mompreneur. How does a mompreneur negotiate? When women begin dreaming about having their own companies, whether we’re talking about a brick and mortar business or an online business, they often second guess themselves and start wondering if they can actually do it.
Can moms handle the pressure of entrepreneurship? Will they be able to negotiate in order to get what they want? One thing’s for sure – women are excellent entrepreneurs. That’s because they possess a unique set of skills:
Mompreneurs are hard workers
Owning a business is tough; being a mother and owning a business is tougher. Nonetheless, as long as you know what you want and you’re determined to get it, nobody can stop you from attaining your goals. Women negotiate all the time, and believe it or not, it can be more challenging to persuade their kids to eat their veggies than a business opponent to sign a contract.
Success is earned
Mompreneurs are invincible. It can’t be easy to be a mother and a business woman all at the same time; it’s not impossible either, and if you want to be successful you have to work really hard. Many women dread negotiations, particularly if opponents are men. Although we live in a world where business women are just as capable as business men, certain individuals still want to be in control. The good thing is mompreneurs are not your average type of negotiators. They’re fearless and that’s exactly why they can attain success a lot faster than other women who are shier and a lot more naïve.
The great power of persuasion
Mompreneurs are exceptional negotiators because they know how to persuade. How can mothers convince their two-year olds to do as asked? How do they sway them to do their homework and clean their room? Mothers are geniuses and their parental skills can be beautifully adapted to the business world, too. Unlike men, who are more aggressive and determined, women like to appeal to people’s feelings. In business, having the ability to do that is outstanding. Connecting to an opponent from a humane perspective can turn a negotiation to your advantage.
Passion and determination
When your business is your passion, negotiating contracts and making sensible decisions is a lot easier. Men don’t like to bring their personal lives at the office because they don’t want to mix business with pleasure. Women on the other hand, don’t have a problem with being emotional. They actually like to infiltrate aspects of their personal life into their business, as long as that can help them do their jobs a lot better. When you’re passionate about something, you feel energized. Mompreneurs are eager to share that appetite for success with the rest of the world, since passion is contagious.
Mompreneurs are determined, not just passionate. They’re not afraid of a challenge and they’re not afraid of losing either. Making concessions is also a great way of negotiating, provided that your decision brings benefits to your business. There’s nothing more valuable than building connections with business partners on whom you can count on. Rather than grab 90% of a deal, win and move on, mompreneurs would take 50%, make a compromise and win themselves a valuable partner.
The great power of multitasking
When you’re new to the world of entrepreneurship, you must be prepared to deal with lots of tasks. Returning emails, running marketing campaigns, selling, settling on budgets, doing PR and taking care of customer service are just some chores you should be ready to deal with. Mothers can successfully do all that; they have the preparation to cope with challenging situations, and surprisingly, they have the patience to take things one at the time and remain organized to get through the day.
In conclusion – can mothers be good entrepreneurs? Can they negotiate and handle great pressure to attain success? Absolutely! Many women have online businesses today; they run websites, blogs, do PR work, web design, tutoring, SEO and so on. It’s certainly tough to be a mompreneur, but as long as you’re determined and passionate about your job, getting your business known to the rest of the world doesn’t have to be that hard.
By Steve Brown and TheGappartnership.com!
