These days, the imbalance between men and women in the workplace is gradually becoming less obvious, but it’s difficult to ignore the glaring inequalities that still exist. Many women still feel they need to work much harder than their male counterparts to achieve the same opportunities. The good news is every woman who breaks through the glass ceiling and achieves their goals as an entrepreneur, is able to motivate and inspire a new generation of innovators. Gradually, girls are taking over the world, and running a host of fantastic new businesses. If you’re one of the incredible women leading the way for a new revolution of business development, here are some of the ways you can give yourself an edge.

Work on Getting a Degree

While women certainly shouldn’t have to prove themselves any more than men to unlock new opportunities in the business world, it can help to have some extra credentials to back up your skills. Going to college and getting a degree in a relevant field will help you to demonstrate your knowledge to clients and potential customers, so you can increase your portfolio of endorsements. These days, it’s much easier to get back into the educational landscape regardless of where you are in your life. With tools like Earnest private student loans, you can borrow the money you need for your education without spending a fortune on fees. You can then look into the kind of educational options that make the most sense for you, from part-time learning to online education. 

Focus on Networking

This is one of the most important things any entrepreneur can do to give themselves an edge in their chosen industry – no matter their gender. Who you know can make a really big difference to your reputation and the opportunities you can access in today’s competitive world? One of the pitfalls of hustle culture is that it leaves little room for creating and nurturing personal relationships but making room to do so as a female entrepreneur is critical. Networking is an excellent chance to expand your horizons. While it’s a good idea to make as many face-to-face connections as possible with professionals in your field, it’s also helpful to look into things like online networking, just in case you might not be able to visit a lot of in-person events. Building connections with likeminded people on LinkedIn and professional forums is a good idea too. 

Optimize Your Personal Brand

Finally, your personal brand is one of the most important tools you’ll have when you’re developing your appearance as a leader in your industry. This brand represents not just how you present yourself to other people in-person, but also how you share information online, and what people see when they search for you on the web. Optimizing your personal brand by developing your social media profiles, creating your own online portfolio where you can showcase your work, and sharing content are all great ways to make yourself more competitive in the modern world. However, it’s important to remember that you need to work constantly on optimizing and improving your personal brand if you want to stay ahead of the curve. Keep enhancing your presence as often as you can to make a bigger impact.

WRITTEN BY

Clara Rose