She Owns It

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How to Promote Gender Equality in the Workplace [Infographic]

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Info graphic courtesy of Fundera

Gender equality is achieved when there is an even playing field in terms of opportunities for either gender in workplaces around the globe. And while our society has taken huge leaps in recent years to help bridge this gap, there is still a lot of work to be done. Inequality can be seen in a variety of industries in things like a pay gap, sexual harassment, gender biases and an absence of women in managerial roles.

For instance, did you know that while companies that have high levels of gender diversity are 15% more likely to outperform their competitors, only 38% of managerial roles are held by women? Data has proven that both companies and their employees benefit when women are given more of an equal say and help to lead the company in the right direction. But many companies are still behind when it comes to actually implementing best practices for inclusion.

In honor of equal pay day just around the corner (August 26th), the team at Fundera took a deep dive into the issue of gender inequality in the workplace, what employers can do to help mend this systematic issue and lessons women can learn from inspiring women who have climbed the corporate ladder in spite of all the roadblocks in their way.

 

Gender Equality In The Workplace

11 Ways Your Small Business Can Avoid The Summer Slump [Infographic]

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During summer months from June through September, 53% of workers report feeling distracted. This phenomenon is so common, it now has its own name — the summer slump.

The slump kicks into high gear as high temperatures and summer vacations become office commonplace. 25% of employees report actually feeling less productive during summer months, as they get weary and lose motivation.

Summer also marks the mid-year point, so employees who don’t have a vacation on the horizon will begin to experience burnout. Consequently, a majority of American employees report that they don’t think their employer does enough to prevent this burnout.

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, your business productivity can really suffer if you don’t actively engage your employees with nontraditional leadership ideas. Thinking outside of the box will pay off in the long run, so don’t be prepared to switch up routine and take risks during summer months.

Some unconventional tips include:

  1. Increase flexibility during summer months: Consider remote work days and summer hours.
  2. Relax your in-office atmosphere to reflect the slow season: Casual dress code, pet policies, and more can help your employees relax!
  3. Ditch tradition: Consider planning weekly events you wouldn’t have time to do in fall, such as offsite meetings and team building activities.

If you do see a decline in your workers productivity this summer, don’t panic. Remember that this phenomenon is common — but start taking steps to avoid it today. Read on for 11 tips from Fundera to avoid the summer slump.

 

11 Ways Your Small Business Can Avoid The Summer Slump

From Fundera.com

9 Female Entrepreneurs on the Biggest Obstacle They Faced by @mere_wood

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by Meredith Wood 

For many women who start their own business, their venture is everything—according to SCORE, 62% of female entrepreneurs say their business is their primary income. This isn’t a hobby and it’s crucial that they succeed.

From navigating the nature of meetings to the struggle to be taken seriously, female entrepreneurs face obstacles that are sometimes beyond the typical roadblocks to success for business owners.

A major part of overcoming obstacles is knowing what to expect. Here are stories from nine women on the biggest obstacle they faced when starting out.

Note: These responses have been edited for length and clarity.

 

A lack of network within the entrepreneurial community

“When I got the idea for the business in 2016, I had established a fantastic network as a personal assistant as well as in advertising, but I needed mentorship and support in how to grow a tech and service startup.”
—Valerie Donohue, founder of ChatterBoss

 

Setting boundaries for professional meetings

“I view every meeting I have as professional but I have experienced the opposite when interacting with male clients, investors, or potential partners… I learned how important it is to set boundaries. After a while, people will learn what they are and only come with serious offers.”
—Ladan Davia, founder and CEO of Beeya

 

The opinions of friends and family

“Society tells everyone they have to go to school, get a 9-5, work until retirement age, then collect Social Security. If you try to break the mold, people will tell you it is dangerous, risky, not possible, or something that should not even be tried.”
—Stacy Caprio, an online marketer, designer and growth expert

 

Being taken seriously

“I live in a conservative area, and I often felt that other business leaders (typically men) thought it was ‘cute’ that a woman was ‘playing at business.’ I’m stubborn and don’t accept discrimination, for myself or for my employees, so I managed these experiences by excluding them from my business practices and hustling every day to show that I was a serious businesswoman. Several years later, when I hired my female developer as I scaled and received comments from male clients regarding her good looks, I immediately fired them. I am protective of my own boundaries, but am even more so for the employees I spend time and money to train and who trust me to support their careers.”
—Veronica Kirin, author, speaker, and coach to LGBTQ entrepreneurs

 

My confidence

“I was so sure I had something great, but the way I talked about it delegitimized my business. I made it sound like this little side project instead of this thing that I work on day and night and have grown out of nothing. Women are taught to couch their successes and to not act confident. And even though in my head I knew what I had was great, I had the hardest time talking about it and really selling it. I had to change my language, and as soon as I did that everything changed.”
—Julia Nusbaum, creator and curator of HerStry

 

A lack of funding opportunities

“98% of funding goes to male founders, yet incubators and angels continue to court women with the promise of investment but who have a statistically zero chance of getting it. And we play along because we don’t know… Because no one pays attention to the fact that even female founder funds give women-owned companies proportionally less money.”
—Paula Muto, CEO and founder of UBERDOC

 

Not knowing when to take the leap

“My co-founder and I were self funding the beginning of the company and we always struggled with the ‘dance’ between when you need to quit your full time job in ordering to allocate the right amount of time to help your business succeed, while also balancing the fact that we both needed an income to order to live. Because of this struggle, we never fully made the job into quitting our full time jobs and I were speculate that played a part in our lack of success.”
—Hannah Stoppelmann, co-founder of Suit and Sweet.

 

Juggling children and entrepreneurship

“I think a huge obstacle (and blessing) for me was learning how to juggle having one child, and then two, while still getting everything done. Waking up earlier and nap times were my times to hustle. I think time management is huge. I learned that most of my work I get done after I drop them off at school in the mornings. That first hour or two is golden.”
—Karina Michel, owner and producer, Tallulah Films

 

Defining my ideal client

“When I began coaching, I took anyone who would pay me because I felt desperate for the business. But I quickly realized that some clients energize me more than others. I made a decision after the first year to be more selective in choosing who to work with. I now turn down business because I know I am not a good fit… My business doubled once I got clear exactly who I was marketing my services to.”
—Claire Pearson, life coach

 

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Some obstacles are external, some are internal; some are specific to women in business. If you’ve faced anything like the problems above, know that you’re not alone. Overcoming barriers is part of the entrepreneurial journey, especially for women.

 

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Meredith Wood is the Editor-in-Chief at Fundera, an online marketplace for small business financial solutions. Specializing in financial advice for small business owners, Meredith is a current and past contributor to Yahoo!, Amex OPEN Forum, Fox Business, SCORE, AllBusiness and more.