Crowdfunding For Women Entrepreneurs Can Help Overcome Obstacles

By Lelia Hall


As the investors put it, the numbers in the Wall Street Journal Report do not lie. The trend in this report has shown that women are able to outperform their male counterparts whenever running the crowdfunding campaigns in which the target is to raise capital meant for their ventures. Success in crowdfunding for women is more natural than many people may think. It comes from their natural traits such as being more communicative and expressive. This means that they are in a better position to tell their story in a way that is able to catch the emotional core of the backers and other contributors.

Interestingly, the Wall Street Journal Report gives interesting statistics. Of all the venture-backed firms, women account for less than 8% of the CEOs. Only 17% of Fortune 500 companies' board seats are occupied by women and only 30% of all companies are owned by women. However, when it comes to online crowdfunding, the story is completely different. The success rate of female entrepreneurs in this area is 13% more than men.

However, there is positive news. One research pointed out that ladies have up to 13% chance of succeeding in crowdfunding than males. This can be a very powerful source for the seed capital necessary for the business success. It is a funding method through which an entrepreneur tap into a crowd made of known and unknown individuals with diverse backgrounds each contributing a small amount towards the business capital.

Although the major sites for online crowdfunding such as RocketHub, Indiegogo, and Kickstarter are broad-based, there are a few ones that target women as the niches. A good example is the Plum Alley that specializes in rewarding the contributors with good or services currently or in the future. This site is made of a group of ladies who are supporting their fellow ladies to succeed.

It is a site that is made of women with the aim of helping other women success. On top of availing the much-needed startup capital; it comes with additional benefits such as expert advice to the members. Experts all industries are brought to advise and educate the members in seminars and the experts get paid for their services.

This method of raising funds for the company also comes with many benefits for ladies. First, it is a way to overt sexual harassment. Stories have been told where the so-called male investors lure female entrepreneurs for meeting in the pretense that they are going to pitch their companies only to end up receiving unwarranted sexual advances.

The pitching business is often said is not the art for ladies. While the males are known to exhibit bravado and are capable of making ridiculous projections, the females are known to be more conservative and are likely to feel intimidated when they go to the angel forums. As such, this alternative funding method is a blessing to them.

The best advice to the female entrepreneurs is that they must be ready and willing to take the opportunities as they arrive. This is a much easier alternative for getting the capital you are after. You can also use the network of friends, colleagues, family members, and vendors as a marketing force for your goods or services.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment