“You have to be a strong, passionate and courageous woman to run a business in a male dominated industry”. Every March, as we celebrate Women’s history month, we are reminded of the contributions and accomplishments women have made throughout history. Woman-owned business strive for success despite challenges.
It is not new that female entrepreneurs face numerous barriers on their way to success. Also, the pandemic has caused changes for every business. Women have to look at things differently and strive for the best despite all the challenges.
“When things slowed down, we took the time to organize and pivot,” says Michelle DeFronzo, president of ImEx Cargo.
Michelle started ImEx Cargo 20 years ago, “This was one of the best career moves I made as my passion for logistics and cargo was overwhelming with the simple desire to work for myself.”
Michelle believes that joining together and raising each other up is the best way to survive the pandemic. Here are some tips we can do to support woman owned business:
- As female entrepreneurs, we have the opportunity to support our fellow women in business not only as consumers, but as partners. Partner with groups like Women Business Collaborative and shop woman owned brands.
- Share your story. As women, we need to take advantage of every opportunity to share our voice and our story, whether that be speaking at events or sharing via social media, podcasts, articles, interviews, or blogs.
- Participate in the supplier diversity program. It can be part of a company’s efforts to maintain high moral and ethical standards. An inclusive procurement strategy widens the pool of potential suppliers and promotes competition in the supply base, which can improve product quality and drive down costs. It also delivers broader societal benefits by generating economic opportunity for disadvantaged communities.
- Share resources. Sharing tried, true resources and tools is essential towards supporting women in business.
