Grow Your Business Like a Girl

writer, speaker, advocate
Joanna L. Krotz

Like many women in business, Joanna L.Krotz enjoyed her tenure as a top editor in media markets,but felt unfulfilled. While she saw herself as a change-agent, corporate bosses saw her as a troublemaker. Change was allowed, even sought after, but not too much. She learned not to rock the boat of the male-driven corporate system if she wanted to succeed in it. That was why she first became an entrepreneur and why she now advises women to start their own business – so they can have purpose and profit doing something they love while behaving like themselves without corporate restrictions.
Being-Equal-book-cover
Her new book,
Being Equal Doesn’t Mean Being the Same: Why Behaving Like a Girl Can Change Your Life and Grow Your Business, is part inspirational and part practical. In the course of her research, she found that history lies about there being no women role models. In fact, Joanna found that the first two women entrepreneurs in American history were black women and former slaves. Today, African American women are equally entrepreneurial, showing the greatest numbers of new start-ups among all groups. There are 9.5 million women-owned businesses in the US, bringing in over a trillion dollars and employing 8 million people. A million-and-a-half of these are owned by black women with in an income of 44 billion dollars a year. And all of this is with very little start-up capital, because most of traditional methods (like 90% of venture capitalists), are still male-dominated.

Corporate Rules Favor Gender Stereotypes

Just like venture capitalists want to loan start-up money to people like themselves—white men—male corporate management tends to reward and promote people like them—white men. And the system continues with this inertia even (surprise!) when women are promoted to top management. Joanna’s startling research showed that this is so embedded into our culture that at this rate women will not reach parity in the CEO Suite until 3015—no typo here—that’s 100 years!, according to a combined study from McKinsey and Company, and LeanIn.org.
The best way to be successful is to create your own business culture in your own business. Joanna explains that although it’s the Mark Zuckerbergs that get the press for successful start-ups, the spectrum is very broad. Only about 6% of male-owned firms reach a level of one million dollars in revenue a year and only 3%-4% of women-owned companies reach that level. The point is you can have a lucrative business, support the kind of life you want to live and have the time to enjoy it when you become your own boss.

Important to Network and Train Across Genders

Joanna favors a gender-neutral approach to business from her “Gender Toolbox.” She tells women to go where the boys are. Don’t just network with women and join women-only organizations. It’s impossible for men to see women as leaders unless they get to know them and understand their strengths. We all have different strengths and the best way to do business is for both genders to learn from one another and access talents across the board. If men need to lighten up on command and control leadership, women need to quit waiting for permission.
Learn more about Joanna’s research and expert advice in this interview. Buy her book at any of the major outlets for wisdom, practical guidance and inspirational role models. And for insights into entrepreneurship today, listen to her podcast,”The Women’s Playbook.” Check out her website, her articles on Huffington Post, and her chapter in Leading Women.
Listen to this conversation to learn more about how this very successful entrepreneur looks at work, life and how to get the best of both.

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