Dear Farillio member,

On 23rd April 2021, you asked our brilliant expert Lisa Laing on the Go Far Fast Show:

“Why do you think it's so much harder for women to be successful in business? I constantly feel like I'm judged for being female, rather than having a good business idea and a great work ethic?”

And Lisa said:

Be mighty always, Farillio

Transcript:

“That’s a contentious question at this point. I know the female empowerment issue in politics and entertainment is a very common media talking point. It’s not really talked about in the female business sense. I can tell you the statistics show that less than 2% of female-owned businesses ever crack the $1m mark, which is shocking and awful. I don't know the stats for the male-owned businesses, but I know it's at least five times higher. I do believe that women struggle.

I know that female-led businesses trying to raise capital struggle a lot more than male-led businesses do. In my instance, I had a male founder with me, and we did raise capital, but it was my male co-founder that the investor spent most of his time talking to. I had a million experiences of going to meetings with banks, investors, and suppliers, and everyone would just look at my ex-husband and not at me.

I think that this absolutely happens in business. It's definitely a thing. I don't let it hold me back though. I don't let it intimidate me in any way. I feel the way that we need to approach things is to assume that there are no barriers for ourselves and to put our all into everything that we do and plan for success.”

Ask your question:

If you have any questions that you'd like us to ask in a future Go Far Fast Show, send us a DM on Twitter or on LinkedIn. We'd love to hear from you!

Want more from Lisa?

You can also find Lisa’s answers to other questions being asked by you and your community in our Dear Farillio Expert section on our blog site, and Lisa’s great guidance on business here. Download the full podcast here.

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