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Why Female Millennipreneurs Succeed In Business

This article is more than 6 years old.

I started Mailbird in 2012 at age 26. I began the business with two co-founders, our two first employees and hustled to make our company a success. As my business grew and I met other entrepreneurs, I started to notice a pattern.

According to Britt Hysen, editor-in-chief of Millennial Magazine, 60% of millennials considers themselves entrepreneurs and 90 percent recognise entrepreneurship as a mentality.

So what are some of these traits? More importantly, what sets successful female "Millennipreneurs" apart from everyone else?

https://insights.popsugar.com/80-Younger-Millennial-Women-Believe-Technology-Makes-Them-Happy-37691567

1. Confidence

According to Arianna Huffington, a lack of confidence is a killer to success for women. For us to advance our careers, we need to be comfortable as leaders and risk takers.

So it comes to no surprise that this trait is strong in female millennial entrepreneurs. A report by PWC reveals that the female Millennials are more confident than previous generations and have higher expectations of achieving equal pay and career progression than older generations.

This is backed up by the 2016 BNP Paribas Global Entrepreneur Report. 90% of women entrepreneurs surveyed expected their gross profits to increase or remain stable in the next year. Furthermore, female millennials were more ambitious about their profits with roughly three quarters anticipating an increase in the next 12 months and a profit margin of 35% for 2015.

Millennial women also reported higher revenues than the rest of their gender. While women in general reported revenues 9% above the average, for female "Millennipreneurs" it was 22%.

2. Perseverance

Women’s academic achievements in G20 countries have advanced to the degree that gender gaps in educational attainment are now most often reversed, according to a report by the OECD.

So while it is easier than ever for women to get an education and a job, our generational battle is the gender bias that keeps us from the c-suite positions. Successful female Millennipreneurs push through these challenges to achieve success and don't take no for an answer.

"Women will hear thousands of “no’s”, especially as they break glass ceilings and smash every stereotype in the book." says Elle Kaplan, founder of LexION Capital, "What separates the success stories is that they keep going in the face of adversity and not throwing in the towel."

3. Mentors

In a survey by Workplace Trends, millennials were asked what type of training would be most useful for their development as a leader. Only 4% said university courses, while 68% said online classes and 53% said mentoring.

Successful leaders in any generation have a great mentor in their field to learn from. In turn, their success stories inspire the younger generation, and it creates a continuous circle of empowerment.

"I can guarantee that wouldn’t be in business today if it wasn’t for the mentors and life coaches I’ve had along the way," says Kay Walker, author of  Super You, The People Magnet Formula, and How to Be Unstoppable.  "Think of it this way: An Olympic-level athlete would never train for a competition without a coach. It’s the same thing in business."

For female millennial entrepreneurs, mentorship is important because it not only helps to avoid potential pitfalls and provide a source of motivation, but it encourages the female leaders of the future. It helps to bridge the gender gap, especially in male-dominated industries like tech, by setting an example for other women.

4. Collaborative

According to Caliper, women leaders demonstrate a leadership style that is marked by inclusive problem solving and decision making. This trait of collaboration is also strong in millennial entrepreneurs.

"Millennial entrepreneurs tend to be highly collaborative, and less protective when it comes to ideas,” says Donna Fenn, author of Upstarts! How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of Business and 8 Ways You Can Profit From Their Success.

Older generations like the Baby Boomers tend to play their cards close to their chest, millennials, on the other hand, are the complete opposite. We are more likely to pitch our ideas for the entire world to see and eagerly await feedback from our peers.

Female and millennial leadership is also characterized by group effort. Women leaders demonstrate an inclusive, team-building leadership styles that promote group problem solving and decision making.

Female millennials also recognize the power of diversity and are experts at leveraging the efforts of others to achieve results and share rewards.

http://www.today.com/money/your-money/careers

The Age of Female Millennipreneurs

Baby Boomers like Richard Branson and Arianna Huffington are definitely big inspirations of success and life balance, but there's no denying that we are in the age of Millennials. I also don't believe that success as an entrepreneur is a matter of "you have it" or "you don't". Literally anyone can be an entrepreneur today, the difference that sets people apart, for both women and men, are the drive, the willingness to learn and the key qualities mentioned above.

As a millennial woman who in 2012 decided to pack up my life and move to a developing country in Southeast Asia to build a software company, I'm still here today and just celebrated a five year anniversary since starting Mailbird. As I've thrown myself into uncomfortable situations, met some incredible and inspiring people, I continue to learn as I go and stick with it no matter what. I've become more fearless as I've discovered different strengths in my character as a person and entrepreneur.

I've learned to become resourceful and appreciate the people who choose to stick by my side through the successes and pitfalls of starting a new technology company. It's a wild ride, its tough, but a choice in life that I will never regret. As a female millennipreneur, I'm both people and results oriented, I learned to empower and motivate others and I'm quick to jump on opportunities and drop things that don't serve the growth of Mailbird.

I've become a little ruthless over time, but in a very good way as a woman, as a millennial and as the CEO of my company. So take note of female millennipreneurs as there is always something to learn from them. They are a new breed of women with grit, the ability to manage stress better and balance life. They are problem solvers and nurturers that are taking over the world of business. The women of the millennial generation are taking full advantage of their skills, access to education and unique upbringings to smash the glass ceiling and create multi-million dollar successful businesses.