You find the perfect firm to do business with but you find out that the owner is...
A WOMAN!!!
Do you:
a) Point blank refuse to do business with her and ask why she's not in the kitchen?
b) Ask her to prove that she's competent and who did she sleep with to get said qualifications?
c) Crack-on and 'do business' because it doesn't matter what gender you are.
Seriously, why is there still such a big deal about being 'a woman in business'? Why do some female-owned businesses loudly overstate their gender? Do they feel that people are more likely to do business with them if they're female? What's the hook? I just don't get it.
Its never even come into my mind that this would even be an issue, is there still a stigma in the air about woman not being able to do the job ? If their work is top rate and it attracted me in the first place then they are obviously doing it right.
When i take someone on for work its not because of what sex they are , what colour they are or anything else its because of the work they have done and how well they have sold it to me in respects of knowing their stuff. Who the person is on the other end of the phone , email or in front of me is of no concern providing they have a good reputation.
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Old fashioned customer service in a modern technical world UK business Services.
With the Mumpreneur/dadpreneur thing, it's a way of stating that yes, I have my own business, but that that business is only part of what I do, and I work around being a mum.
If I'm doing business with Eagle Web Design, then I kind of expect that its a business. A company, and that you'll work primarily 9-5pm. You'll return emails and calls during the working day.
If I do business with a mumpreneur or dadpreneur then I fully anticipate that I won't hear from them after 3pm in the afternoon, and that if I want to have a full conversations then I may well be best contacting them via social media after 8pm at night rather then phoning them at 4pm.
Mumpreneurs tend to be primary carers for the children. And this has massive impact on when and how you can work. Sometimes it is helpful to know that in advance.
I still don't understand though why 'mumpreneurs' (or dadpreneurs for that matter) would choose to potentially limit their market. Let me elaborate; some people might avoid a part-time / home business like the plague [perhaps because of a perception of a lack of commitment and/or professionalism?] but does it not potentially make matters worse if you also say your business is part time because I have kids to look after, too?
Let's face it, who cares if business owners have kids? I doubt anyone cares here to know that I do. Am I a 'dadpreneur'? No, I'm simply in business. Hundreds of thousands of businesses are run by women / men who are primary carers but they don't feel the need to make a big deal of it (or claim to be special/unique in some way) and they manage to run the front face of their business with utter professionalism and without hitch. Is it a sympathy vote they're after?
I guess I'm saying 'nope - I still don't understand the rationale behind it!' It's not damaging perceptions, per se (although many have stated it does), but it simply adds a risk that a certain prejudice might be factored-in for some people.
I still don't understand though why 'mumpreneurs' (or dadpreneurs for that matter) would choose to potentially limit their market. Let me elaborate; some people might avoid a part-time / home business like the plague [perhaps because of a perception of a lack of commitment and/or professionalism?] but does it not potentially make matters worse if you also say your business is part time because I have kids to look after, too?
Let's face it, who cares if business owners have kids? I doubt anyone cares here to know that I do. Am I a 'dadpreneur'? No, I'm simply in business. Hundreds of thousands of businesses are run by women / men who are primary carers but they don't feel the need to make a big deal of it (or claim to be special/unique in some way) and they manage to run the front face of their business with utter professionalism and without hitch. Is it a sympathy vote they're after?
I guess I'm saying 'nope - I still don't understand the rationale behind it!' It's not damaging perceptions, per se (although many have stated it does), but it simply adds a risk that a certain prejudice might be factored-in for some people.
Is that risk worth losing business over?
So, I think the point is that it the people that choose to use the mumpreneur/dadpreneur labels think that it is important.
And that if they are running their business either partime, or over flexible or alternative working hours, then they are clear about setting that out upfront in order to set correct expectations.
Over the years I have worked with a lot of people who have run oneman band businesses from home whilst looking after the kids. Some of the men, some of them women. And I know what to expect, and it is different from dealing with a more "traditional" company structure. I have never really received a less professional product/service at the end of it. But I definitely will say that communications in particular tend to take different formats and happen at different times of the day.
And there was a point in my life (when my kids were pre-school) where I think I almost made a decision that it was a lot easier for me to deal with suppliers and contractors that worked in that kind of way. Because we would be both working post 8pm at night, email exchanges etc were quick and progress was made, instead of perhaps a more traditional style business where they would be emailing me in the afternoon, and I would be replying late at night, and things by that very nature would move much more slowly forwards.
And yes, they may loose some business over it, but equally they may gain some business from like minded people.
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'Out of "normal" hours communication is pretty standard fare for small to medium sized businesses these days and has been for many years. Do mumpreneurs use this as a USP? Perhaps we all should?
I'm still scratching my head over what difference 'mumpreneur' makes?
So, my question - why does it bother you that some mums use it?
Whats the difference between mumpreneur and entrepreneur, or contractor, or freelancer, or, publicist, or businessman, or businesswoman, or stay at home mum, or single parent, or working parent, or employed, or ceo, or director, startup owner, or my absolute personal favourite - executive?
It doesn't bother me, if I'm brutaly honest I simply find it amusing and rather daft. I see it as I would 'oxygenbreathingpreneur' or 'humanpreneur'. Kinda 'so what'?
So, my question - why does it bother you that some mums use it?
It does not bother me either but when I hear it in association with a business I get the picture of someone who has priorities other than that of providing me with a product or service. I also get a vision of a harassed young woman pushing plastic toys away with her foot as she tries to hold a phone in one hand and a child in the other.
It would not encourage me to do business with her. In fact the opposite is true but then that may just be me.
I cannot say enough how much I HATE the term mumpreneur. You have kids. Big deal. You know what.. I don't give a flying you know what. Do I have more respect for you for running a business and having a kids. No, sorry. I'm a part time carer. Should I throw that around constantly. Should I class myself as a carerprenuer? Of course not, that would be ridiculous. And I'm gay. Should I be a gayprenuer? Everyone has struggles and demands that make running a business hard; other's don't generally care.
It also highly encourages me not to do business with that person.
Of course it could also be argued that it is a way for people to have their cake and eat it.
You find the perfect firm to do business with but you find out that the owner is...
A WOMAN!!!
Do you:
a) Point blank refuse to do business with her and ask why she's not in the kitchen?
b) Ask her to prove that she's competent and who did she sleep with to get said qualifications?
c) Crack-on and 'do business' because it doesn't matter what gender you are.
Seriously, why is there still such a big deal about being 'a woman in business'? Why do some female-owned businesses loudly overstate their gender? Do they feel that people are more likely to do business with them if they're female? What's the hook? I just don't get it.
I am a mum with my own business but I don't like to advertise that a woman owns the business. Don't really know why, probably because I don't think I'd be taken seriously.
I've also never called myself a mumpreneur lol
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Let's do business! Oh, hang-on... you're a woman!
I just want to understand this 'mumpreneur' thing...
