Women Entrepreneurs’ Financial Glass Ceilings

I grew up watching a number of influential women in the business community. One was the wife of a multi-million dollar business owner, another was the wife of a doctor who had her own company, and the third was a therapist with her own business. Besides these women, I also observed women in our lakeside community who were married to successful businessmen who didn’t work because their husbands brought in large incomes.

When I stop to think about the lessons I learned from observing these women, I realize their examples shaped part of my own internal financial glass ceiling. The women who didn’t work and whose husbands brought in all the money were eventually left on their own. Women who were successful businesswomen ended up divorced because their husbands couldn’t handle their professional accomplishments. It seemed the more financially successful someone was the increased likelihood the marriage and family unit was broken.  Because of this my family has been my top priority since becoming a woman entrepreneur and earning a high income is secondary.

When Women TIES Board Member Betsy Powers (www.lfa-sagemark.com) approached me about doing a special financial discussion at the retreat on how women entrepreneurs limit themselves financially based on their internal perceptions of money, I knew it would be a powerful discussion based on my own perceptions. Betsy will moderate a panel of three women sharing their personal thoughts that held them back financially until they recognized them. Today all three women bring in annual sales over one million dollars.  

What I love most about women entrepreneurs is their ability to share honest stories with other women. Whether it’s sharing marketing advice, innovative theories or financial strategies, women want to help other women succeed just like they have done.

Today I encourage you to identify financial limiting thoughts that are stopping you from growing your business. Let them surface. Acknowledge them. Write down some ways to start moving past them. We have what we need inside ourselves to take our businesses to the next level. Sometimes hearing how others have done it puts us on a clear path towards our largest goals.