Being a Badass Businesswomen Works

Thursday Thoughts for Women in Business, Female Entrepreneurs, Woman Who Own Companies

After a national business services company billed me without notice for an annual subscription, the women I’ve been watching on the show Ozark popped into mind as I challenged the payment, asked for a refund, and demanded it slightly more aggressively as I would have until they said it would take two weeks to get the money back. I said, “It took you one second to take my money and you’re telling me it will take two weeks for you to give it back, that doesn’t sound fair.”

Typically, I’m emphatic to customer service people, but this corporate policy frustrated me since small business owners rely on cash flow, and conglomerates don’t nearly as urgently. When I hung up with the representative, I was told I’d see the money in two weeks with nothing else I could do about it, so you can imagine my surprise when the money was back in my Pay Pal account under 30 minutes of the call ending.

With a slight pat on my back for being more antagonistic than usual, I flashed to two main characters in Ozark, a NetFlix movie series, Wendy Byrde and Helen Pierce. They came to mind after watching last night’s episode where they outwitted men in a casino plot. I personally love the wild, outspoken Ruth Langmore, another female character, every time she speaks, plots, and makes demands with her southern drawl. In fact, when I googled an article on these female characters the best title I read was, “The Women of ‘Ozark’ Redefine the Male-Centric Crime Genre.”

Maybe I love the show so much because it spotlights powerful women, and maybe I was a bit more demanding today watching their example. So, I’d like to share some wisdom from today’s experience to inspire you:

* Don’t be afraid to ask (or demand) a refund when you deserve it.
* Don’t forget about automatic subscription renewals that can catch you off guard. Check when they are due, and stop them in advance if they aren’t needed.
* Don’t hang up when the customer service representative doesn’t give you what you ask for. Demand to speak to someone higher up.
* Keep an eye on your money since more and more corporate terms are favoring big business and not smaller ones.
* Act fast when you see a discrepancy in your books or bills.

We all can’t be hardcore, badass business women like Ruth, Wendy, and Ellen dealing with the mob, but we can take a few of their bold, assertive attitudes and use them to our advantage when they are needed. If you haven’t watched Ozark yet, join in and witness some strong women running the show, and get prepared to speak up more often for what you want.  You have more power than you imagine.