5 steps for every woman to find their own "wicked success"
Most women are still climbing out of the hole created by the economic recession. Middle-aged women are supporting themselves and aging parents. And perhaps most importantly, young, college-aged women are seeking financial independence in the midst of uncertain job prospects.
Vickie Milazzo, a New York Times bestselling author and Inc. Top 10 Entrepreneur, explains the obstacles women face today and shares insight into increasing their quality of life while pursuing their dreams in “Wicked Success is Inside Every Woman.”
After earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in education, Milazzo worked as a registered nurse for six years. When she realized she was unhappy with the direction her life was taking, she chose to start her own business.
Today, Milazzo serves as founder and CEO of multi-million dollar consulting institute around legal issues in nursing.
She started from almost nothing — just $100 in her savings account in 1982.
“To get out of survival mode and into success mode, you have to embrace a new, wickedly resourceful mind,” she writes. She credits adopting a system of “5 Promises” in discovering the extraordinary strengths that can be found in every woman.
Promise 1: I will live and work a passionate life.
Promise 2: I will go for it or reject it outright.
Promise 3: I will take one action step a day toward my passionate vision.
Promise 4: I commit to being a success student for life.
Promise 5: I believe as a woman I really can do anything.
Millazo's book explains how she adopted the promises into her lifestyle and how it continues to guide her today. It serves as the common thread along with stories of success and hard lessons learned by fellow women entrepreneurs.
The importance of networking is key, including the concept of “Female Fusion” — coming together with like-minded women to share passions, visions, experiences, fears and promises.
But while women’s gains in education have significantly outpaced those of men over the last 40 years, according to the White House’s Women in America study, earnings gaps between women and persist in the workforce.
Entrepreneurship disparities exist as well. According to a recent study by researchers at Babson College, women are less likely than men to become entrepreneurs and those that do tend to have lower growth expectations.
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Women’s Report, which is based on data from surveys collected across 59 countries, found that there were 40 percent more men participating in entrepreneurial ventures than their female counterparts in 2010.
This disproportionate number of male to female entrepreneurs typically leaves women with smaller, less diverse professional networks to turn to, said Bern Schroeder, director at San Diego State’s Entrepreneurial Management Center.
“There’s no logical reason for there not to be a 50-50 balance,” he said. “There needs to be more ways for women to bond together.”
Holly Pablo is Spring 2012 Paste BN Collegiate Correspondent. Learn more about her here.
This story originally appeared on the Paste BN College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.