The 6 feminine powers that women entrepreneurs can use to break barriers

India ranked 52 among 57 countries in the 2018 Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs, ahead of Iran and behind Tunisia. All the research shows that women face many barriers when it comes to setting up their own business. The Observer Research Foundation Report found that unconscious bias, lack of family support, lack of childcare support and lack of confidence in business skills were the main barriers to women becoming entrepreneurs.

Yet, in my own journey as an entrepreneur and in my work with women entrepreneurs, I see that women have many powers that are great enablers for entrepreneurship. By tapping into their feminine power, women can overcome gender bias and some of the barriers that come in the way becoming entrepreneurs. The laws of feminine powers will ensure that women can evoke the right power and overcome power blocks to become successful.

These powers are needed at different stages of entrepreneurship.

1. Do you have a dream?Use the Rishika power to think strategically about your idea. Do the research. Think long term. This is not the time to jump in recklessly or be impulsive. Ask questions, use your intelligence and mental resources to translate a whim to a viable idea.

2. How do you translate that dream to an actionable plan? I had many interesting ideas and did some research over a period of time but did not have the Rani power to create a sound business plan. The Rani energy will help you to be detail oriented, structured and methodical. Many an idea has floundered because it could not get translated into something pragmatic and feasible. The Rani needs to help the Rishika come out of the dream state to ground reality to realise the entrepreneurial dream.

3. Are you scared to take big risks? The Veera or warrior energy has to be evoked by every woman who wants to be an entrepreneur. She has to leave the comfort zone, step into unknown territory and fight against all those who don’t believe in her. It would have been easy for me to just write the book Powerful and sit back feeling a sense of achievement. I had to summon my Veera energy to set up a brand, invest in creating an assessment tool and think of scaling a book to a viable business. Women need this energy more than men, because of lack of social support and financial backing from institutions.

4. Are you uncomfortable with the spotlight on you? Traditionally, women have been told to be invisible, silent and modest. But we need the Apsara power to influence potential investors and make powerful pitches. Use your Apsara power to dazzle those disbelievers. At the early stage, you are the brand for your product or service.Project your confidence and charisma. Prioritize yourself.

5. Do you have a good support system in place?Use your Kanya power to create a network of people who like you and trust you.This power will help you to build rapport and delegate work. Women entrepreneurs need a good support system and your Kanya power will help you make those connections. The feminine Kanya power will keep you responsible, honest and hardworking.

6. Do you want to scale up and grow your business? The giving spirit and the nurturing creativity of the Ma power are needed to grow the business. You may have planted the seed and found the fertilizers. Now, you need patience and nurturing to build the business. Coach your people, give before you get and be the Mother Goddess that you need to be.

Women have all the powers that are needed to succeed as entrepreneurs. Knowing and claiming their feminine powers at the right time in the right way can help women overcome many of the barriers to becoming successful entrepreneurs.