Top female business leaders from WPO (and IWEC Awardees) share their most valuable learnings.
BY DAVE KERPEN, FOUNDER AND CEO, APPRENTICE@DAVEKERPEN
For Inc. 
Photo: Getty Images

The number of women-owned businesses in the 1990s grew nearly three times as fast (16 percent) as the number of businesses overall (6 percent) between 1992 and 1997, and that trajectory has only continued through today. The impact today is quite impressive, as women-owned businesses now represent 42 percent of all businesses–nearly 13 million companies–employing 9.4 million workers and generating $1.9 trillion in revenue, according to the latest (2019) American Express State of Women-Owned Businesses Report.

Women-owned businesses have made a mark in the business world beyond profit-making. They have influenced the way the world does business, how leaders interact with their teams, and how they pursue their goals. We asked six women business owners from Women Presidents Organization (WPO) for lessons to share on what they’ve learned in their journeys.

1. Vulnerability is an asset.

In the past, leaders strained to put on the face of complete command and hide vulnerabilities. Yet the tides have changed on this thinking, and the pandemic lifted the veil to the notion that you are one person from 9-5 and another when you go home. Women business leaders today no longer feel the need to conform to a historical display of strength. Merrilee Kick of BuzzBallz/Southern Champion, the only women-owned distillery/winery/brewery in the U.S., said, “I think caring is the most important lesson. When people quit, they usually quit because their manager didn’t care. When people stay, it’s normally because they love their work and their manager.”

Leaders who are brave enough to expose their vulnerability–who are genuine, honest, and straightforward–earn the respect of their team and ultimately create a safe space for meaningful exchanges of ideas and perspectives thus leading to innovation, productivity, progress, and business success