Jen Earle, CEO of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), advocates for women business owners to take advantage of the 4 C’s of Entrepreneurship to overcome the challenges of COVID-19 and beyond.
Capital and community
Many women business owners were hit hard by Covid, Jen Earle says; she knows people who put everything into their dream and watched it fold. NAWBO's answer rests on four "C's". The first is capital. Build reserves, don't use up all your personal resources, and take out loans before you need them, because that is when they are hardest to get. The second is community: other entrepreneurs who are invested in your success and can say "I went through the same thing, here is what I would do". Find your people, so you don't go through it alone.
Confidence and Congress
The third is confidence. Women business owners sometimes lack the confidence of their male counterparts, and the more they know, the more confident they feel. Educate yourself, and remember that you are the expert in your field. The fourth is Congress, and local elected officials in general: they don't know what they don't know. Call them, explain what your business does and what problems you face. Her last word: don't give up. The owners who keep looking for new resources, she says, will make it through.