Did you know there’s more than one type of “business woman”? Oh you did? Unfortunately, many business women encounter attitudes and reactions based on some fairly tired stereotypes and generalisations.

Here are some of them:

• All business women have children and juggle their business around their children
• Business women operate on intuition and ‘gut feelings’ to make decisions
• Business women are ‘soft’ when it comes to dealing with difficult clients
• Business women are no good at sales because they are too sympathetic with the potential buyer
• Business women are no good with financials or information technology

So what’s wrong with these assumptions? We all know that stereotypes come from ‘somewhere’– that is, they are generally based on a proportion of business women fitting these characteristics.

 The problem is not whether there’s any truth to these generalisations for each business woman. The problem is when the people they encounter make judgements or decisions based on those assumptions, particularly when there is a negative impact.

Most business women that I know do two important things:

1. They embrace the stereotype if it’s relevant to them and positive for their business (eg my gut feelings are often a much better indication of a good decision than a seemingly ‘logical’ argument!) 
2. They ignore and rise above any stereotypes that would otherwise be harmful for them and the perception of their business.

If you are NOT a female business owner and you are reading this, consider that the stereotypes you may have about business women may not only be unfair on them, but you are most likely missing out on their expertise and skills if you make incorrect assumptions. And to my fellow women in business: you know who you are and what your strengths are – use them!

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

“I admit it's tempting to wish for the perfect boss - the perfect parent - or the perfect outfit. But maybe the best any of us can do is not quit, play the hand we've been dealt, and accessorize what we've got.” So says Carrie in Sex and the City, during one of her many musings on life.

Being a business owner is no different. Most of us have grand plans for our business – and so we should. But it’s easy to get bogged down in what we don’t have (yet) instead of focusing on the strengths and resources that already exist in our business.

Waiting until everything is “perfect” can often mean that an opportunity is lost. As business owners, we need to always strive to do things in the best way we can. But sometimes, “accessorising” what we’ve already got is the best way to start moving forward.

We should have long term goals, but while you are working towards those, look at ways that you can utilise the staff you have now, or ways that you can improve the systems you already have in place. Find ways to repackage products or services that you know are valuable for your customers. Team up with another business owner to get that exciting project off the ground.

Work with what you’ve got rather than looking for the “perfect outfit” – because it might already be hanging in your office, waiting for a great accessory to make it work.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender