Girl bosses are here to stay.
While there’s nothing wrong with office life, we can all agree that working from bed, on your own schedule, sounds a whole lot better. Just ask a self proclaimed “girl boss” – a savvy, female entrepreneur paving her own way in her field.
There are many factors that weigh into why millennials are the booming entrepreneurs right now. When I ask most girls on campus about their career goals, they mention an office job in the short term, but aspire to own their own business long-term. I believe the rise in girl bosses is influenced mainly by the media.
3 Things The Black upStart Wants You To Know About Entrepreneurship
There are tons of girl bosses on Instagram that flaunt and promote their brand on a daily basis and inspire their peers and other aspiring entrepreneurs no matter what industry they want to break in to. Whatever the field, they’re representing. There are women with hair care businesses, fashion styling companies, fashion boutiques, music businesses, marketing companies and beyond. Our generation is lucky to have these women entrepreneurs pop up on our timelines daily and show us that the goal of ownership is attainable. Social media doesn’t only show us the right way for women entrepreneurs to brand their successful businesses, but it also shows us their luxurious lifestyles that we are eager to live. Nice vacations on clear water beaches, houses with grand space, yachts and even alluring cars are shown off on social media and it is a lifestyle that millennials admire and want to live. And, they’re willing to wrok hard to obtain it. We realize that working for someone doesn’t always mean we’ll have the time off we want or the freedom to have the luxuries we desire to go with it. Therefore, entrepreneurship is what we turn to and many of us have proven to be successful thus far as budding media moguls and go-getters.
A survey done by Forbes found that 13%-percent of millennials said their career goal involves climbing the corporate ladder to become a CEO or president, while 67% said their goal involves starting their own business. Bravo, sisters. This proves that after seeing past generations settle into less-than-felxible hobs behind a desk, we are the ones determined to breaking the 9-5 formular our parents live by.
8 Ways to Get Out of Your Own Way (and Achieve Success!)
Tolani Rosa, 20, a junior at Hampton University from Brooklyn, New York and aspiring fashion entrepreneur said, “Back then it was easier to get a job with no college degree and still make a lot of money. Now it’s so many requirements and competition so, when it comes to us envisioning the lavish life we wan to live we know that it’s something we have to make a path for on our own.”Rosa agrees that our generation sees entrepreneurs everyday in reality and on social media and having our own business is more realistic to us than older generations who weren’t shown that.
I think this rise in ownership of businesses from millennials also comes from our passion to have something different from what our parents had. When I see girls on campus and on social media that stand for something, they go hard all the way and are extremely passionate about what it is they love. Passion and dedication propel us.
Being an entrepreneur certainly isn’t for everyone, but if that is what you aspire to do, go for it and don’t look back. Financially speaking, it may take a while to launch your brand or company, but if you keep your eye on success, you will succeed. Promise.
Being Committed to Your Commitments: 4 Ways to Stop Making Excuses and Achieve Your Goals
Asia Milia Ware is an ESSENCE College Ambassador at Hampton University. She majors in Strategic Communications with a minor in English. She aspires to be a fashion editor-at-large and an entrepreneur. In her spare time she works out, writes, travels and styles outfits. You can follow her on Instagram @MissAsiaMilia. #EssenceSquad