by guest blogger Maia Nolan

In a recent post at Brazen Careerist, writer Nisha Chittal opined that women aren’t as good at self-promotion as men are, for a variety of reasons. We asked Nisha to share some of her insight into why women have a harder time tooting their own horns — and, since self-promotion and entrepreneurship go hand-in-hand, how we can get over it.

So — what’s our problem? And why is it a problem?

In my experience, I have witnessed that women, much more so than men, are afraid to speak of their accomplishments and successes and goals. Men, I have often seen, are more aggressive in going after what they want, asking for help, talking up their accomplishments, and generally tooting their own horn. Women don’t want to seem as though they are bragging, or that they’re arrogant or self-absorbed. It’s a problem because in order to become successful today almost everyone needs to do a little self-promotion. And if women are feeling shy about talking up their achievements, then they’re holding themselves back from reaching their goals. There are fewer women executives, for instance. And one well-known Carnegie Mellon study also showed that women are far less likely to negotiate a higher salary than men — and thus, can cost themselves thousands of dollars in lost income over time.
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In the same vein as my Dishes Be Damned post, I have a little more venting to do.

A certain husband doesn’t realize that he doesn’t really think my company is as “important” as his job. He insists that yes, it is JUST as important, however, then he says things that lead me to believe that he just isn’t in touch with what he really thinks about my company.

“They’re Different”

He says that our jobs are equally as important but different.

“Do you have to go to the office each day, clock in on a timeclock, record your time and get it approved by your boss…?”

“So because I don’t have to punch a timeclock, my business is not a real job???” I practically scream.

He acknowledges that yes, my business is a real job but “it’s just different.”

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I’m all for freedom of speech. I’m all for being active in politics.

But when it comes to being an entrepreneur, you really need to think twice before wearing your Obama button or McCain bumper sticker or any other emblem announcing your political inclinations.

Because in many circles, business and politics don’t mix, and if you are not sure when and where they do, you may be putting your business reputation and company at risk by taking too strong of a stand.

Here are some things to think about before shouting your political affiliation from the rooftops or on your company blog:

1. You could intimidate an employee. If you are the company owner and have a diverse staff, chances are not everyone on the team shares the same political views. You could create a tense corporate culture or even one of fear if you voice your politics too strongly, particularly at staff meetings. Who wants go against their boss?

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I’ve been thinking a lot about the fundamental challenges women in business face even in today’s business and political climate. Looking at the challenges I’ve faced over the last 5-10 years - as well as interviewing and writing about female entrepreneurs for the last decade - I’ve come up with 5 major challenges that I believe are unique to women in business.

Now before you think I’m being sexist or reviving stereotypes, I want to reiterate again that I’ve been through these things in recent years and am thinking I may not be alone. Also, I believe that talking about these issues - whether you agree with them or not - is healthy and useful.

This isn’t about attacking anyone. It is about bringing taboo topics to the forefront, to face them head on.

So with that preface, here are some challenges I believe women in business STILL face.
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What do you do when you are just one of several consultants your client is using on a project and one of the other consultants is clearly a scam artist?

This is a situation I was confronted with recently. I was brought on to help oversee some of the Web initiatives and asked to sit in on a meeting with a Web development company. In short order, I recognized all the signs of a scam.

Having run my own Web development firm in the mid-90s, I watched other Web companies do one or more of the following things to their clients:
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As a writer, I receive a lot of pitches from PR people trying to get me to write about their clients. Since I specialize in writing about women in business, I see my fair share of pitches with the term “Mompreneur” in them.

Wondering what the term “mompreneur” really meant, I did a quick search on Google and came up with several definitions:

Definition: A female business owner who is actively balancing the role of mom and the role of entrepreneur (Entrepreneur.com)

Most definitions, however, are more specific and refer to women entrepreneurs who are work-at-home moms.

MompreneursOnline.com defines mompreneurs as work-at-home mothers and claim to have coined and trademarked the term in 1996 with their first Mompreneurs book.

So do we really need the term “Mompreneur?”

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