In the ideal world,
being open about
a business being female-owned
wouldn’t make a difference.
But this wonderful world
we’re living in
is far from perfect.
Being open about
a business’ female-ownership
can decrease OR increase sales,
depending on the industry.
In the Romance Novel Industry,
an industry run by women
for women,
it is assumed writers are female.
In some Technology Industries,
however,
it is extremely challenging
to land partnerships, funding,
sales,
if the business is female-owned.
In those industries,
it might be wiser to wait
until you are successful
to announce
the business is female-owned.
That isn’t right
but it is reality.
Artist
Fabiola Jean-Louis
shares
her thoughts
on this.
“It’s very true that
people love adjectives
in front of the word “Artist”
—unless you are a White one.
When the artist is White and male,
they are simply referred to as an artist.
However, things start
to get interesting
when the artist is female,
and even more so when she is Black.
I really am two ways about it.
On one hand,
my art should speak for itself.
Being labeled as
a Black, female artist
can often feel like
the worthiness of my work
is in question.
I want viewers to connect
with my work
because they naturally do,
and to judge it on its own distinction.
On the other hand,
I believe we are all looking
for qualities in others
that we relate to.
This is linked to
the development of identity.
It is important for people
—especially marginalized groups
—to know that one of their own
is in conversation with them
through art.
It is also important to understand
the perspective of the artist.
Sometimes gender and race
help people feel
as though they understand
the perspective better.
And, that’s what classification
is about:
an attempt to understand.”
A male business owner
wouldn’t tell everyone
the business is owned by a man.
We don’t have to tell
everyone
our businesses are owned
by women.
We might WANT to tell
everyone
but it isn’t a necessity.
This is YOUR decision
to make.