In corporate America, one boardroom decision can ruin the day for hundreds…sometimes thousands of employees. Decisions like trimming the company’s workforce by 10%, or closing down entire divisions, can wreak havoc on those affected. Getting downsized is an ugly thing.
It’s safe to say that when we read headlines like, “Boeing To Cut 1,000’s” or, “HP is Getting Out of The PC Business” we mostly think of men losing their jobs. Right?
But, women get downsized, too. Hundreds of intelligent, hard-working women are downsized every day. And, they lose their jobs for many of the same reasons that men do–and these reasons usually don’t have anything to do with talent. Lots of women lose their jobs because management needs to — “Trim some fat.” (Feel free to insert your own HR buzzwords.)
I’ve Worked With Them
In my capacity as a franchise ownership advisor, I’ve worked with many women over the years who’ve decided that, “enough was enough” and were looking to escape the shackles of corporate America.
Not all of them bought franchises-or businesses of any type. Some of them decided to get back into the workforce; some became consultants. Becoming the owner of a business isn’t for everyone. It takes tons of courage. There’s a huge difference between talking about being the boss, and writing a large check in order to do so.
There’s a lot of fear involved.
Women Get Downsized Too
They do. But, there’s no reason for women to not look at career opportunities that don’t involve working for someone else. It can be done.
There are lots of ways for people to lower their financial risk. (When they become their own bosses.) If you’re looking to own what you do, and take charge of your professional life, you have options.
One option is franchising. While the, “Be in business for yourself, but not by yourself” slogan is a bit dated, it still holds true. As a franchise owner, you get to buy into a proven system, and get a business of your own up and running quickly. You don’t need to think of everything all by yourself, and you can avoid hundreds of mistakes that you would be making in a pure start-up business.
Read about the pros and cons of buying a franchise