Why Won’t Women Invest in Their Futures?

Marjorie Joseph wrote this and did such and excellent job that I wanted to share it!

Since starting my business, I speak to women on a daily basis. I come across many women who like the idea of starting their own businesses, but will not invest the small amount of money now, for financial freedom later.

Why do we spend countless dollars on cigarettes, shoe sales, dining out, nails, hair, etc, but won't invest $100 to our health and wealth? So, my questions are "what are holding these people back?" "What can be done to help each other realize that a small sacrifice now, may set our families up very nicely in the future (when I say future, I mean anytime from tomorrow and on). "How can we help each other to think ahead instead of the now? "How do you overcome the poor/middle class mentality of letting great financial opportunities pass them by time after time again because they don't have the money?" I believe to be rich you must think rich. The rich mentality is "I will find the money to take advantage of this opportunity that has knocked on my door".

Any great business starts with some sort of investment. Whether its starting a franchise with thousands or millions in investment or starting a newspaper stand.
So I started brainstorming...

• Fear (are you starting to see a common theme here?)
• Possibly fear of failing and loosing money
• Possibly fear of succeeding
• Fear of not having a "regular" paycheck

Possibly failing and loosing money- I've heard countless times, "well when you become a millionaire then I'll join". If we are always waiting for someone else to make it to the top, we will just watch our lives pass by. How one person runs their business is not how you'll run yours. The places we want our "vehicle" to take us will be different for each person, therefore, determining how successful we will be in our businesses. People are easily influenced by others and what they tell them. I couldn't imagine waiting for someone else to be successful before I do something about my situation. Do you think Donald Trump thought that way?

Fear of succeeding- This is a difficult one for me, because I can't understand it. Although, I know many people, women especially encounter this problem. So I did a little research to better understand. It seems that many people fear success because it tests their limits and makes them vulnerable to new situations. For most people success involves change. Change from your current circumstances. It can also be intimidating. With success may come greater challenges and responsibilities. Lastly, people may fear success because they don't know if they can live up to their achievements. They don’t think they’re good enough or smart enough. They're afraid they don't have what it takes to rise to the challenge, and they don't know if they can sustain their success. AMAZING RIGHT? I totally get it now!

Fear of not having a "regular" paycheck- This was my problem! For me to handle this fear, because I'm raising my hand, I started my business while having my full time job. I had to see for myself if I could make this work and how I'd make it work. It actually pushed me to work harder, because the thought of being at home doing my own thing was too sweet. So, yes it is possible to start your business while working your full time job, until you’re comfortable enough to fully take the leap!

Ladies, if you do not currently have a business and you’re debating with yourself if you should. I urge you to at least start with knowledge. Knowledge is empowerment. You deserve it and so does your family.