A majority of women — some 56 percent — believe that they had to overcome greater obstacles in the business world than their male counterparts, according to a recent survey.
Daily-deals company Groupon recently took a poll of 850 women entrepreneurs to get information about the businesses they run, in honor of October’s National Women’s Small Business Month.
“Many of the women that we interviewed had to overcome unique challenges in order to get their small business off the ground and offered a number of key insights for those women thinking about starting their own business,” said Sarah Butterfass, chief product officer and Women at Groupon executive sponsor.
[Related: Lead Like a Woman: 9 Qualities to Drive Your Success as an Entrepreneur]
Women surveyed said they had trouble accessing capital for their business. About a third, or 34 percent, said they had to use their own funds to start their business.
The poll noted that women put in a lot of hours to get their businesses open and successful, with two-thirds or 66 percent saying “hard work” was the surest way to gain profits.
After opening their businesses, 71 percent of women reported undergoing unexpected complications. Those obstacles include balancing family and work, struggling to be taken seriously, defying social expectations, and owning their accomplishments.
In fact, the average woman said it takes three years for the business to be fruitful. While building a business takes time and patience, women in the survey said they enjoyed the ability to be their own bosses, pursue their passions and have a flexible schedule.
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Women also talked about ways that state officials can help women business owners. These include:
- Lowering or simplifying taxes
- Offering more small business resources
- Improving access to health and insurance benefits
- Making housing more affordable
- Creating greater access to capital
When it comes to the Democratic presidential candidates, more than half of the women small business owners don’t believe that the candidates will help small businesses.
Women business were split on whether Trump’s administration has helped small businesses. 32 percent said Trump’s administration has had a positive effect while 31 percent said that it has had a negative effect.
[Related: How to File Taxes as a Small Business Owner]