The song Sisters are Doin' it for Themselves may have been released in the 1980s, but its sentiment has never rung truer, according to research from GoDaddy.
Data from GoDaddy’s Venture Forward research has found that a higher percentage of women versus male microbusiness owners report running their entire operation by themselves.
The same research showed that female microbusiness owners are less likely than their male counterparts to expect to hire extra hands to help run their outfit at any point in the future.
Established in the USA in 2018, Venture Forward was launched to provide insight into the:
- Real impact microbusinesses have on their local economies
- Mindsets and challenges faced by the entrepreneurs at the helm of these businesses
In 2024, the research programme was extended to the UK.
The most recent UK Venture Forward report reveals that 82.4% of female microbusiness owners run their businesses solo. This contrasts to 75.6.9% of male microbusiness owners.
Of course, this isn’t to say the female microbusiness owners of the UK are less ambitious.
Not by any means.
When questioned:
- More than half of the women surveyed said they were confident their businesses would grow in the coming year
- 17.8% said they ran two or three businesses rather than one
- 20.9% reported earning more than £50,000 a year from their businesses
Given the above, the research just goes to show that female microbusiness owners are simply astute plate-spinners, hat-switchers and omni-taskers. They are as adept at managing a website as crafting social media strategies and dealing with supply chain logistics.
This ability to job juggle isn’t unique to one industry either. GoDaddy’s research shows that female microbusiness owners in the UK are active in:
- Personal care and wellbeing (10.7% of the women surveyed)
- Healthcare (9.3%)
- IT/technology (2.4%)
- Construction and trade (1.2%)
A passion project flowers in Harlow
Rachel Brennan, owner of floristry business Blossom and Grow, is one such plate spinner.
The shop is open five days a week, but it’s a seven-day job.
“I have to be everything in the business, from delivery driver to bucket cleaner to IT manager to social media content creator to website manager.”
For the latter task, Rachel uses GoDaddy’s Online Store builder.
“I chose GoDaddy because it wasn’t possible to pay a web designer to build a website from scratch for us at the beginning. We didn’t have the time to sit down with one and go back and forth.
“After comparing a few options for building a site myself, GoDaddy’s Online Store looked like the best choice. It was really easy to build the site and it’s easy to maintain, too.
“Our customers are happy with the site as well. They tell us how easy it is to use.”
Fortunately, Rachel’s dedication and hard work seem to be paying off. Recently, she received a phone call from the VIP team at Interflora, asking her if she could fulfil a last-minute order for a well-known television presenter who had been let down by another florist twice!
“We were asked to make a large bouquet at 4.20pm and we had it delivered by 5pm!” Rachel says. “We got a lovely message back from him. He took the time to find us on Instagram and thank us.”
You can read more about Rachel here.
Happy International Women’s Day!
It’s looking like the hard work and dedication of the UK’s other female microbusiness owners is paying dividends, too.
64.7% of women surveyed by Venture Forward said they completely agreed with the statement ‘Life is better after becoming an entrepreneur.’
So, this International Women’s Day, we’ll be playing Eurythmics on repeat and celebrating the undeniable fact that sisters are not just doing it for themselves but thriving as a result.
