Technology tears down barriers for women entrepreneurs. Here's how.
Each year, the U.S. Small Business Administration recognizes October as National Women’s Small Business Month. As the month begins, I look forward to honoring the entrepreneurial women who contribute so much to our communities and economy.
According to the World Economic Forum, women entrepreneurship is on the rise globally. Women started 49% of new businesses in the U.S. in 2021, up from 28% in 2019, but they continue to face several obstacles. Access to startup capital is front and center among those issues. Women business owners are resourceful, though, and are harnessing the power of digital platforms like Facebook and Instagram to start their own businesses at little or no cost. They use these services to find and build entrepreneurial communities online and create positive social and economic impact, too.
As a woman business owner myself, I know full well the barriers women must overcome to be successful. To further complicate things, I had the misfortune of attempting to open my doors just as a global pandemic shuttered storefronts throughout the world. But I remained resilient and was able to fall back on my digital assets and social media accounts, which is how I built the business initially.
I owe my ability to start and scale my business — and eventually open a brick-and-mortar store — to social media. I launched and grew a successful business from my New York City apartment, which now has a physical storefront in the Hudson Valley, not too far from where I grew up in Putnam County.
My vintage clothing shop would not be where it is today without platforms like Instagram, Square, and Shopify. Instagram especially has been a huge driving force for my business. When the shop was a mere idea fueled by a dream of curating the most interesting and nostalgic vintage finds, I got the word out through my Instagram account. I would market myself online every single day by posting stories about the clothes I was selling. I would share classic Hollywood actresses in similar pieces to show how timeless they were. And I would wear and style the pieces to showcase my latest finds.
It all started in my little East Village apartment with one rack of clothes. The word started to get out and then each week I began attracting new customers. Eventually, I moved out of the city and opened my physical store in Cold Spring, New York, just miles from my hometown of Putnam Valley. But my lease was set to start on March 1, 2020, just before COVID-19 hit, so I did not actually get to open until June of that year. Leveraging my Instagram following to drive traffic, my website launched in April 2020. That saved my business from failing before I even got to open the doors.
Now in its third year open, the store’s social media presence does not just drive sales online; it brings people in. I recall one young woman who came to the store just as I was about to close up for the evening. She had seen a photo of me and the store on Instagram and instantly felt connected.
Online platforms build communities and create more opportunity for people from all backgrounds to access economic success than ever before. Technology tears down barriers: All you need is a few free social media accounts, and you can launch your own brand, reach an international audience, and most importantly — be your own boss. That freedom to pursue your passion and work for yourself is driving more and more women to start their own businesses.
As we celebrate National Women’s Small Business Month, I hope stories like mine will continue to inform and inspire the next generation of women entrepreneurs. And I look forward to being a resource for other women looking to set out on their own and launch a business with nothing more than their ambitions and a few mobile apps.
Judiann Romanello is the owner of DamnAged Vintage in Cold Spring, New York.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Technology tears down barriers for women entrepreneurs. Here's how.
