What It's Really Like To Be A Female Entrepreneur

I had thought to begin this essay with a bunch of statistics regarding the numbers of women-owned businesses in America and quotes about how many businesses are begun each day by women. I thought better of it. Those stats are easy to find, if you want them. What I’d like to give you is less hard numbers and more authentic facts.

I am an entrepreneur. About three years ago I was faced with a gigantic life decision - to keep doing what I had been doing, which was fine. Or, to do something that would feed my soul, and hopefully my family, but would be incredibly risky. I chose the latter and to quote Mr. Frost, “…that has made all the difference.”

I’ve been a lifelong entrepreneur without actually realizing it. As a young teen, I babysat, I sold greeting cards and even produced theatrical events, to which I would (mostly unsuccessfully) attempt to sell tickets. After high school, I went to New York City and studied acting and theatre. There is no more entrepreneurial venture than being a hungry actor. It’s an excellent testing ground for selling yourself and an existential exercise in self knowledge. I can draw a direct line from those experiences and the education I received to the venture in which I’m now embroiled.

[Read More: Five Keys of the Entrepreneurial Mindset]

There is a synchronicity to the timing of the creation of my business. I couldn’t have started it in Upstate New York, where my family and I were living in 2012. There wasn’t enough diversity or industry. Charleston, South Carolina, now, is an excellent place to be an entrepreneur. Because of women-centric organizations, it’s an excellent place to be a female entrepreneur. There will always be people and politicians who will treat me and my company as less than, because I am a woman - the struggle is real and it’s ongoing. It doesn’t stop or even detour me. Frankly, it makes succeeding all the more satisfying.

One of the things that make my journey richer and more satisfying is the people I’ve met along the way. Men and women both have provided me with knowledge and friendship and insight. I have been fortunate to meet the most amazing people with a staggering array of skills. People who run multi-million dollar companies and others who have less clues than I, are all part of the landscape of my experience so far. I’ve met some total jerks as well, but thankfully the jerk-to-awesome ratio is pretty low.

Sometimes, I am surprised to find I have an actual business. I have real clients who pay actual money for the products and services I provide. It’s breathtakingly risky and exciting and educational. In the first days, the only person I had to bounce ideas off was my yellow Lab, Brooklyn. She’s an excellent listener but not so great on the phones. Everyday I learn something I didn’t know I needed to know. It’s very like becoming a parent. You can read the books, listen to the experts and do all the research but the moment you hold that new child in your arms, you are filled to the brim with the knowledge that you actually know nothing, except love… and maybe a little fear.

I love the business I’ve birthed, but the truth is that being an entrepreneur is not for everyone. As an actor, I was often cautioned to do or be anything else if I possibly could. The same goes for entrepreneurialism. If you can be happy/satisfied/content doing anything else, you absolutely should. Being a business owner is not for the feint of heart. You must be supremely confident in your why because the odds are hugely stacked against you. I knew that when I started and I know it now. It changes nothing.

[Read More: Practical Thoughts on How to Start Your Own Business]

There are many reasons I chose to become an entrepreneur. I’ve bought into the American dream and I’m willing to hardscrabble in the wilderness to build it. I believe in possibilities. I want to provide a lifestyle to which my family is not currently accustomed. I want riches and fame. I dream of making an impact on the world. I want all of that, and more. Mostly though, I want to show my daughter that the world is open to her. She is almost 12 now and has a growing awareness of the world and what it means to be a girl in it.

I want her to see that her mom works hard and fails and works harder and succeeds. I want her to know that she can be a maker. I want her to be able to compete and feel confident in what she knows and the woman she’ll become. I want her to learn to revel and rejoice in the things that make her unique and know that she can make a place for herself. I want to craft a legacy.

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LB Adams is the Founder of Practical Dramatics, headquartered in Charleston, SC. Her company uses theatre skills to help humans to grow greater conversations with other humans.