But Seriously. . .

Entrepreneur
May 1993

Every woman entrepreneur knows it's often hard to get people to take you seriously. And owning a "woman-y" business, such as a bakery, a doll store, or a company that makes sewing patterns, only compounds the problem. That's the difficulty Tammy Craddock faced.

The owner of Jubilations Cheesecake Inc. in Columbus, Mississippi, wanted to expand her mail order and wholesale cheesecake company from a home-based business into a full-fledged operation - but no building contractor would listen to her.

"I kept dealing with men who thought I wanted a cutesy little retail shop with ruffly curtains and little round tables," says Craddock indignantly.

"What I wanted was a manufacturing facility with $20,000 mixers and a loading dock." Like Craddock, many owners of traditionally "feminine" businesses find that everyone from bank lenders to customers stereotype them as cute little hobbyists rather than serious entrepreneurs.

The problem intensifies when you passively accept others belittlement of your business and start doubting your own commitment and talents. Then you actually may sabotage your own chances of succeeding.

Manoosh Yeremian, owner of a direct lending firm, Mortgage Alliance Group, in Burbank, California, recalls women bank customers who were so doubtful of their business's potential that by the time they asked for a loan, they couldn't promote their businesses or question any of the bank's policies.

"There were times I would have waived loan fees if they had just asked me," she says. How does Craddock handle the attitude problem? She remembers suppliers who don't treat her with respect... and switches to someone else. "I give my business to suppliers who treat me right," she says. "Success is the best revenge!"

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