How Friendship Benefits Women in Business
BY ARIA SONG, GRADE 5
Everyone knows that friendship is a great thing to have in life, but what many don’t know is that friendship is vital for women in business. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of friendship for female executives.
Three women in business. Fortune
Firstly, having friends can increase confidence. In a paper published in 2016, three professors and one student from different universities described their study on how friendship impacts women in business. They started a business training program for a group of female participants. Some women enrolled with a friend, while some did not. In the end, the four researchers found out that women that trained with a friend are more likely to have taken a business loan or pursued business ventures after the program, as compared with the women who enrolled without a friend. This study tells us that working with a friend can motivate women to work hard and pursue business.
Secondly, you can get more and better ideas from a partner/friend. If you're running a business by yourself, you will only have your own ideas. But friends can provide suggestions and ideas that could improve your business model and make you more successful. Additionally, if you're struggling to decide on an idea, your friend can help you determine the best course of action.
A friend could also be a role model for you! If they have had any experience in the business world, they can use their business knowledge to help you succeed and improve. You and your friend can learn from each other too in business, and you could also be a role model!
Having a friend is also a way to branch out to other people and the community. Your friend can contact friends that they know and expand your network.
However, having a lot of friends isn’t always a good thing. Too many friends can lead to arguments and conflicts if there are too many proposals for how to address a situation. There are, however, ways to prevent this situation from occurring. If you respect and appreciate other people’s thoughts regardless of whether you agree or disagree with them, you can make everyone feel listened to and appreciated. Furthermore, instead of shooting people’s ideas down, you can build off of them.
Friendship is a very wonderful thing to have as a woman in business. Friends provide the support that you need during the difficult process of starting a business. Although having too many people giving input on a situation can be problematic, there are ways to avoid it. So if you are a woman in business, go out there and make friends to support you along your entrepreneurial journey!
This article was written during the GWS Summer Writing Workshop. Taught by the GWS Publication Team, the workshop hosted young journalists in grades 1 through 12, each with a passion for writing and learning. Over five weeks throughout the summer, students brainstormed, researched, outlined, drafted, revised, and ultimately produced an article about a topic related to women in business. Learn more about the workshop here.
