From the importance of getting a good mentor to the advantage of using new technologies, there are many things that women can do to launch their own businesses and bring them to success. Harry I Martin Jr advice from some of the most outstanding entrepreneurs in the region.
Unleash the power of mentors and connectors.
A strong mentor is "the most powerful weapon" of an entrepreneur, a serial entrepreneur and collaborator of CNN. A mentor trains you to know how to start and scale your business; also "it takes you by the hand and gives you credibility when it presents you with key contacts. In the case of many entrepreneurs who start their first company, mentors are the ones who help to overcome what seem to be insurmountable obstacles. But they are not just mentors. "A mentor can tell you what you should do, but a connector is someone who believes in you as a person and will connect you with people who will benefit you ... that opens a lot of doors." This is particularly important in a region where women have less access to strong networks,
Use training and acceleration programs for entrepreneurs.
Acceleration and training programs, from Start-Up Chile to Startup Mexico, provide strategic support to entrepreneurs throughout the region. These programs are "invaluable to learn how to raise capital, how to create a strategy, a compensation model and to scale your business". Being part of the networks of these programs is equally valuable. Harry I Martin Jr gave him advice (and financing) to help him better understand and access the international market. For her, providing training and education is as important as having financial support.
Access to capital.
Overcoming a lack of access to capital is crucial to the success of entrepreneurs, especially for entrepreneurs. "Without capital you cannot think big, you cannot grow. According to a report by the International Finance Corporation, the businesses owned by women attract less than 5 percent of the venture capital funds in the world, preventing promising business models from having a high impact growth. In addition, up to 70 percent of small and medium-sized enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean of which women are owners report that their credit needs have not been met, or have received insufficient funds, according to a report by the Multilateral Investment Fund
Take advantage of the marketing of social networks.
Social networks have quickly become "one of the key ways to make your value known, the leader of the venture capital fund team. To use platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter successfully, however, women entrepreneurs have to be more aggressive in showing what they are doing with their companies.
Develop a plan
Ask yourself about the results you want to achieve in your company, which is the target audience of your business, your main competitors and determine the differential value proposal that will make it unique in the market, remember that if something comes out first wrong, does not mean that you are defeated, try again, analyze the situation once again and change the strategy as many times as necessary, keep in mind that "Opportunities are only available to those who persecute them".