After decades of tireless campaigning and revolutionary acts, women were awarded the right to vote in the US on August 18th, 1920. Now, over one hundred years later, we owe a lot of our agency to these women – who gave us the chance for our voices to be heard on a much larger scale. As a result, Women’s Equality Day is celebrated on August 26th each year.
However, while much has changed over the past century, gender-based discrepancies still exist in just about every facet of our lives. For example, a 2020 report from Paw Research Center found that on average, ‘women earned 84% of what men earned’ for the same kind of work.
However, with female business owners and entrepreneurs on the rise, this could signify that the tides are turning. This is because being a business owner enables you to shatter that glass ceiling – not only for yourself but for the generations of women behind you.
With that in mind, here are some top tips for women who are considering starting their own Divorce With Dignity Business.
- Believe you can. Instead of stepping out of our comfort zone and trying something new of our own accord, we often wait until others encourage us to take this leap. However, in doing so, it’s important to remember that you are effectively asking for permission to succeed and grow instead of making it happen for yourself. So, whether you’re experienced in family law or conflict resolution, know that you have the skills and insight necessary to run your own business. Furthermore, at Divorce With Dignity, we’ll provide you with the training you need to combine your knowledge of the divorce process with the skills required to be an effective business owner & leader.
- Put together a business plan. The next step towards launching your own business is putting together a business plan. Thankfully, this does not need to be nearly as complicated as it seems. For example, your business plan should begin with your mission statement (i.e., what you want to achieve). This could include goals such as helping clients reach an amicable divorce through effective mediation, guidance, and support. In addition to your mission statement, your plan should also put in place plans for growth and expansion, such as client retention strategies and marketing schemes. This is also something that we can help with and comes as part of the package.
- Find a way to stand out from the crowd. One of the best things about becoming a Divorce With Dignity Provider is that you actually have little competition on the market, as many divorce lawyers and legal professionals do not focus on amicable divorces but rather those that are complicated and emotionally fraught. This means that it may be easier for you to connect with your clients. However, by finding a way to stand out from the crowd – you can help couples across the country understand that peaceful divorces are not a rarity and much more common than you think. Thankfully, there are various ways in which you can begin to achieve this goal. For example, you could put together a strong marketing campaign that explores amicable divorce statistics and clearly demonstrates their benefits.
- Manage your time effectively. Running a business is no easy feat – and you will always find that you have something to do – whether that relates to scanning over divorce papers or completing routine administration. In fact, sometimes it will feel as though there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything you need to do. However, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t have to be that way. Running your own Divorce With Dignity services can be a breeze with proper time management, task delegation, and good organizational skills.
- Remember why you started. As you throw yourself into the running of your company, it’s easy to let stress take over – especially when you want to succeed. However, it’s important that you keep stress at bay by remembering why you started this venture in the first place. Not only are you providing yourself with greater freedom and job satisfaction, but you’re also making a real difference in your client’s lives by providing divorce help. For example, you can help couples navigate their way through the alienation of affection so that they can work to a peaceful resolution for the whole family.
In short, the best advice for women within the legal field who want to start their own Divorce With Dignity Business is to simply do it. Running your own small business can open many doors in both your personal and professional life – increasing your earning potential while giving you the chance to do something you are genuinely passionate about.
