How to Be a Successful Female Entrepreneur

Becoming an entrepreneur can be incredibly difficult and even more so if you’re a woman and are trying to break into an industry that’s predominately male. Instead of feeling discouraged, know that there are lots of women before you who have accomplished the same goal and there will be plenty of people cheering you on toward your dream. Many ways exist to be a truly successful entrepreneur, but there are also some vital traits you should possess in order to reach your entrepreneurial dreams.

Take risks

If you’re embarking on your own business venture, you won’t get anywhere without taking measured risks. Avoid being too timid to take risks, because your business will either stagnant or fail entirely. While you shouldn’t be afraid of failure, it’s important that you learn from it and do better the next time around. Decide what risks your business can handle and could provide a benefit to your company.

Assert your worth

Because you’re attempting to start your own business, you’ll be dealing with people wondering whether or not you’re worth the investment. You might face even more skepticism because you’re a woman. Know your own worth and do not be afraid to show it. Talk about your skills and areas of expertise and do not be afraid to show off what you know. The more confident you are in your own value, the more likely other people will see it too.

Find a female mentor

This tip is especially important if you’re young or just starting out in your industry. Find a female mentor you respect and has lots of business experience and then ask her to mentor you. A woman who’s been in your shoes will be able to give you valuable advice and support that can help you achieve your goals.

Be knowledgeable

Since it’s likely people will question how much you know about what you’re doing, it’s vital that you are knowledgeable about the industry and topics you’re working with. While you can’t know everything, you must understand the basic facts of your industry and what it takes to run a business. Read as much as you can and talk to lots of different people for advice.

Always improve

No matter how much of an expert you are in a specific field, you can always improve the amount of knowledge you have. If you feel you’ve reached the pinnacle in one area, move onto something else that can enhance your business skills and take your company to the next level. Always strive toward the next level and make yourself continuous goals in various areas.

Have faith in yourself

Finally, female entrepreneurs often face more self-doubt than men who are pursuing the same goals. If you begin to feel discouraged, remember that you’ve been working hard and preparing yourself for being an entrepreneur and it’s normal to have some doubt or questions. Learn to have faith in yourself and you’ll be able to accomplish your goals!

The Importance of Helping Endangered Species

Some people wonder why we need to worry about different species going extinct when there are so many other types of animals in the world. It may not seem like a big deal if a few kinds of insects or mammals are no longer around. People argue that creatures have always gone extinct and it’s the natural order of life. Unfortunately, research shows that extinctions are happening at a rate that is not natural and most likely directly related to human activities. It’s up to us to help sustain the environment around us and make sure the other creatures that inhabit our planet continue to exist. By helping endangered species, we’re upholding a balanced ecological web; this goal is important for many reasons.

Balanced biosphere

Likely the most important reason we need to work to protect endangered species is that they help balance our biosphere. The biosphere is the combination of all ecosystems that exist on Earth. For an ecosystem to remain balanced, all species contributing to that ecosystem need to be present and doing their jobs. For example, without predators in a forested area, deer populations usually swell to outrageous numbers, causing property damage and car accidents, along with other issues such as overgrazing native plants. Most species have much smaller influences in ecosystems, many of which we still do not understand. It’s important to help this balance remain as much as possible to avoid any serious consequences.

Medical advancements

Many organisms have made incredible contributions to medical advancements and helped us develop technology that saves human lives. Penicillin was created from a simple fungus that people paid little attention to until it’ medical value was revealed. Toxins from various plants have been proven to possess great medicinal value and help with certain illnesses. We’ve learned incredible treatments from small species and there are millions more left to discover. For example, only 5 percent of the oceans have been explored and water covers 70 percent of the Earth. There are likely many more species we have yet to find that can contribute to medical advancements and possibly cure serious diseases.

Healthy agriculture

In order to produce agriculture, healthy ecosystems are vital. Insects such as bees pollinate the plants, which would have to be done by hand if these insects go extinct. When there’s less variety in a type of agriculture and the plant or animal contracts a disease, it can wipe out the entire species. Multiple types of plants or animals contribute to genetic diversity, which allows them to adapt and often prevents diseases from destroying their entire populations. By having various types of a single plant, for example, scientists are more likely to be able to find traits from one strain of plant that can be used to create more sustainable, higher producing, or disease resistant crops

How Different Organisms Affect the Ecosystem

An oft repeated statement in the conservation movement is that all animals are important to an ecosystem and each species plays its own role within that ecosystem. I’ve even mentioned it before in my post on “The Importance of Helping Endangered Species.” However, I’ve noticed that people don’t usually explain what this statement means and how exactly different species contribute to the ecosystem they reside within. Different types of organisms contribute to their ecosystem in unique ways and I’d like to give a basic idea of how they accomplish this, so you can understand the importance of focusing on helping all different kinds of species!

A lot of these terms and information you probably learned about in middle or high school biology, but likely haven’t heard them much since then. Ecosystems are much more complex than the information I’m giving, but I think it’s important that people have a basic understanding of how ecosystems work, especially in our efforts for conservation. There are three main roles, or niches, in every ecosystem, so I’ll address these and give some information on their roles and the organisms that would be found in these niches.

Producers

A producer is the organism that creates the primary energy used within an ecosystem. Almost always, producers are plants. These organisms use sunlight for photosynthesis, which is how they get their energy in order to grow. Eventually other animals will eat them and the producers pass on their energy as chemical energy. Over time, energy leaves the ecosystem as heat and goes back into the rest of the biosphere. Producers are incredibly important to this process of creating and passing on energy because they’re the first source of energy; without them, an ecosystem couldn’t survive at all. However, producers are often overlooked in conservation efforts in favor of animals.

Examples of producers are moss, seaweed, bamboo, orchids - pretty much any kind of plant that you would find in the environment. People don’t often mention them, but there are endangered plants, such as the Arizona Agave or the Rafflesia Flower. Some of these plants are endangered due to encroachment on their environment, since they can’t move like many animals can. Others are disappearing because of their health benefits to humans (whether real or imagined) and aren’t being replanted at the same rate.

Consumers

Consumers eat producers and use the plants to generate energy. Some consumers also eat other consumers for energy or other consumers and producers (like humans do). The main types of consumers are herbivores (eat only plants), carnivores (eat only meat), and omnivores (eat both). A larger amount of producers are required to provide enough energy for consumers. Most ecosystems are more like pyramids, with producers making up the base.

Generally, conservation efforts are focused on consumers, because they’re the best-known and easiest to identify. Animals like tigers, deer, frogs, snakes, and nearly all other animals are considered consumers.

Decomposers

Decomposers are the final group in an ecosystem and responsible for consuming dead matter. These organisms do not have a very glamorous job, but they’re vital to keeping an ecosystem clean and balanced. As decomposers do their jobs, the remaining energy leaves the ecosystem as heat, moving back into the atmosphere.

Examples of decomposers are worms, fungi, and snails, along with bacteria and various other types of organisms.