It’s not always about the money when setting up a business

Each month when we hold our Lioness Lean In Breakfast events, one of the topics that comes up most often amongst the women entrepreneurs attending is the subject of startup capital - usually how hard it is to get and how much of a deal-breaker it can be when starting up in business. But here’s the interesting thing - so many of the hugely successful women brand builders we ask to come along and inspire our audiences at the events talk about how they started up with very little finance. Most often they bootstrapped their businesses, using their own limited savings, or borrowing from friends and family when necessary. Importantly, it was their sheer determination, hard work and refusal to give up even during the tough times that got them from startup to success, not necessarily the money in the early days. They all talk about how this situation makes you think more creatively, because there is no choice. Natasha Sideris, founder of the popular and trendy South African lunchtime cafe brand Tashas, sums it up perfectly. She says: Too many entrepreneurs feel that they can’t pursue their dreams because they don’t have the money. That’s just not true. If you’re willing to work hard, you can make it happen.”