A. is a young entrepreneur who got early in the business. In the following interview, she explains all the difficulties she came across while trying to make it work and the challenges she faced.

*How, come you got into entrepreneurship at such a young age?*

Well, I decided to get into business because of my father. It is a family business, and he started it. So, I decided to take advantage of this opportunity since I have always thought of it as appealing.

*Which were the first difficulties that you faced when you started working?*

The first and foremost difficulty was my age. I got into the business at the age of 18. At that time, it was challenging to combine my studies with working so many hours. Besides the fact that I was the youngest in the business, many employees were there before I was born. So, it took quite some time till they could accept to consider me. Another tricky part when getting into your own business is that you need to know exactly what you sell, that is, to understand your product correctly; so, training from scratch is crucial at that point. You cannot say “I don’t know” because you must know better than anyone. And that is something that you can overcome quickly.

*How hard is it for a young woman to take over a business?*

After six years in business, I can tell that now I administrate most of the company; after a lot of training, I am still underestimated. You have to know everything 100%, or even more, there is no room for mistakes, you cannot “think”; you have to “know.” And working with more experienced employees than you, you should be sure of what you are doing. Especially if those employees are men and they tend to underestimate you. That is true. And it still is a bit of a challenge. I am still learning how to deal with them.

*How do older collaborators treat you?*

All our collaborators and employees are older than me. It was difficult for me because the “kid” was here to run this place. At first, they didn’t even listen to me nor consider me.

*Which is the biggest challenge in your daily routine?*

The biggest challenge is to deal with the department of my business in which there are more men (given the nature of the company). They do not listen to me quickly since they are older. I try to deal with it because someone older than you must believe in you, accept you, and this is not something you impose. Simultaneously, our contractors ignored me since they thought of me as “daddy’s little girl.” I had already been in the business for 4-5 years, and they still did not address me, even if it was about issues I administrated. They disapproved of me as a professional.

*Is there another challenge that you have to deal with?*

The more significant challenge is to expand my business. There are hardly enough women in our industry, and this can be quite tricky since men think they call the shots, and they are better negotiators. Thus, it is a challenge to prove them wrong, and I am already proving them wrong by standing on my own feet. I have to train in negotiations to stand out during a meeting because it is uneven from the beginning.

*Do you think that things should change regarding women's entrepreneurship? Do women have to work harder than men?*

I firmly believe that women are equally capable. There are more difficulties since, for now, a woman cannot easily lead in a business; this is due to a lack of faith. There are not a lot who dare it. And this is because of the stereotypes which affect women, too. Women prefer to be in a high-level position in a company rather than running their own business. There are only a few women entrepreneurs that can deal with all these circumstances. Lack of faith leads them to stand behind men. They sabotage themselves.

*What skills should a young woman have to make it as an entrepreneur?*

Well, she should have the same skills as those of a man. We live in a very fluid era, and each entrepreneur should be overeducated. Constant and continuous education is a must. Women, especially, believe in themselves and try to overcome all the stereotypes. Women are capable, and they prove it by being excellent leaders. It would be best to have faith, dare, self-confidence, and work with yourself if you were well educated. I believe that women are brilliant, but unfortunately, there is a massive stereotype regarding women's entrepreneurship.

I suggest to dare it; they can do it as long as they believe it.