Entrepreneurial Tightrope: Gender shouldn't be an issue

— -- Hello Gladys, I'm a woman who owns a commercial paint company and always find myself competing with men. I know I'm in a business that has traditionally been a man's world. Just a few months ago I attended a seminar to learn how to bid on government contracts. The man next to me asked if I was sitting in for my boss. When I told him I had my own company he avoided me the rest of the afternoon. I just learned that we are competing for the same contract. We will soon be in the final stage of the bid process. Give me a few hints on how to win this contract and show that a woman can do the job as well. — G.S.

I suppose gender-conscious folks will always be among us, but it doesn't stop me from wondering: Why does it have to be a man's world or a woman's world? Why can't it be a world in which men and women have parts to play as they wish to play them — a world in which they can be either assertive or passive, nurturing or not, and just plain good at what they do, no matter what the task?

Look at yourself in light of whether you are the best person for the job; not the best woman or the best man. The whole idea that certain work is male or female falls apart when you consider that physiologically there is no difference between a man and a woman doing most work. Of course we must exclude giving birth. These are the only gender-specific roles that I'm familiar with.

If you want to win, accentuate the positive by stating clearly the benefits that your company has to offer. Do not be bashful about praising your company's benefits. Highlight your strongest advantages. Be prepared to answer the questions and state why you should be chosen.

Have a well-thought out strategy that shows your company is the best for the job.

Preparation, confidence, and honesty about what you and your company can and cannot do are more important in determining whether you will be chosen than whether you are the right man or woman for the job.

So, be prepared to show the selection committee what a great paint contractor you are regardless of gender.

Gladys Edmunds' Entrepreneurial Tightrope column appears Wednesdays. As a single, teen-age mom, Gladys made money doing laundry, cooking dinners for taxi drivers and selling fire extinguishers and Bibles door-to-door. Today, Edmunds, founder of Edmunds Travel Consultants in Pittsburgh, is a private coach/consultant in business development and author of There's No Business Like Your Own Business, published by Viking. See an index of Edmunds' columns. Her website is www.gladysedmunds.com. You can e-mail her at gladys@gladysedmunds.com.