25. Are there any types of business that attract women entrepreneurs in Russia?

Women are changing the face of modern business. They are in the forefront of the service sector, the fastest growing sector of the economy.Women entrepreneurs have made substantial progress in terms of business education, corporate experience, and technical expertise. More and more are starting businesses in rapidly growing industries including financial services, biotechnology and software. Still, women- owned businesses tend to be smaller than those owned by men whether measured by size, by the number of employees, or the amount of revenues.

Women’s businesses are mainly established in areas like consulting services, training, magazines and publishing, agriculture, small-scale production and commerce. The bulk of these women entrepreneurs concentrated on small and medium-sized ventures. Most of the women are highly trained, for instance in engineering, but often founded their businesses in sectors that had nothing to do with their education. However, many businesses that have been typically dominated by men are now gradually being shared by women who often occupy the second position in the company as vice-president or chief administrator. Women therefore look to benefit from this background, in terms of social construction and identity aspects.

25. To what extent do you think an entrepreneur’s personal qualities are as important as their ideas?

In my opinion, an entrepreneur’s personal qualities are more important than their ideas, because the idea is only the first step of doing a good business. Entrepreneurship involves taking that idea and transforming it into something that people would be willing to pay for. The success of a business idea rests on the ability of the entrepreneur. These include:

1. Self-Confidence means trusting your own powers and capabilities. Entrepreneurs must have the ability to look within themselves and find the drive and persistence to pursue their enterprise.

2. Risk-taker – There is always the risk of loss in any endeavour, and entrepreneurs have just the right confidence to take calculated risks to achieve their objective.

3. Successful Entrepreneurs know the value of money and are careful about their finances – to succeed in any business; an entrepreneur must understand the value of money and the cost of things.

4. Successful Entrepreneurs are competitive – the world of business is a very competitive environment. An entrepreneur must be aggressive enough to pursue his goal despite having many rivals and competitors.

5. Successful Entrepreneurs know the importance of leisure time – hard work and determination are very important values every entrepreneur must have.

25. Give an example of the leading entrepreneurs? Why have they been successful?

Michael Dell

Michael Dell revolutionized the personal computer industry by skipping the middle man and selling directly to the customer.He also innovated PC manufacturing by developing a process to mass-produce individually made-to-order computers. He then enabled customers to order these personalized computers directly online. His innovations in manufacturing and distribution have made him one of the most successful businessmen of our time.

Walt Disney

Disney is one of the most recognized brands in the world, but few know as much about the man behind the Magic Kingdom, not to mention the hundreds of animated cartoons, countless feature films and endless toys that bear his name. An influential innovator and entrepreneur in the mid 20th century, Disney went from sketching a rabbit (yes, a rabbit) to running a multi-billion dollar empire.

Disney went back to the drawing board, producing a silent cartoon called Plane Crazy that featured a new character named Mickey Mouse. But the advent of sound changed everything in Hollywood.

IKEA Founder Ingvar Kamprad

IKEA has now become known worldwide for its innovative and stylish designs. Almost all IKEA products are designed to for flat packaging, which reduces shipping costs, minimizes transport damage, increases store inventory capacity, and makes it easier for customers to take the furniture home themselves, rather than needing delivery. But the original reason for it was competitive pressure from IKEA's competitors to their suppliers, who actually boycotted IKEA, forcing IKEA to do it themselves.