Starting your own business while taking care of a family and home is no simple matter, and it's one of the reasons that women – who in Germany do 60% more unpaid work than men – are underrepresented among entrepreneurs and startup founders around the world.

But, few consultants that offer advice services for startups and small businesses take life outside the office into account.

One exception is Munich’s Guide project, a government-backed non-profit consultancy that offers specialised advice to the city’s growing population of female entrepreneurs.

Over the last five years, Munich has established itself as a new tech and entrepreneurial hub, but just 9% of founding teams of startups in the city include women. In general, the majority of Germany’s business-owners are male, and German businesses owned by women tend to be smaller than those created by men.

Globally, less than one in five startups have a female founder. And progress is slow: the percentage of women-founded venture-backed companies has stood still at around 17% since 2012.

"To start your own business and have a family is a bit difficult, and if you don't find a solution for this problem it's hard for it to work"

“Women have a problem with working full-time and caring for children – many schools and kindergartens here end at 1pm. They have to combine family life, caring responsibilities and business life. Normally, men don’t do that,” said Ellen von Birgelen, a consultant at Guide.

"We talk about the how they can manage this, and we have to keep motivating them. To start your own business and have a family is difficult, and if you don’t find a solution for this problem then it’s hard for it to work.”

Despite these challenges, a self-run business also presents opportunities for part-time, flexible working – something few companies currently offer. With the right support, entrepreneurship can be an attractive model for growing numbers of women.

“We see a lot of mothers or women returners that have taken time out to care for their family or relatives. It’s hard for them to find a good job even though they have high education and academic degrees – so starting a business is a good opportunity,” said von Birgelen.

So far, more than 5,000 female entrepreneurs in Munich – recently an average of 350 women a year – have benefitted from Guide's free one-to-one consultancy advice. Guide also runs regular seminars and workshops on topics ranging from self-confidence in negotiations to taxes and financial planning. Next month, there’s a six-day course for female entrepreneurs, a seminar on understanding personality types and winning customers, and a writing workshop.

Before they book their first individual appointment, clients attend an information morning where the process is explained in detail. The consultancy sessions are free and theoretically unlimited, although homework must be completed between sessions and waiting lists are common. Prospective clients may already have developed a specific marketable idea, or just be interested in learning about what may be possible.

"Male consultants may not care about those things: they say only the business is important"

The focus, like any startup consultancy, is on helping clients build a realistic and sustainable business plan. But the focus on distractions outside of the office is unique.

“Normally the individual advice sessions focus on the business. But, sometimes our clients have problems with the family or their husband or somebody else – and we always think it’s very important to tackle this first,” said von Birgelen.

“Male consultants may not care about those things: they say only the business is important. And time- and self-management are also critical for anybody who founds a new business – but again sometimes male consultants say that doesn’t matter.”

"Time- and self-management are critical for anybody who founds a new business"

Von Birgelen is one of Guide's specialist consultants, part of a team that numbers between five and 10 at different times. They are all women who have gone to business school, and most have started their own successful businesses while looking after children, so know the complexities personally.

Though this all sounds useful, one question lingered. According to Dell research, the number one barrier for women founders is neither organising time nor planning around family – though those are important – but access to capital. Investors, who are mostly male, tend to invest in mostly male companies. What can this small setup in Munich do to change that?

“A large part of what we do is writing reviews for business plans. One of my colleagues is a specialist in finance: she worked a long time for a bank. Before the clients go to a bank or investor, they come to her and she helps prepare,” said von Birgelen.

“We also work very close to the Agency of Work in Munich. If women start their own business from unemployment then they can get sponsorship from the government. The Chamber of Commerce here in Munich is also a member of our community, so they can get financial help there, and we have some banks we work with,” she said.

"One woman created Munich’s first co-working space - and she has four children"

While it’s hard to measure success, the program is popular with the city administration who has continued to fund it for more than a decade. Guide also receives funding from Germany’s federal government and the EU. From 2008-2015, the European Social Fund contributed €600,000 ($740,000 US) out of a total budget of €1.4million ($1.7million US).

The founder of Guide, Bettina Wenzel, told Apolitical that 85% of program participants have set up their own business or become self-employed after using their services for female entrepreneurs.

“We have a lot of successful companies. One woman has a big PR agency, we have a coach in marketing, Maren Martschenko – she’s very successful. One woman created Munich’s first co-working space – and she has four children,” said von Birgelen.

Some companies fail, too. Not all women - just like not all men – suit the uncertainty and pressure of running a small company rather than having a stable income.

“Of course, sometimes it’s not the right time. And not all women are made to be entrepreneurs – you need certain talents. Some need to know they will have money at the end of the month and don’t want to have to risk, so for them it’s too difficult," said von Birgelen.

"I think the challenge is always going to remain finding that workable solution for combining a demanding business with the family.”

(Picture credit: Flickr/nomore349)

Odette Chalaby
odette.chalaby@apolitical.co