7 Business Lessons Women Can Learn from Beyoncé

“When I’m not feeling my best, I ask myself, ‘What are you gonna do about it?’ I use the negativity to fuel the transformation into a better me.” -- Beyoncé 

It is not always common to see people identifying a cultural icon with business. Brands in the business world are mostly equated with legendary entrepreneurs and tycoons or organizations they have formed. The modest beginnings made by people like Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos who then went on to reach the stars are often cited an example of entrepreneurial brilliance. In that bracket, it is rare to see a global pop cultural icon like Beyoncé Knowles but that doesn’t change the reality that she too is a successful business leader, and many look up to her for inspiration.  

While we speak about self-brands like Gates, Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg with whom people easily identify their path-breaking products, somebody like Beyoncé is not to be overlooked. The 39-year-old is an international brand from the music industry who has fame, power and impact not many there enjoys. Like several of those male achievers in the business world, Beyoncé too has made her way to the top to set up an iconic brand and there are lessons worth learning from her journey.  

One important fact with Beyoncé is that her impact goes well outside the realm of music for she uses her platform to inspire her myriad fans with a message of empowerment. In 2014, Beyoncé, who is also popularly known as “Queen Bey”, was named by the ‘Time’ magazine in the list of top 100 most influential people in the world. She was in fact selected as the cover star for the acclaimed magazine and Sheryl Sandberg, the chief executive officer at Facebook and yet another woman achiever, said in her piece on Sheryl Beyoncé: “Beyoncé doesn’t just sit at the table. She builds a better one.” 

Here are seven lessons that women entrepreneurs can learn from Beyoncé: 

Never give up on your dreams: 

Around two decades ago, the Houston-born Beyoncé was a member of Girls Tyme -- a girls’ group -- and took part in Star Search, a popular television talent show. Later, she would say that it was a “defining moment” in her life and the reason was something unusual. She said it was because Girls Tyme lost the contest, and it made her work doubly hard to excel in her life. It was also a philosophical lesson learnt as Beyoncé said, “you could work super hard and give everything you have and lose”. The lesson here is this is not giving up even if you are not winning a race. Setbacks are momentary but the experience you gather goes a long way to see you succeed in the long run.  

Never be shy of trying new things: 

Beyoncé is never afraid of experimenting and this is something that has given her a leader’s status. She has taken a lead in the music industry by coming up with innovative concepts. In 2016, Beyoncé released her new album ‘Lemonade’ but rather than releasing songs followed by separate music videos, she made ‘Lemonade’ a visual album with a full entourage of music videos, each supporting a single song separately. The singer also produced a collation video, and these additions made her fans more excited. For a woman entrepreneur, this is something worthy to learn. Always think about innovative ways to make your connection with clients stronger and dynamic.  

Handle your PR strategically: 

Beyoncé never stops short of making statements and she does the work quite well. She is known for her mic drops and drama. Whether announcing her pregnancy or launching albums, she has a unique way of connecting to her followers. When this model is replicated in the world of business, success is guaranteed as well. Not being ‘subtle’ is Beyoncé’s signature style. She creates her own PR in her own style and that is something that women, who are trying to make a space of their own in business, can also follow. Closely study Beyoncé’s way of making her base of followers and you will definitely gain.  

Build a community: 

As a public figure, Beyoncé has taken special care about building her fan base. She has a term “beehive” to define a community which is loyal to her across the planet. The “beehive” gives the fans an identity and sense of belonging. As an entrepreneur, you also need to focus on a community which will identify itself with your products/services. A community is a platform where your loyal customers will engage with you and each other and fuel support for your venture, adding up to an overall positive impact. Learn the tactic from Beyoncé to build your customer case just like she does in consolidating her fan base. 

Showing your human side: 

Successful entrepreneurs are also successful as human beings. Beyoncé, despite her superhuman image, is conscious about showing an image of herself with which people can relate. Despite her fame and fortune, she has succeeded in building an image which people find relatable. She is someone who puts forth her straight opinions on burning issues like equal rights for women and Blacks. She has also displayed aspects of her life and family to her fans to negate the fact that she is an enigma. This is something worth to imitate. As an entrepreneur, you should never lose touch with your human side amid all the challenges. It will add to people’s respect for you and if you can inspire more people with your personality, your venture will be set to win more clients.  

Prioritize self-care: 

Those who have worked close with Beyoncé, like for example Sophie Beem, has revealed that the former is one who takes enough physical care of herself. She is known for running and singing on the treadmill daily. This is something that adds to the star singer’s stamina to sing and dance at the same time with equal ease. Beyoncé knows that whatever she does, or peaches will only remain popular as long as she occupies the centerstage and for that to happen persistently, she herself has to perform relentlessly. This makes her own well-being important and something worthy to be learnt by women entrepreneurs who are facing all sorts of pressure and challenges to perform. You need to remember one thing: It’s you who can make the difference in the final count. Therefore, take enough care of yourself even if the world around you falls apart.  

Keep people in suspense: 

A strategy which might look more effective in the glamor industry, but entrepreneurs can also try this, and it will most likely bring success. Beyoncé has an unusual strategy of not promoting her upcoming events and albums at all and then surprise her fans to no end with a sudden launch. She often builds a suspense after weeks of silence and with a sudden launch of her next item, she leaves her fans in a state of frenzy. This Blitzkrieg-type of public relations exercise often brings her more success than not. In case of business also, this model can be tried even though traditional wisdom says more in favor of pre-launch marketing. This is also a kind of alternative marketing strategy and a flawless execution of the same can make success look well within reach.