Reconstructing the Mold

When Maryanne Guido answers the phone at her construction management and general contracting firm, many callers ask to speak with the owner. Even after 20 years of running the 80-year-old firm, she still smiles and politely answers, “This is she.”

As the number of female entrepreneurs and business owners continues to rise, women like Guido are becoming less of an anomaly — venturing into traditionally male-dominated industries like agriculture, forestry and fishing, construction, mining, oil and gas and utilities. Because of a lack of diversity, these industries tend to be vulnerable to masculine stereotypes. Some women in these industries may find excelling to be particularly difficult; others find a way to make it to the top. 

Building on confidence
“I don't ask any of our employees to do anything I wouldn’t do myself,” Guido says. “This business runs because of the mutual respect we share for one another. I know I couldn’t do my job alone, so I know our employees feel the same. I am very proud of our team and what we have been able to accomplish together.”

This commitment to employee satisfaction and inclusion is common in most women business owners. Research performed by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute found that women, on average, feel more strongly than men about creating a positive work environment, paying employees better and making their employees feel part of a team. When managing a business in a male-dominated industry, these characteristics help women excel.

Guido, owner of Guido & Companies Inc., which includes Guido Construction, Guido Lumber and Guido Management Services, says the keys to keeping everything running smoothly are accountability and setting attainable goals and objectives — not just for employees but for management and the company as a whole.

“I hold our employees to the same standards I hold myself to,” Guido says. “That is how I earned their trust when I first started. When I moved into the construction division, I worked very closely with the team to make sure we as a whole were honoring the company code in everything we do.”

The daughter of two career parents working to raise six children, Guido says her work ethic was ingrained at age 12, when she started working after school and on Saturdays. Her parents told her that the most important things they would ever give their children were an education and a good work ethic — the rest they had to figure out on their own.

“I am a ‘can-do’ person,” Guido explains. “I approach everything with the mindset of ‘what can I do to make this work in the most efficient and effective way possible?’ I am constantly challenging our team to do the same. But more importantly, I always make sure that every decision made within the company has added value, not just for the business, but for every individual involved.” 

Finding supporting Structures
Kara Clayton, president of steel fabrication company Express Metalwork, says that even though men have dominated certain industries, breaking into these endeavors continues to become more woman-friendly.

“Women are being seen more and more as viable candidates and competition in these industries,” Clayton says. “Women are becoming more fearless about entering fields they may not have considered before.”

In fact, the National Association of Women in Construction in Fort Worth found the number of females in the industry has hovered around 10 percent during the last decade. More of these 1.04 million women are moving into higher positions such as architecture and engineering, professions that have been traditionally perceived as masculine.“I see more and more women in roles where they are managing projects and holding supervisory positions,” Clayton says. “It may not be where it needs to be, but I have seen an improvement, that’s for sure. As these women and so many others move up the corporate ladder, they are breaking down the perception that these industries are nontraditional in the first place.”

After Clayton bought the company, she built on the business’s established reputation of quality and customer service. She brought new management skills and a knack for seeking out opportunities. Since she took over the company, the staff has grown from seven employees to 30, and the revenue has more than quadrupled. Clayton says she stays fearless in the face of the unstable economy by seeking out mentors.

“I see other women in this field as colleagues, not as competition,” Clayton says. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the support of others. I think when women see other women take leadership roles, it encourages and inspires them. The climate is changing. Women are making a name for themselves.”

Advice to hang her hard hat on
Guido and Clayton agree that the growing number of women in male-dominated industries is giving aspiring entrepreneurs role models to emulate. Their advice to these young women is to:

Go in with an open mind and ask questions, but don’t dismiss anything because of fear.

Do the work, but do it because you are passionate about it.

Listen and learn as much as you can; this will earn the respect of your colleagues.

Take chances. If you don’t, you will never move forward, and you will never reach your greatest potential.

“I didn't aspire to run this business 20 years ago,” Guido says. “I was just helping as part of the team, but I got involved. The rest is history.”