Prof. Roya Rahimi, Professor in Marketing & Leisure Management – University of Wolverhampton
Dr. Samia Mahmood, Senior Lecturer & Co-Lead for Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management – University of Wolverhampton
Prof. Roya Rahimi
Dr. Samia Mahmood
New research reveals that women running small businesses are digitally resilient but systemic blind spots are leaving them to battle alone.
Beyond the Buzzwords
Digital transformation is often presented as the great leveller: a sleek arsenal of apps and platforms that promise to democratise opportunity. The message is seductive embrace the tools, and growth will follow. Yet for many women entrepreneurs, particularly those running small businesses, the story unfolding behind the headlines is far more complex.
A study conducted by Dr. Samia Mahmood and Professor Roya Rahimi, involving more than one hundred women entrepreneurs in the UK’s West Midlands, reveals the stark distance between the rhetoric of digital empowerment and the reality of those trying to harness it.
Their experiences are not stories of reluctance or resistance; they are stories of ingenuity, resilience, and determination. But they also expose the pressures and blind spots that policymakers, business leaders, and technology providers can no longer afford to overlook.
Time Poverty: The Invisible Barrier to Digital Growth
The most striking finding is that the barrier is not knowledge, nor is it fear. It is time. More than sixty per cent of the women surveyed said their greatest obstacle to digital adoption was the absence of hours in the day to learn, test, and implement. Running a business already demands constant juggling serving customers, creating content, keeping up with operations and many carry the additional responsibilities of family and caregiving.
The scarcity of time pushes them into a relentless do-it-yourself model of digital learning. They are not choosing this path; it is imposed upon them by circumstance. What emerges is not a skills gap, but a capacity gap, one that leaves them continually resourceful, yet stretched to the brink.
Social Media’s Double-Edged Sword
Nowhere is this more visible than on social media. For most of these entrepreneurs, platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Etsy are not optional they are the shopfronts through which customers find them. But what begins as a vital lifeline quickly transforms into a battlefield.
They speak of the exhaustion of chasing algorithms, of engagement that vanishes overnight, of the constant demand to produce new content to remain visible. Instead of providing stability, these platforms become fickle masters. What should feel like empowerment instead feels like a cycle of dependency and pressure, where success hinges not on quality or creativity but on the opaque mechanics of unseen systems.
Authenticity at Stake in the Age of AI
Artificial Intelligence, the loudest topic in today’s business discourse, tells a different but equally revealing story. Adoption remains modest, with only one in five of the women surveyed experimenting with tools like ChatGPT. Their hesitation is not rooted in ignorance; it is rooted in an acute awareness of authenticity. Many of these businesses are built on personal relationships, trust, and a distinctive voice.
To hand over their identity to AI feels like a risk too great. The fear is not of technology itself but of losing the very essence that differentiates them in crowded markets. Those who do use AI are cautious, treating it as a “virtual teammate” an assistant for editing, proofreading, or sparking ideas never as a substitute for their creativity or their brand’s soul.
WhatsApp and the Rise of Digital Mutualism
When formal programmes fall short, women entrepreneurs turn to each other. WhatsApp groups, peer networks, and local women’s workshops have become their true classrooms. More than half describe themselves as self-taught, relying on these informal spaces where knowledge circulates quickly, trust runs deep, and no question is too small.
These grassroots “digital mutualism” has succeeded where institutional systems have often failed. It demonstrates the extraordinary capacity of these women to create their own support structures when existing ones prove unfit for purpose.
Confidence on the Surface, Vulnerability Beneath
Confidence, too, tells a layered story. At first glance, these entrepreneurs appear entirely assured. They design their own graphics in Canva, manage marketing campaigns, and navigate digital storefronts with fluency. But beneath this operational confidence lies a more fragile strategic layer.
When it comes to deciding whether to adopt a new platform, invest in an AI tool, or commit to a costly technology, uncertainty sets in. The paralysis of choice, compounded by the relentless scarcity of time, means that every decision carries disproportionate risk. Execution is strong. Strategy remains vulnerable.
Going Forward
The evidence is clear: women entrepreneurs are not digitally reluctant. They are navigating the digital economy with remarkable resilience, but their strength comes at a cost. The real challenge is not about closing a skills gap but about addressing a capacity gap. Time, authenticity, and flexible support must be at the centre of any digital empowerment agenda.
For articles and features, the story must highlight lived experiences rather than abstract statistics, showing how women are innovating under pressure and building their own support ecosystems when formal ones fail. Human stories bring the urgency to life. For policy and practice, the implications are direct.
Programmes must move away from rigid, one-size-fits-all models and instead provide flexible, modular training that respects the realities of entrepreneurial life. Investment should flow into peer-led ecosystems such as WhatsApp groups and grassroots workshops that already work.
AI adoption must be framed as augmentation rather than replacement, protecting brand authenticity. And success should no longer be measured by tool uptake, but by whether women gain back the resource they need most: time. If leaders take these steps, women entrepreneurs will not just adapt to the digital era they will define it.