Infopreneurship is a novel and emerging field that attracts women who wish to improve their economic status. COVID-19 has intensified unemployment, especially among women, creating a desire for economic independence. At the same time, the option of remote learning opened up a thriving industry of information trading. Women are becoming infopreneurs. They start businesses translating their knowledge into information products, such as online courses and workshops.
The study examines whether Infopreneurship is a suitable option for achieving the women's goals. This qualitative study included in-depth interviews, participatory design meetings and participant observations of digital courses, professional conferences and webinars. It mapped the challenges of women infopreneurs and identified two phenomena: (1) Women follow the “circle model”, whereas men follow the “arrow model”. The business world operates according to the latter, leading women to feel they lack business efficacy; (2) Women's challenges are divided into personal and professional, and the study argues that they are inseparable – however, the personal challenges are usually not addressed.
The study proposes a new paradigm, whereby an individually customized business is the key to business success. To make this knowledge accessible, two conceptual models were designed and a workshop for women infopreneurs was developed, to provide an applied toolbox that supports the establishment and management of an individually customized business and the creation of an individual mix that combines modes of action from both models.
