I believe I've always been a big believer in equality. No one has ever been able to tell me I couldn't do something because I was a girl.
Critics? How do they happen? I know how it happened to me. I would send a poem or story to a magazine and they would say this doesn't suit our needs precisely but on the other hand you sound interesting. Would you be interested in doing a review?
It's better to take over and build upon an existing business than to start a new one.