The current proliferation of female-led businesses illustrates just how ripe the current marketplace is for fresh ideas and enterprises. While entrepreneurship is becoming increasingly accessible, there are of course still certain obstacles to be dealt with.
In this article, James Parkinson, Head of Marketing Content at Personnel Checks helps us to take a look at 5 tips that female entrepreneurs should keep in mind when starting or growing their business, to help ensure the journey of entrepreneurship goes as smoothly as possible.
Trust your instincts
Trusting your gut instinct is one of the most surprisingly effective ways of judging characters and business decisions.
That doesn’t mean that you should abandon logic and careful research, but if after all the numbers are crunched it still doesn’t feel right, trust your feelings. Numbers can’t judge a potential business partner’s character, and if you have a feeling that something is off, it’s easier to back out sooner rather than later.
Enjoy challenges
There will be a lot of obstacles and challenges along the journey of entrepreneurship, most of which you won’t be able to anticipate. Take each challenge for what it is – an opportunity for growth.
Challenges often offer incredible opportunities to pivot or grow a certain aspect of your business, but only if you can get past that initial stage of hesitation and fear. Reframing how you treat so-called ‘problems’ is a long-term goal, with incredible rewards.
Prioritise self-care
Entrepreneurship can be taxing on both the body and the mind, and in order to avoid emotional and physical burnout, it’s important that you take care of yourself. Sometimes getting enough sleep won’t be an option, but in those crunch moments, you can make sure you’re exercising and eating healthy food.
Manage your stress through mindfulness techniques and walks in nature, you can’t operate at your best cognitively if your mind is constantly running at a hundred miles an hour.
Don’t be a people pleaser
Being personable is a wonderful attribute and will help you with networking, but when it comes to entrepreneurship it’s important to realise that you can’t please everyone. Learn to be firm and clear (if you aren’t already).
It can be hard to change the way you approach people and set your boundaries; seeking the advice of a personal coach can be helpful, and you might also find that you have friends who can give you feedback on your social behaviour patterns.
Expand your network
The saying that it’s not what you know but who you know is absolutely true. There isn’t a single business that is not run by other people and building connections with other enterprises can be mutually beneficial.
Embrace the process of expanding your network and treat it like it’s a job; any encounter offers an opportunity to develop into something more, make sure that you recognise when this might be beneficial.
It’s often the case that entrepreneurs can become trapped in their bubble of work. If you find this is the case, attend networking events and make a conscious effort to put yourself in situations where these meetings can blossom.
