Post by Jade Jemma, Sales Coach and Strategist.
Female entrepreneurs are taking over it seems and now really is a great time to be a woman in business. However the entrepreneurial journey as a woman is not always plain sailing.
As a Sales Coach and Strategist for female entrepreneurs, my focus is on helping women to attract their ideal clients, generate sales and to accelerate their sales success. This though requires so much more than just sales training, strategy and coaching.
Starting and growing your own business is nothing like being an employee. As an ex-corporate sales and business development professional, selling for your own business is nothing like selling on behalf of another company.
Success in business requires us to show up as our true selves in our marketing, our branding and in our conversations with potential customers. And this brings up a whole new level of issues that require so much more than just business training or strategies!
The Inner Critic
In my years of mentoring women in business to create their ultimate freedom lifestyle through building a successful and profitable business, not one has not had that pesky inner-critic trying to sabotage their success (myself included!)
Growing a business in this day and age requires us as entrepreneurs to be consistently visible on social media and to be our own sales person. All this comes with not only rejection, but the realisation that it brings up all of our insecurities and limiting beliefs.
Things like:
I will never succeed at this, I should just go back and get a job. Everyone else is moving so much faster than me/is so much more successful than me. I don’t have enough followers on FB/IG/etc and must look like a failure.
Entrepreneurship really does a splendid job at giving our monkey mind not only the centre stage, but also the mic!
On top of this we then have to deal with all the sideways glances and negative comments from well meaning (and some plain negative) family members and friends about the fact that we are not making enough money, making ourselves look “silly”, or neglecting our children/partners/friends with all the long (and sometimes late) hours we work.
If we are not mindful of this and actively taking the steps to manage our monkey mind, of all this internal and external chatter, it can lead to us to withdrawing, procrastinating and sabotaging our own success.
And trust me when I say this, it doesn’t go away the more successful you get in business!
I’ve mentored women from start-up stage, right up to those earning 7-figures in their business. They all experience the same internal issues. The only difference is the women further ahead are just better at recognising, accepting and managing them.
Here are my top tips for achieving your full potential in your business despite what internal (or external) negativity you may receive:
Inner Work
As an entrepreneur you MUST do the inner work as well as the outer work. The more successful you become, the more important this is. This may look like meditation, self-help books, mindset practices, therapy, or something else.
It matters less what you do, and more that you are working on creating a positive and healthy mind to support yourself.
Self-Care Is A Priority
Make self-care a priority. Yes we do need to put in the work and this requires some ‘hustle’, especially when you are just starting out in business. However self-care should be an essential part of your business week.
For me that looks like long baths, nature walks, massages and meditation, but for you that may be completely different and whatever makes you feel good.
The importance of self-care is two fold. First of all it’s essential to avoiding burn-out and keeping us sane and healthy. But also when we ‘switch off’ from business, it enables our creative juices to flow. And this is where as an entrepreneur you will get your best business ideas!
Support Network
Ensure you have a support network of people who understand. Often this is not our friends or family, but new people we meet on our business journey. Having a network of peers who are on the same journey as you is essential. This is not only for our emotional well-being, but also our growth in business.
Your Mission
Find and stay focused on your mission. If you have complete clarity on how you help your clients and the ways that your products/services are transforming their business/life/relationship/health/happiness and you stay focused on THEM, it’s a lot easier to keep going on the days when everything (and everyone!) seems against us.
The thing I always teach my clients is that selling is simply helping people that need our help. When you can focus on the job you are here to do (your mission) and the positive ripple effect that it’s creating for others, the other ‘stuff’ our mind tells us really becomes irrelevant (and easier to ignore).
Zone Of Genius
Focus on your zone of genius and invest in/hire experts elsewhere. Over the years I’ve seen two types of women in business – those who try to muddle through by themselves, hoping to save money by learning things for free, and those who invest in experts and business support to grow.
Ultimately the ones who go solo very rarely have much, or rapid success. The women who focus on their zone of genius and invest in/hire experts in other areas are the ones who often grow quickly. And they achieve the level of success they desire.
What I also see is, apart from the lack of sales success the first type of woman has, the continued lack of results further adds to her feelings of inadequacy, unconfidence and shame. This just results in more withdrawing and procrastination and therefore further sabotaging her own success.
Self-Belief
Finally, I would just like to remind you that you can do this. You truly can be, do, have and create anything you desire in your business. However it starts with YOU believing this for yourself!
Once you find this self-belief – not all the steps required, but just the belief in the possibilities available to you, and you start to implement the steps above…..this is when the magic truly starts to happen.
As you can see entrepreneurship as a woman really can be a roller-coaster of a ride!
Despite this, the freedom lifestyle and financial security that it is possible to achieve through creating a successful business is worth all the bumps along the way. You get to live life on your terms, working with people you love and having fun along the way!
Bio
Jade Jemma is a Sales Coach and Strategist. For more information, please contact her at: freedomzest.com. The photo is of Jade at Necker Island.
