How successful female entrepreneurs are made of smart women
Calling all women entrepreneurs. This article is for you! No, it is not about feminine products or bras. (Whew! Aren’t you relieved?) This article shows you how to be SMART and become a successful entrepreneur.
You know what “smart” means, doll, but you don’t know what “SMART” means. So doll, let’s raise a toast to all the female entrepreneurs in the world. And now, let’s get SMART.
The SMART acronym tells you how to function at optimal levels as a female entrepreneur. It helps you simplify her responsibilities, take charge of her time and resources, and hone her focus so she’s sharper than a Freddy Krueger manicure. (We could say her “fang nails” since we’re in the South, but “manicure” sounds much more refined!)
So what do you have to do to be SMART? Here are your SMART steps to success:
S = simplify, with one mind. Take an honest assessment of yourself and discover your strengths and weaknesses. Then hop on and start your new (adventure) adventure!
As women, we are notorious multitaskers. We have to unlearn that! Let me repeat, we need to STOP MULTI-TASKING and instead be single minded. You can’t do everything for everyone, honey, and you still have time to fulfill your dream of having a successful business.
M = Market Research. You must (yes doll, that’s three emphatic “musts”) do some market research BEFORE you start your business. Visit SurveyMonkey.com to take a short email survey or interview your friends and family in person.
I did that… with an eight page survey. I went the old paper survey route and returned all but one completed survey. Yes, ALL EIGHT PAGES of more than sixty people!
do you want to know how? Chocolat! I handed out each survey with a dark chocolate bar and a note that read, “Thanks in advance for helping me succeed. I want to know what you think and I can’t wait to hear from you!”
Take a look at your competition too. Determine what you can do for others that is unique. What holes do you see in what the competition offers? Then ask yourself “Is there a market for this?” and “Is there a market that PAYS for this?” (a critical question many people overlook in their enthusiasm to start a business). Ask yourself “Where are they? Are they the kind of people I want to serve?”
I discovered something essential just two years ago. Take it from my V-8 moment: The people you love to serve are versions of you! Don’t focus on every Joe and Joelle you meet, just those people you love to serve the most. And yes honey, they have a lot in common with you and that’s why you LIKE each other!
R = Ask for help! Let me say that again for all the misguided do-it-yourselfers out there. Ask for help. You may think you are an Amazon but you are not! You need to ask for help.
Think about what you’re not good at and what you hate doing, and then find a way to outsource what you don’t like or despise. If you have limited funds, you can trade. If you have some extra money, you can hire someone to do the expensive stuff for you. If you don’t get a few things off your plate, dear, you’re going to collapse.
Every woman entrepreneur needs a consultant, a whip-smart tax consultant, a public relations manager, a web designer, and a copywriter or editor. Is it hard to even CONSIDER getting all this help? You don’t cut your hair, do you, doll? Look, you’re already outsourcing!
The only chore I do these days is laundry, and I’m even contemplating giving that up. Do you want your legacy to be a flawless bathroom floor or an amazing business, girlfriend? I’ll take the business for a million, Alex. And you?
R = Reward yourself! And not just for the big stuff. Reward yourself for the little things you do every day. It takes guts to put yourself out there again and again as a small business owner. It takes audacity to leave a secure job, find your passion, and create the work you love to do!
Let me ask you something. When you finish a task, do you move on as fast as you can? My guess is yes. Instead of moving on to the next task on your list, why not give yourself a pat on the back for the one you just completed and give yourself a reward?
In large companies, people complain that their bosses and managers don’t praise them enough for the little things they do day in and day out. When you’re in business on your own, guess who your manager is? So who has to reward you for what you do, my dear?
The second “R” in “SMART” is for “Range.” You need to go beyond your comfort zone. You made the leap into a new business, now just keep reaching for the stars. The moment you stop achieving is the moment the business slows down or comes to a standstill.
Listen honey, reaching out isn’t just reaching out to other people, it’s also reaching INSIDE yourself to figure out what creative project you’d like to do next. As a successful business owner, you must constantly examine what you are doing and who you are becoming. When you stop growing, guess what? Your business too.
T = Take time for recreation so that you can develop both personally and professionally. If things are out of place in your home life, it affects your career and vice versa. You need to create balance in ALL aspects of your life. And you need to make time for you and your friends, “me time” and “her time” as I like to call it.
Be careful honey, it’s okay to ask for help. Rome wasn’t built in a day and fairy godmothers are pretty hard to find. The only way you are going to realize your dream of owning your own business is to jump into action and do it!
It takes hard work, support and strength of heart, all of which I KNOW you can create in your life. So, no excuses – get SMART and get started. Get SMART and join other successful women entrepreneurs making an impact in our world!