A note from our wonderful EduLove partners on: Women In Business
“Visualise your highest self and start showing up as her”- Heart Thoughts ZA
This is a quote that should apply to every woman in business. Here are a few tips when you start out your business, when it feels like you want to give up, when it feels like you are hitting a wall and your little light inside seems to be dimming down. The past few months have been an enormous learning curve for every human on earth, but I would like to share some tips and tricks which I have tought myself over the years.
DO MORE, TALK LESS
You know that saying “the more you do, the more you get done, the more you want to do. And the less you do, the less you want to do, and nothing gets done”? It is very true, and we should take these words to heart.
PASSION + COMMITMENT
You must be passionate about your business and love what you do. It is almost like an entire relationship on its own. You must invest your time and effort in it, and with that you will have to make some sacrifices as well. If you do not love what you do, then you will not be able to run with the big dogs, and that is the end goal!
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
A knowledgeable person is most likely a trustworthy person. You should know your product or service off by heart and should be able to tell someone effortlessly about your business when someone wakes you up at 4 o’clock in the morning. Do more research, learn more about the different aspects of business; management, social media, designing, communication, the importance of your product and your community/target group.
RADIATE CONFIDENCE
You are the face of your business and should radiate confidence in a humble manner. Dress up, groom up, show up and never give-up. People should know when YOU enter a room, not by being bombastic or arrogant but by radiating confidence and having a strong presence. Nothing about having your own business is easy and sometimes it will feel like you are treading water in the middle of the ocean, this is usually where growth happens. You have two choices, either to sink or to swim, that will define your approach to your own business. There is nothing more intimidating to any man than an independent, self-assured, and confident businesswoman. Whenever you meet someone and they enter the room- stand up, look them in the eye, give a heart-warming smile, reach out your hand and with a firm handshake introduce yourself with a gentle tone.
INTEGRITY + HONESTY
I have learnt that clients/customers appreciate it more when you keep them updated and when you are being honest with them, rather than telling a ‘little white lie’ to please them. In the end when you keep your customers/clients in the loop it makes them feel comfortable and as if they can trust your word. People need and crave that personal ‘touch’ (especially in a masked and socially distant world). Life happens and at times circumstances occur that are out of your control. All you must do is to communicate that to your customer/client, and they will most likely understand.
BE A REALISTIC OPPURTUNIST
it may seem strange that I put those two words next to each other, but it is really something that took me a while to understand and realise. You must be realistic about your situation, whether it being financially, timeously, circumstances (maybe being a wife and a mom), your scope of practice, knowledge, or your geographical setting. You must be realistic of what is achievable. Furthermore, you should be realistic with timelines and goals. It is my personal opinion that I find it is essential to my psychological well-being by setting up to-do lists in my A4 diary (yes, I have an A4 diary because that is how much I need to be able to write down each day). I write down almost everything and tick it off as I complete every task. At the end of the day I will go through my dairy and quickly backtrack to the past 3 days to see if I missed something. But it is crucial to feel that sense of accomplishment which motivates you to keep going every single day. Otherwise you tend to lose hope and you will most likely feel like a failure sooner than later, as it feels like you are not prioritizing tasks in the correct order.
TAKE CHANCES AND BE BOLD
You will soon realise that you can either sit in your comfort zone, which is a safe space, but no growth will happen there. Or, realise that you will need to take chances, be bold and shoot for the stars to seize an opportunity. Most opportunities do not fall in your lap. It takes weeks, months, and years to build your brand and by consistency and taking a bold approaches opportunity will unfold right before your eyes.
SOCIAL MEDIA
this is a very important and free marketing tool to use. I would recommend that any woman who has a business should at least have 2 or 3 social media platforms to promote your business (Instagram and Facebook is a must, I have heard that Linked In, Twitter, Whatsapp Business and Pinterest have helped other businesses as well). Word of mouth will always be one of the best tools for marketing, however in this era the ‘new’ word of mouth would be by sharing, tagging, mentioning, or commenting their peers on social media. You must be totally unique and not follow trends. When you follow trends, your business will only stand in line and not in front of the competitors.
PERSERVERANCE + RESILIENCE + PERSISTENCE
If any point that you read sticks with you then it should be this one. There will be many days where you feel a complete failure, like you just want to give up and you ask yourself why are you doing this, there will be months where money will and can be scarce, but you must know that you love what you do and you started this business because it weighed on your heart. You are a strong and determined woman who does not settle for anything less than her best. You want to change the world and you were willing to take the leap of faith and be bolder than the rest to start your own business. It is important to have a safe-haven and an amazing supporting network. Furthermore, you must focus on building strong business relationships and spread the word about reliable, affordable local small businesses. When you promote and uplift other businesses, they tend to return the favour.
“Successful people are not gifted. They just work hard and succeed on purpose” – Epic Opportunities