Women business leaders are blazing a trail to success. Along the way, these women are demonstrating powerful tactics and traits essential to growing a sustainable business.
Let’s look at five pieces of advice from women who have risen to the top.
Find what lights you up
Businesswoman, Melissa Galt, believes it’s important to trust your intuition.
“My advice is to find what lights you up, and do whatever it takes to make it happen,” she said.
“You will meet with unexpected success."
However, success doesn’t always come easy. Galt’s road to entrepreneurial success was filled with bumps and bends.
“I was unemployed, in debt and six months premature to my planned launch,” she said. “I launched immediately while taking up side jobs. I worked 15-hour days, six days a week because I wanted to. I couldn’t wait to get up and hated to go to bed at night.”
Melissa walked away from a career in hospitality purchasing to pursue her dream path in interior design. “Life is too short to do something you don’t love,” she said.
Do the work
Entrepreneur, Amy Schmittauer, advocates for a plan of action.
Her advice is to create a blueprint for success and be prepared to do the hard work to make your business dreams a reality.
"Everyone wants the decision to be easy or great timing, but it never will be,” she said. “Do the work. Prove you're going to keep doing the work when you're the only one in your corner. And then make it happen. When I realized at my nine to five that I wanted to work for myself, it was a year and a half before I actually left to make it happen. During that time, I was getting any and all experience I could in my field.”
Expect resistance
Danae Ringelmann, co-founder of Indiegogo®, grew up watching her parents struggle to get a small business loan. Later, while building the crowdfunding website Indiegogo®, she was rejected 90 times by venture capitalists before raising her first dollar.
Ringelmann has three tips to stay focused when facing challenges:
- Whatever you're planning to do, ask yourself why.
- Expect resistance.
- Don't wait for perfection.
She also believes in the power of being your authentic self. "Don’t be afraid to be you and own it,” she said. “That’s why people follow you."
All you need is an idea and serious drive
Melissa Kieling, owner of freezable lunchbox maker PACKiT®, doesn’t want inexperience to stop you from following through with your small business plan.
Here’s her advice for turning your entrepreneurial idea into a business:
“Admitting you don’t know something and asking for help is a strength, not a weakness,” she said. “Understand your cash flow–you really have to know your general expenses and your cost of goods.”
Melissa encourages aspiring businesswomen to look for inspiration everywhere. Imagination, ideas, and an internet connection can help you create a world-changing product.
Values are your core
Francine Manilow, Founder and CEO of Manilow Suites™, spotlights the importance of values. Many of the most successful businesswomen know their values and act upon them.
“Values are your core–everything else around you may be in flux and changing, but your values remain rock solid,” Manilow said. “If you’re a true-blue entrepreneur, nothing stops you. You just press on with vigor and optimism. Ever so slowly, doors begin to open.”
Be the next successful businesswoman
Building a business from the ground up can be daunting. But with the right tools and support, you can blaze a trail just like these successful entrepreneurs.
Remember:
- Find what motivates you. Keep this motivator front and center as you do the hard work of building your business.
- Create a plan and execute it. Write out your blueprint to success, then be willing to put in the time and effort to make it a reality.
- Anticipate pushback. Challenges are to be expected when growing a business. Don’t let them hold you back.
- Ask for help. Inexperience shouldn’t keep you from your dreams. Look for support and inspiration all around you.
- Name your values. Values are your rock. They remain stable, even as everything around you changes.
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This information is provided for general awareness purposes only and is not intended to be relied upon as legal or compliance advice.
This article is provided for informational purposes only. While the information contained within has been compiled from source[s] which are believed to be reliable and accurate, Comerica Bank does not guarantee its accuracy. Consequently, it should not be considered a comprehensive statement on any matter nor be relied upon as such.
