Powerful Tips for Female Entrepreneurs From Women In Business: #AskMeAnything Hosts Share Their Best Business & Personal Advice

We’re showing love, appreciation & support all month long to powerful women! The point is that strong women are everywhere (and there will only be more to come) and her incredible success is borne of her passion, impressive business instinct, ambition, and her very genuine, honest and down-to-earth attitude. That’s pretty huge reason to honor them, right? Right!

We’re calling on women to be as strong as their successes, to get in touch with AMAfeed community and join our worldwide campaign of women’s achievements. Be inspired, host your own AMA event on our #WomenAMA channel and let’s make a big splash together! It’s been a groundbreaking year for women in business and that’s why we’re dedicating today’s blog to them! Every day we have a whole army of super-women-entrepreneurs who share with us all the best tips and tricks for success in business. From strictly business to completely personal and sincere, we have created an extended version of the answers that are an inspiration to everyone. Let’s go through the things you were most interested in, these powerful tips for female business owners come straight from the lips of today’s most successful women.

Many people declare that it’s impossible to have it all i.e. a busy work and home life. This isn’t necessarily true but it’s something that can become a reality when we are short on information about our options. However, work-life balance is possible for anyone, even women in demanding leadership positions.

You aren’t perfect. You’re going to make mistakes and experience failure in multiple contexts, at multiple jobs, and with multiple people. Instead of focusing on how you failed, think about what you’re going to do next time — turn your failure into a lesson. Conceptualize this in concrete rules. For example, you could come up with three new rules for managing projects as a result.

Leadership comes more from who you are inside than from what you do on the outside. Leaders maintain high expectations, character, and self-discipline.women who possess the kind of charisma, that arouses the enthusiastic support of others, are extremely realistic and honest with themselves and others. Having a vision is great, but you are setting yourself up for disappointment when you coupled it with high expectations.

Since you’ve had many accomplishments early in your career, do you ever feel pressured that everything you do should always be exceptional?

Having high expectation for yourself can greatly pressure you. Stress and anxiety can be the result of having too many pressures. Even when the result is good, people still feel disappointed as it is not as good as they expected. Hence, I evaluate my achievement in a logical and critical manner. It is important to observe the whole process, from the very beginning to the very end. The result is not always the most important thing. Let’s look at German Madrazo, the Mexican cross-country skier at 2018 Winter Olympics. He finished last in the race but got hero’s welcome from everyone because he showed the true spirit of never giving up. I always remind myself that hardworking brings good results, so I have to work hard and do not give up.

Behind every great business is a strong network of family and friends.

Most mom entrepreneurs start a business to help support their families. So why not get your family to help support your business? You’re in business for yourself, not by yourself. Let your family be part of your growing business. Not only can family members provide support and assistance, they can also learn about business during your journey. One of the most important sources of that support for many entrepreneurs is their network of friends and family members.

Danni LinFounder and CEO of GREAT WINE

Over the years, was the support of your family and friends good while you were on your way of becoming a CEO?

It’s important as an entrepreneur to know that not all people are comfortable with risk, even if it isn’t a risk they themselves are taking and that’s alright. My family has always been supportive as well as most of my friends. I have lost friends because I could not keep up with all social obligations that were expected of me (I think females are held to these unfairely) but through this journey I’ve learned that my true friends are the people who want the best for me not the most out of me and I’m thankful for that lesson.

Businesswomen are redefining modern feminism.

At every business in every industry, there is always an invisible glass ceiling that women seem to be unable to shatter. This glass ceiling is symbolic of all the ever-present challenges and obstacles women must constantly face in the workplace, such as the wage gap and unequal opportunity, whether it be for a job or a promotion. The truth is, females have to work twice as hard to be offered the same wages and opportunities as their male counterparts. Modern feminists are dressed differently, too — as mothers, artists, CEOs, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, doctors, attorneys, designers, police officers, you name it. And you might not even realize they are feminists. In fact, many of the feminists I know didn’t even refer to themselves as feminists until recently.

Amanda Curtis -A female CEO of a Fashion tech co

What does the word feminism mean to you and why?

For me, feminism is about achieving equality. Yes men and women are different but that shouldn’t stop people having equal opportunities — whether that’s the vote, get paid the same, or start companies. I’d defo call my self an ‘equalists’ as opposed to a ‘feminist’ .

Charly Lester — Co-Founder of A League of Her Own

Has anyone been pregnant while starting up a small business?

Surprisingly, it was! For some of our AMA mompreneurs, starting a business was a means of creating a better life for their kids; for others, the kids themselves inspired the business idea. These are women who prove you CAN have it all!

Charly LesterCo-Founder of A League of Her Own

How does what you do affect the other facets of your life?

In the broad sense, working with new families has made me a more compassionate and accepting person. There are a lot of extremes in the conversation about early parenting (“You HAVE to get your baby on a schedule!” or “I can’t BELIEVE she’s not breastfeeding!) but like with anything else, the more you learn and are exposed to different ideas, you see that there are many right answers, and that people are overwhelmingly trying to do their best. It’s a tough thing for brand new parents, especially those with little to no maternity leave and it’s just not easy for a lot of people. On a day to day level, I am BUSY! I work from home and am really involved with my 3 kids’ and family activities so I try to make sure that neither one bleeds into the other.

Denise SternCEO of Let Mommy Sleep

When you start your day in a positive way, you’re giving yourself the very best chance of actually having the best day.

How you start the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. Have you ever woken up late, panicked, and then felt like nothing good happened the rest of the day? This is likely because you started out the day with a negative emotion and a pessimistic view that carried into every other event you experienced. Instead, start the day with a good mindset and put your focus on what you’re already grateful for in your life. Every day, you need to keep yourself positive and motivated and see problems as just a part of doing business and a part of life. You’ll be amazed how much your day improves.

How does a great entrepreneur manage his time?

This is the question of all questions! I don’t claim to be a great entrepreneur, and time management perfection is likely best left to the gods and goddesses — we mortals can only dream about time management perfection. Commuting always felt like a waste of time to me and eliminating that created a more relaxed approach to how I work. In the summertime, I can work outside on my deck, walk around barefoot and feel like I’m on vacation. Truthfully, I pretend my deck is a yacht and that I’m working in the Caribbean somewhere — having an imagination is a wonderful thing.

Tips for managing your time like I do:

• Prioritize yourself — without apology.
• Say no to anything and everything that doesn’t create value — be prepared for that to include clients, family members, and friends.
• Use your most creative hours of the day to work on your own stuff, not client work.
• Offer favours sparingly — other people love to spend your time so start watching for that.
• Charge more for your time so you can increase your productivity and value.
• Ask for help and learn to delegate.
• Take breaks whenever you need them — crushing it is easier with energy.
• Make sure you eat well and stay hydrated.
• Define what hustling means to you — I hustle in moderation.
• Stay positive and always be on the hunt for solutions

Remember, this is your life and being an entrepreneur is a brave path that few people truly understand. Own it!

Risk-taking is almost synonymous with entrepreneurship.

Taking risks is scary, whether you’re going all-in during a friendly game of poker or quitting your long-time career to pursue one of your promising business ideas. To start and support your own business, you’ll have to put your career, personal finances and even your mental health at stake.Business owners must know when to seek loans, when to expand, when to risk a steady salary in favor of self-employment and how to judge the potential benefits of taking a risk.

The different ways and means like high optimism, tolerance for ambiguity, high need for achievement, passion despite failure, belief about one’s (internal) locus of control, perseverance, etc. can help one appropriate his/her risk-bearing orientation at a moderate level.

Elise Russell — CEO of Pony Friday

What are some of the risks involved with entrepreneurship and what advice do you have for other entrepreneurs with regard to overcoming them?

I guess there are quite a lot of risks, however, I believe most of these risks can be mitigated. For me, the question is more about if it is the right choice/lifestyle for you. Being an entrepreneur means you are always on, there can be a lot of stress as you are in charge of everything and it’s always up and down, it requires a lot of energy, and an understanding of commerciality/financials to ensure the business doesn’t fail from that perspective either. It’s hard work, and that’s no doubt, so it’s a good question to ask yourself whether you’re willing to incorporate all of that into your life in return for possible rewards (financial, time, choice, etc).

Sarah Riegelhuth — Entrepreneur, Vegan & Gypsy

The popular image of entrepreneurs is of someone who constantly swings for the fences.

Most may argue that entrepreneurs should separately manage their work-life balance, but others recommend forging these two aspects of life together. One way to do so is by crafting a hobby, activities that will help you escape from everyday stresses, while also contributing to your personal and professional development. The right hobby can make you a more successful entrepreneur. For example, after that stressful day at the office, grabbing your trainers can be the perfect way to clear your mind and blow off steam. It’s a sport that requires healthy amounts of those key entrepreneurial traits, self-motivation, and determination.

Would you identify yourself as a career woman? What do you do in your free time? Any hobbies and interests?

Absolutely I consider myself a career woman. I love to run in my free time. It is my meditation. And I have my best thoughts on a nice long run. I also love spending time with my family. I have a husband, two stepsons, and a 3-month-old daughter.

Jessica Koss Bartnick — Entrepreneurial CEO-founder, developer, and growth strategist

If you are interested in the intersection between aging and innovation, these certainly are intriguing times.

Entrepreneurs around the world are waking up to the emerging market of innovations designed to enhance and enrich.

As a woman were you affected and how if so by how men look at you when aging? Or/and society as a whole? For some reason, it does seem like men are allowed to age and that is ok but women are not, see movies, advertising etc. the ratio between men 40+ and women is crazy. What are your thoughts on this?

If we buy into the advertising, movies etc. we as aging women we sell ourselves short. Why on earth would anyone think our skin or clothing can look like the teenaged models used to promote products. We need to stand up and embrace that what we as aging women have to offer is so much richer. I dated a man who is 15 years younger than I am. He thought that a woman’s self-confidence and knowledge of strengths was incredibly sexy. We aren’t meant to compete with women our daughters’ ages. We can radiate beauty from within!

WiserNow Seventy-year-old super-woman

Written by our genius blogger Tina based on advice from our great Hosts in www.WomenAMA.com and originally published on www.AMAfeed.com