As I wrap up my first year as a business coach to female entrepreneurs (previous to that I was a fractional Director of operations working inside of small businesses), I have been reflecting on the dozens and dozens of women that I coached this year.
First, I am in AWE of these women. Raising children, building a healthy marriage, and creating a business with their own two hands. Simply amazing.
BUT
There are a few things I have seen this year that I want to share with you as encouragement and (admittedly) a bit of warning.
Here are the 3 lessons I wish I could share with every female small business owner:
1.) It takes time.
I know this might not seem fun or exciting, but it’s the truth. There are so, so many women who give up on their business because they don’t see the results right away. They show up on Instagram for a month, maybe two. But engagement remains low and so they stop posting. They send a few newsletters, but don’t make any sales, so they stop sending their newsletters.
Most people quit without putting in enough reps. And one thing I know to be true: the most successful business owners are the ones who have no quit in them.
Success takes time. It is so easy for us to look at our children and comment about how they want instant gratification. But I see so many women wanting instant gratification in their business, too.
Are you willing to post every day for a year before you see any results? Are you willing to send a weekly newsletter without missing any weeks? Are you willing to work your business Monday through Friday consistently whether you have sales or not? A value of Walk Like Warriors is grit. Because I believe this is one of the most valuable character traits we can possess for life and business. It’s what separates the adults from the children.
This might not be what you wanted to hear but if you want to be successful, you have to accept that it’s going to take a long time. And accepting that fact takes a lot of grit. But I know you have it in you.
2. The money you want is already in your contacts in your phone.
Most people spend way too much time trying to go out and fetch new business.
And yes, I’m looking at you, sweet entrepreneur, creating constant content for Instagram. But the wealth is in your contact list.
Here’s what I mean: customer care. Are you serving your customers (the ones you already have) with every fiber of your being? If you do not have referrals come into your business every single month, I am telling you right now, you are doing something wrong. You are either not serving your customers in a way that demonstrates you are obsessed with them, or your product or service is lacking.
Wealth is inside the customers you already have. Learn to take shockingly good care of them. The results will follow.
3. Most of what you see online is a lie.
Unfortunately, I can’t give specific details, but in my work as a Director of Operations, and even with some of the women that have come into my Instagram page, I can tell you this: some women lie about their business.
They lie about selling out their launches. They lie about how much money they are making. They lie about how many products they’re selling.
It can be really hard for an untrained eye to tell truth from lies on social media. So what most people do is they judge the success of another person’s business based on the basis of follower count. What a joke.
Vanity metrics do not pay the bills. I have seen women with less than 1000 followers make $150,000 in one year. I have also seen women with 150,000 followers claiming to make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and they haven’t even hit $50,000/year.
Sweet one, I know how easy it is to get discouraged because you feel like everyone is about to lap you on the race track. In reality, you might be doing far better than they are.
It is so easy to create narratives on social media. There’s an influencer who RENTS a BMW to run errands once a month so that people think that’s her car. I know of another one who says she consistently sells out her Instagram course, but she actually has never sold it out once! There is another one who posts about her happy marriage when they are on the brink of the divorce. So many sad, tragic stories.
I truly feel sorry for these women. But I also get frustrated with them. Because they are leading so many female business owners astray. They make you think that others have so much more success than you have … and something is wrong with you or your business because you have not reached that level of success.
Here’s what to do instead:
Like we learned in school, I encourage women to keep their eyes on their own piece of paper. What is God calling you to do? Are you waking up and working with eager hands every day? Are you leading a simple and quiet life, taking care of the people He has entrusted to your care? If you are doing those things, the rest of it is in God’s capable hands.
I find it interesting how many women want a six figure business or $10,000/month without ever asking themselves why. Do you really need that kind of money? And I am not saying that you don’t or that it’s bad to want that kind of money. But oftentimes, women chase a number, they desperately want that carrot dangling on a stick in front of them, without ever slowing down to evaluate what their family and their marriage and their household actually needs.
When we chase these things, and look to the left and right, it can lead to a very discontent life.
These are the lessons that I wish I could teach every female entrepreneur:
- It takes time, so get gritty.
- Stop spending all your time fetching new business when you should be taking care of business you already have.
- And don’t believe what you see on social media, work your own business to the best of your ability.
This leads to the good life.
Did this resonate with you? I would love to coach you inside of my signature program called The Success Squad. The women inside my community become incredibly close with one another – and with me. We work on time management, cleaning up systems and operations, and really nail down how to message, market, and sell with authenticity and ease. Women finish the Squad and feel bold, confident, and 100% certain on the next steps needed to grow their small business.
If this sounds good to you, click here to join the waitlist.
Disclaimer: While Kelly is a certified business coach this post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as financial advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace legal or financial advice. Always check with your own legal or financial team before trying or implementing any information read here. As an Amazon Associate Kelly also earns from qualifying purchases.
