Have you ever had an inspirational moment or dream which inspired you to contemplate starting a business? If so, then welcome to the ranks of the hundreds of thousands of people who do just that, every year! Traditionally, women are less likely to pursue their initial ideas but why is that?
If you are a woman thinking about starting your own business you may worry about: lack of self confidence, time constraints, ongoing care or work commitments, fear of failure (or conversely, fear of success), how to talk to the tax man, where to find help and support. If you have, then the good news is that you are not alone! Very many women find that, whilst they have a very good business idea, translating that into a successful business can feel like a very long and lonely journey. A journey that women are less likely to pursue to completion due to their more cautious nature.
To quote Confucius, "even the longest journey starts with a single step" and taking that first step can feel completely overwhelming; especially if you you are unsure who is out there to provide the help and support you require.
The first step may be simply to map your ideas out or to make an opportunity to sit and talk things through with an impartial business adviser or business buddy.
Many women look to family and friends for advice and support in the very early days but this is not always the most suitable option. It is often those closest to us who will say what they think we want to hear, to spare our feelings when, what we really need is an objective viewpoint. Talking to other business people, or people who are considering starting a business, means that you all share a common interest and building that kind of support network around you. Many people, not just women, fail to appreciate how important contact can be, especially when there is so much to do. Find out what support other people have accessed, how they rate it, get to know about what else is available in your local area and dont be afraid to ask questions!
If presented with a life sized chocolate elephant to eat, you may be tempted to try and stuff it all in your mouth at once but youd quickly realise that, in order to savour it, enjoy it and have any chance of devouring it, you need to do it once bite at a time.
Starting a business is exactly the same – in order for you to enjoy the journey and stand any chance of success it is important to address one task at a time. The most important strategy is to break your tasks down into manageable sized pieces so that you can tackle them one at a time and deal with them effectively. Whilst you are amazing and have the potential to achieve anything, you are not able to accomplish it all at once!
There are only a certain number of hours in each day where you can work on your business so it is vital that you understand how to prioritise, which jobs will progress your plans, how to delegate and having the confidence and self awareness to move things on. You can learn these skills and there is a real wealth of knowledge and experience out there and there is really no need to feel alone.
One last thing, please remember to celebrate your successes as well as acknowledging those moments which may not have gone quite so well. You are embarking on a new and exciting journey and, sometimes, unexpected events will occur or you just wont know the answer.
Remember to reach out to the wealth of support and guidance available, accept your limitations and resolving how to work with celebrate it and know that you have begun to conquer your fear!
Tips on accessing women friendly support: The internet is an indispensable way of ascertaining whats out there. Type "Womens Networking" and the area or region youre interested in and youll get plenty of returns. alternatively, contact us at Womens Wisdom on 0800 781 8597 and we will try and point you in the right direction.
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