The pandemic has been tough on women in the UK. This is because women are more likely to work in the most affected sectors, and working on zero-hours contracts and part-time hours.
So job insecurity, loss of potential promotion or of employment has disproportionately impacted women. Mothers and those already experiencing other inequalities such as disabled women and women from minority ethnic groups have been especially affected.
But it’s not all bad news.
More and more women have been turning to setting up their own online businesses.
Many women starting business realise that they want to be more free and independent. Starting an online business is something anyone can do with a laptop and a basic setup and of course it’s unaffected by events like the lockdowns we’ve seen.
And this isn’t only to be more independent. As the pandemic has brought up more thoughts around our mortality, more women have been reflecting on their life-paths & career choices, and are choosing to do something that’s more of value to them, something of their own, that they’re passionate about and that will be more rewarding & fulfilling.
However, although numbers are growing, there are far less women starting business than men. Many women struggle with mindset blocks – to do with uncertainty, lack of confidence, self-doubt or fear. There can also be stress or overwhelm, whether to do with ‘how to’ set up a business or with work-life balance and having a family.
Having the right mindset has been shown to be the biggest indicator of success.
So if you’ve also been thinking of starting your own business and following your passion, it’s important to identify any mindset blocks you might have and address them. Doing this will put you in the best place to take the necessary consistent action towards your goals.
Here are 5 things women starting business need in order to create sustainable success:
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Develop a strong, resilient, growth-focused mindset.
You need to have unshakeable confidence & belief in yourself, your self-worth & your ability to achieve your goals and that you can create your own opportunities. Imposter syndrome, beliefs such as ‘I’m not good enough’, self-criticism, comparison to others, procrastination, lack of motivation, are all signs you need to identify your mindset blocks and work on your self-worth and on negative beliefs you have about yourself, your success or the world around you that are holding you back (many of which are subconscious).You can only achieve what you believe is possible for you.
There will also inevitably be lots of challenges, and you’ll be doing and trying many things that won’t always get the results you want. So you have to be resilient, make a solid commitment to continue on, no matter what, with an open and curious mind. Drop perfectionism. Make friends with experimenting, taking risks and feeling uncomfortable with stretching yourself to try new things. Be patient. Failure doesn’t exist when you consider it all as simply a process of learning. This is the only way to find out what works.
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Get clear on your values & your vision for the future and your business goals.
You have to know where you’re going in order to get there! Lacking this clarity creates fluctuating motivation which really comes from confusion & overwhelm around strategy and taking action, as you’re unclear on what’s the best, high-impact action to take if you don’t know where you’re heading.
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Develop a positive mindset & relationship with money.
Learn to choose positive beliefs around it (yes, it’s possible to choose your beliefs when you’ve got the tools!) that will support your financial goals. Again, you have to believe it’s possible for you to hit your money goals – you simply won’t make what you believe is out of reach for you. You also have to feel confident & comfortable talking about money. You need to feel good about selling, charging or investing. Negative money feelings or beliefs will absolutely stand in your way of being successful.
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Be clear on your target market, niche or ideal client,
as well as the exact problem you solve for them if you’re offering a service, and the need you’re providing for if it’s a product. You need this in order to communicate & connect with your audience in the best way.
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Have a business strategy.
You need to have a process for how you’re going to reach your goals, and have marketing systems in place. You need to know exactly how you’re going to reach your target market, how to most effectively communicate your message or offer, and have a clear process for getting them to engage with you as well as a clear sales process.
There will absolutely be some trial & error with this, but that’s the only way to find what works for you. Having the clarity, confidence & growth mindset will ensure you keep focused on learning from your trials and on continuing to take high-impact actions.
If you’ve got these key 5 things in place, you’re likely to find success over time.
Unfortunately, though, it’s also a fact that most women starting business quit within the first 2 years. And what’s even more unfortunate is that they weren’t ‘failing’ – they simply haven’t given it enough time and haven’t had that necessary self-belief and trust in the process.
Here are the most common mistakes you want to avoid when starting a business:
- Going into it without building the basic, essential foundation – that entrepreneurial mindset. Trying to build a business without a solid mindset is like trying to build a house with no foundations – it’s destined to fall apart at some point. Even if you do have a strategy, without the right mindset, you’ll be setting yourself up for failure. This is because not getting rid of mental & emotional blocks means you’ll struggle with taking the needed action to implement your strategy consistently or most effectively.
- Getting distracted, thrown off your own path by following what others are doing for marketing, tempted by or falling for the big shiny objects’ – trends or big promises. This can be overwhelming, confusing and very frustrating too since what works for one often doesn’t work for another. Keep focused on your own path. Though there are some basic strategic things you need in place, there’s no magic formula. So most importantly be consistent, test, learn and commit to the long haul.
- Not reaching out for help. Maybe you think you can or should just deal with it on your own. You might feel it’s a weakness to get support from a mentor –but acknowledging weak points and getting help is a sign of strength – and you’ll move further and faster. Or maybe you feel insecure about investing in the help you need when you’re not yet making money. But again, getting that support and moving from weakness to strength is what will allow you to make the most progress in the quickest way and to start growing your income.
Maya Zack is an award-winning personal development & mindset coach, peak-performance specialist and hypnotherapist for aspiring as well as already established women entrepreneurs. She’s also one of the only Sedona Method™ practitioners in the UK.
Her mission is to empower people and particularly women to create the life they want doing what they truly love on their own terms and have more freedom – personally, professionally & financially. To do that, she has developed her unique signature 8-week step-by-step mindset makeover programmes that change thinking & feeling patterns on the deepest, subconscious level, reprogramming their minds for success so that new habits & behaviours quickly become automatic & effortless.
For more info:
https://youcandoanything.co.uk
IG: https://www.instagram.com/mayazackmindset/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayazack/
