For any entrepreneur looking for some advice to help get their business off the ground, or simply seeking to continuously better themselves as a businessperson, we have compiled these pieces of fantastic advice from some amazing, successful, female entrepreneurs.
Sheila Lirio Marcelo: Founder, Chairwoman and CEO of Care.com
“Be intense with outcomes, but chill with people. When starting a business you strive for excellence, but if you can’t deprogram the expectation of perfection for yourself and others, you risk burning yourself out and driving away everyone else.”
Things aren’t always black and white and when it comes to interpersonal interactions, this is especially true. Every individual has a different set of life experiences and approaches to work, so you have to take this into account when dealing with people. You have to be able to work cooperatively with your team to build trust and, ultimately, to foster success.
Linda Rottenberg: CEO and Co-founder of Endeavor Global
“My best piece of advice for entrepreneurs is to stalk people. When I was establishing my organization a decade ago, I spent some time trying to assemble a strong global advisory board. Six months into Endeavor, I learned that Peter Brooke, the legendary VC, and private equity pioneer, was speaking at Harvard Business School, so I followed him—all the way to Cambridge, then the Aldrich Lecture Hall, then to the men’s bathroom—where I successfully cornered him into becoming a chairman. Now I say that stalking is the most underrated startup strategy!”
While it might sound a little unorthodox, this method shows dedication and commitment—if you know what, or who, you want, go out and get it.
Jennifer Manaavi: CEO and Co-founder of Physique 57
“Don’t let fear be a factor in decision making. Too often I see entrepreneurs fail to launch because of fear.”
Of course, this doesn’t mean you should leap into things without considering the pros and cons first, but it does mean being self-aware enough to know when you are simply letting your fears get in the way. You have to be able to identify the difference between genuine potential risks and anxieties, otherwise you may be letting your fears get in the way of your company’s success.
Nicole Centeno: CEO and Founder of Splendid Spoon
“View failure as a gift. When the business is in pain, it will force you into submission, and if you listen, it will give back to you.”
Every failure is a chance to learn, to grow, and to try again. Pay attention to where you went wrong in the past and use this information as fuel to drive you forward into a more successful, insightful, self-aware future for yourself and your business.
Marie Mouradian: owner of Window Designs Etc.
“Make a commitment to education, to learning as much as you can, an ongoing education.”
In every professional sphere, things are changing constantly. Keeping up with current trends and changes in the market is vital to keep your business relevant. This means that keeping an ear to the ground is going to be hugely beneficial to find new ways to achieve success. In other words, your education is never over – as long as you are running a business, you should be continuing to search for new information, opportunities, networking, and developing skills to improve your company.
Kellee Twadelle: owner of Rose & Dove Specialty Gift Shop
“It’s not going to happen overnight. Just be patient. Set short-term goals.”
This advice focuses on the benefit of short-term goals, while having a long-term plan in place is, obviously, essential, setting short-term goals and taking daily action can be just as vital to the survival of your company. Making small decisions when you hit a road-block can help you build up the momentum you need to get back into your stride without having to completely rethink your entire plan.
At the end of the day, you should be looking to continue to learn and better yourself constantly throughout your professional career. Advice can come from anywhere, sometimes from unlikely places, whether business executives with decades of experience or from beginner entrepreneurs learning as they go.
Michael Dehoyos is a content marketer and editor at Academicbrits and Originwritings. Michael consults for companies to develop their marketing strategy concepts and also contributes to numerous sites and publications like PhDKingdom.
