10 Tips I Would Give My Younger Self

Starting out as a female entrepreneur or woman in the workplace can seem daunting from time to time. But, unfortunately, more often than not, so many women don’t step into their power until later in life due to self-doubt or by undercutting their valuable skills, myself included.

There are so many moments in my life when I wish I would have had the necessary tools or life advice I now have, and if I could go back in time and encourage my younger self, I would.

That’s why I want to share some insight with other hard-working and aspiring women entrepreneurs. Without further ado, here are the ten tips I would give my younger self:

1. Make a Plan

It’s time to make a plan for success that will guide you through obstacles, hitting milestones, and everything in-between. By setting aside time to plan your days, weeks, and months effectively, you will see results year after year. Regular planning is one of the best tools in your arsenal to help your productivity, minimize stress, and create feasible actions for growth. See some ways to incorporate it into your life:

• Write out short, middle, and long term goals
• Aim for milestones that you want to hit
• Identify high priority tasks
• Establish times when you feel most productive
• Practice daily planning
• Plan for your upcoming week
• Utilize a monthly planning strategy

Find a planning strategy that works best for you, and don’t lose faith if it backfires and needs adjustment. Many CEOs and business professionals regularly learn from trial and error and make modifications as they go.

2. Improve Time Management

Your time is precious, and how you use it will make or break your productivity. After establishing a planning strategy, you’ll need to examine how effectively you work within the time available each day. Organizing, coordinating, and accomplishing your daily tasks are all tied to your time management. Check out some ways to help boost time management below:

• Stick to your schedule
• Start with high priority tasks
• Wake up earlier
• Ask for help before you get stuck
• Reduce distractions

Try prioritizing tasks from urgent to nonessential, and you’ll start crafting a schedule that ebbs and flows with your workload.

3. Balance Life and Work

Projects, emails, and tasks can quickly add up, leaving you feeling frustrated or overwhelmed. Maybe in the past, you’ve thrown yourself into working longer and longer hours, but you’re starting to feel burnt out and in need of a healthier balance. Remember to take a breath and remind yourself that there is a tomorrow.

Pouring yourself into your professional goals is admirable and will help you get far. Just don’t forget to enjoy the journey as well by incorporating play and rest. Balancing personal and professional life is possible and should be an essential part of your process.

4. Don’t Be Afraid of Failure

Even though you may have heard this phrase hundreds of times, it’s still completely true. Staying in your comfort zone will ultimately hinder your growth. Fear of failure inhibits and affects many women, leading to crushed confidence. As long as you choose to learn from your failures, you’ll continue to grow.

Remember that every successful entrepreneur has failed. So, get back up, brush yourself off, and keep going.

5. Work With a Skilled Business Coach

Too often, young, hungry business professionals are looking for ways to grow within the business world but don’t have any guidance. Turn to trusted business coaches and mentors to help guide you through each phase to get to the next level of personal and professional success.

If you’re having a hard time imagining what path to take, it’s essential to add mentors who can help you strategize, hold you accountable to your goals, and provide you with the necessary jumping-off points to get from one level to the next.

6. Continue to Learn as Much as Possible

Every industry constantly changes – from education to software to construction and everything in between. While it might have been okay to achieve a degree in your desired field in the past and call it good, that mentality simply won’t fly anymore. The more you continue to grow and learn new things, the more insight you will bring to all of your entrepreneurial ideas. Try out one of the many resources for continued personal and professional education below:

• Webinars
• Certificate programs
• Business and leadership books
• Online classes
• Audiobooks
• Podcasts
• And more

Remember, continuing to learn doesn’t have to be a burden. Just find an avenue that works best for you!

To develop courage and leadership skills, I recommend checking out courses here.

7. Cultivate Your Community

There is a reason why networking is heavily encouraged among aspiring business professionals: it’s the key to establishing a strong community.

Seek out online groups, women-focused networking events, and more to create a community of fellow women business owners. From there, you’ll be able to start building a supportive network to offer advice, lend help when needed, and encourage your success. You can overcome even the biggest challenges with the right team supporting you along the way.

8. Don’t Undercut Your Value

It’s time to stop undervaluing your abilities and input. Too often, women will pitch themselves or their ideas in at a more realistic price point than their male counterparts, which can lead to not getting the funding you need or being paid what you’re worth.

Your time and insight are valuable; strategically fight for the wage or funding you know you deserve.

9. Don’t Shy Away From Sharing Your Journey

With this new world of connectivity, individuals like to connect with companies and individuals who bring them into their world. By connecting with your target audience, you will build another community of loyal supporters who continually check in and support your growth. Here are some excellent ways to connect:

• Social media
• Public speaking events
• Blogging
• Monthly newsletters

Sharing both your knowledge and your authenticity about subjects will allow others to feel invested in you and your potential.

10. Dream Big

Women often underestimate their worth, therefore not allowing themselves to aim for high-tier goals. Don’t be afraid to unlock your potential by being willing to change your mindset to succeed.

Sure, there will always be some doubters along the way, so make sure to prune that negativity and continue down your path. Life is too short to deal with those you don’t help uplift.

Step Into Your Power

While life takes many twists and turns, there are ways to rise to these new challenges. To all the young women entrepreneurs, you are more powerful than you know. So, even if you’re not sure of how to grow your business, it’s time to seek out help.

From securing funding for your business to navigating interpersonal relationships to improving productivity, there are so many reasons why it’s important to ask for help. Instead of getting defeated from one obstacle to the next, seek advice to strategize ways to work smarter, not harder.

Reach out to our skilled team at Jennifer Dawn Coaching to see how we can help you grow. Schedule a free 45-minute Discovery Call today.