Moving Through Entrepreneurship’s Inconvenient Truths

For most women the first few years in business are tough. It’s the reason why so many entrepreneurs close their doors. To get to the success, you need courage, perseverance, conviction, and support.

Women are creating businesses because they genuinely believe that they can make a meaningful contribution. Women want to feel that they are helping to make the world a better place.

Entrepreneurship also attracts secret rebels – smart women who don’t like following the rules. These women value creative self-expression and autonomy.

But the reality is, no matter how focused you are on your dream business and life, you’re going to fail. Despite your prior professional successes, in this arena you’re a rookie and you’re going to struggle, you’re going to feel that you’re falling behind and you’re going to be afraid.

Many women deal with the struggle and fear by playing small, hoping that no one notices them—which is the death knoll for their businesses. Other women realize that fear and struggle are part of the learning process of being an entrepreneur. They understand that in order for their businesses to grow, they too must grow. They understand that growth comes from moving beyond their comfort zone. To paraphrase Brene′ Brown these women “dare greatly” by taking on new challenges.

Here are 5 inconvenient truths about entrepreneurship that business gurus might not tell you:

1. There’s no such thing as an overnight success. The majority of successful business owners I know have been at it for years. There are VERY few businesses that spring into 6 figures, much less multiple 6 figures, in less a year or even 2. Most women have tried and failed at several business models before arrive at their sweet spot and start earning 6 and 7 figures.

2. No woman made it alone. Successful entrepreneurs regularly seek out people to give them business advice as well as moral support. More strategically, successful women entrepreneurs have support and a lot of it. That support comes in the form of partnerships that expose them to new potential clients. It also comes in the form of coaches and mentors who help them to expand their vision of what’s possible and help them to quickly create and implement a plan to make it happen.

3. You have two jobs: marketing and the thing you do. To have a business that helps people and that is profitable you have to become comfortable with marketing and selling your services. It’s not enough to do your work. If you have something that can genuinely benefit people’s lives then you have a responsibility to get over your money drama and your visibility issues and get the word out. Each woman can decide what “spreading her message” aka marketing looks like for her, but it’s not negotiable, you’ve got to do it.

4. What works for others won’t necessarily work for you. Get clear on how you want to work and grow your business. There isn’t a “one size fits all” system or blueprint that works for everyone. Choose a coach or mentor who resonates with you and has business values that are important to you. Work with someone who is steps ahead of where you want to be in your life and business, not just someone who has achieved financial success.

5. Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. Although it sounds sexy to say that you have your own business, not everyone is suited for it. The same things that draw people to entrepreneurship: financial freedom and independence, also drive some women back to traditional jobs. Some people are just not cut out to work alone and not have the relative security of a regular salary. Get really honest with what works for you and what you want out of life. Be honest with yourself. If entrepreneurship is a mistake, then own that choice because it’s the best one for you.