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Top Seven Business Tips for Women Entrepreneurs |
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Articles, How-To's and Interviews -
Personal Finances
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Written by Jan Marie Dore
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Over the past eleven years, I have worked with hundreds of women entrepreneurs as their business coach. I've noticed that many women small business owners experience the same challenges in growing and running their businesses, such as feeling overwhelmed and isolated, having difficulty keeping focused, not enrolling enough support, and not planning for growth.
Here's a summary of my best advice for any woman running a small business - my top seven tips for women entrepreneurs:
1) Focus on your strengths
There's an old saying - "Do what you do best and delegate the rest." Know what your top strengths are. Delegate or drop anything that you're not exceptionally skilled at, and focus at least 80% of your time using your key talents that bring you income.
2) Put yourself first
Your growing business needs a lot of time and attention. Many women in business put themselves third or fourth on their list of priorities. Put you and your business first and everything else will fall into place.
3) Learn to say ‘no’
I ask women who have started a business to drop anywhere from 25% to
50% of their time commitments when we start working together. Most
women are too over-committed with non-business related activities. Be
strategic about what you say yes to, especially in the first few years
of your business. Guard your precious time as the valuable asset that
it is.
4) Plan for success
Lack of planning causes more businesses to fail than anything else.
Planning is very valuable because it causes you to think ahead to your
vision and next steps to reach your goals. You can create a simple one
page marketing plan that outlines your business objectives and how you
will achieve them.
5) Ask for support
Don't try to figure it all out by yourself. Notice where you are stuck
and could use some help, and ask for it. Ask colleagues or others who
have been in business and could mentor you, hire a business coach, or
form your own mastermind support team.
6) Delegate or drop your weaknesses
Get clear on what you don't enjoy doing or don't do very well. Either
stop trying to do it, or find someone who will do it for you. A perfect
example is bookkeeping. If you dislike it, give it to someone else to
do, and free up your time to earn money doing what you do well.
7) Keep an eye on the bottom line
You don't need to have complex financial statements, but setting
targets and tracking some key indicators every month will help you
understand how you are doing. You‘ll know sooner what's working and
what’s not working so that you can make strategic adjustments.
Implement at least three of these tips, and watch your business flourish!
Copyright © 2006 Jan Marie Dore. All Rights Reserved
AUTHOR BIO
Jan Marie Dore publishes the newsletter "Success Secrets for Women
Entrepreneurs". She teaches solo professional women marketing and sales
strategies to attract new clients, grow their business, and make more
money. Subscribe and be invited to free teleseminars at
http://www.femalepreneurs.com
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