A Wake-Up Warning for Women EntrepreneursIn the relentless pursuit of success, the phrase "hustle hard" has been glorified as the entrepreneur's mantra. However, the hidden costs of this culture can be particularly detrimental to women entrepreneurs, who often juggle multiple roles both in their professional and personal lives. I learned a serious lesson the hard way when my commitment to work and succeeding led me to a frightening wake-up call: an emergency rush to the hospital, hooked up to an oxygen machine, with monitors beeping around me. In 2015, at the height of my business success, surpassing all my goals, my business hit critical mass locally and began extending to international regions. It was moving and growing faster than I could keep up. I was so focused on protecting the brand, building my team, serving the clients, and maintaining the standard that I drove myself into a state of chronic fatigue, which led to more scary health complications. My moment of clarity made me realize that no level of success is worth my health or life. Many of us face the reality that constantly working does not equate to being productive or true success; it's actually a health hazard. Embracing a culture obsessed with busyness and chronic stress isn't just unsustainable; it's potentially life-threatening. It's a harsh lesson that many of us women learn only after pushing our limits too far. For me, lying in that ambulance was a stark indicator that the "go hard or die trying" philosophy was not only flawed but downright dangerous. I later realized this was quite common amongst high-performing, ambitious career women juggling multiple roles and responsibilities. I also realized that, just as I did, many ignore the signs our body sends, letting us know it's time to rest and recuperate to step back a bit to heal. It prompted a significant shift in my lifestyle and business practices. I chose to ditch the hustle culture for a philosophy of growing with intention, grace, and flow. The truth is that chronic overworking and neglecting personal well-being leads to burnout, chronic fatigue, and a plethora of other serious health issues. This isn't just about physical health; it's about mental and emotional resilience as well. As women entrepreneurs, we must prioritize our health as the foundation upon which we build our successes. Embracing balance and life harmony isn't a luxury; it's a necessity. For women, the stakes are even higher. Statistically, women are more likely to experience work-related stress due to the dual pressures of business and family obligations. According to a study by the American Psychological Association, women who maintain high levels of stress have a 40% increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Additionally, the hormonal impacts of stress can exacerbate health issues unique to women, affecting everything from menstrual cycles to mental health. The hustle culture sells the myth that more hours mean more productivity. However, effective entrepreneurship is about working smarter, not harder. It's about making strategic decisions that prioritize your well-being so that you can be at your best, both in business and in life. Pursuing success at the cost of your meaningful relationships, well-being, and health isn't just counterproductive; it's self-sabotage. True success should enhance your quality of life, not compromise it. As I adopted this new mindset, I improved my health and found that my business began to thrive and bloom in ways that "hustle culture" never allowed. As you read this, consider this a gentle reminder that your health is your greatest asset. Don't fall into the trap of measuring your worth or success by how busy you are; rather, measure it by how well you can maintain your health, relationships, and happiness alongside your ambitions. "Challenge yourself to redefine and design success on your own terms." Take a step back from the hustle. Prioritize yourself. Grow your business with grace and balance, and watch as your life transforms not just into one of success but of significance and satisfaction. I've compiled my 23 years of lessons, tips, and guidance into my Life By Design Book. Here's a complimentary copy of my "Life By Design Guide: The Feminine Method for Business Women." This guide is crafted to help you cultivate a holistic approach to entrepreneurship, one that champions well-being and self-prioritization as the cornerstone of success. Grow With Grace. Shelly
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The most valuable piece of digital real estate you own is your email list! One mistake I see so many entrepreneurs make as a business coach is: they get savvy email software but have no strategy to leverage it to increase income. Does this sound familiar? You published excellent content on your social media platform, and folks subscribed to your email, but do you not know what to send to them once they join? Or… You're sending subscribers random information because you've been told you need to send emails! Is this you? Truth be told, when I began using email marketing, I also made these mistakes. The good news is that you're in the right place. Wink. Email marketing is crucial to the success of your business. Knowing what type of email to send and when to send it is key when it comes to up-leveling your email marketing and scaling your business. Here's a checklist to help you improve your email marketing efforts. Six types of emails to send to your list. They can be applied to any business, niche, or industry!
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As small business owners, we are often tasked with the responsibility of leading teams and driving success for our organizations. However effective team leadership requires more than just technical skills and experience. It requires a deep understanding of self and the ability to lead self before leading others. This is what is referred to as "essential self-leadership."Essential self-leadership is about self-awareness and knowing your strengths, weaknesses, values, and drivers. When leaders clearly understand who they are and what drives them, they are better equipped to lead their teams and make decisions that align with their values and goals. This results in increased team efficiency, improved customer experiences, and overall success. Leading oneself also involves setting boundaries, managing emotions, and regularly practicing self-care. Additionally, leading oneself requires continuous learning and development. When leaders are committed to their personal growth, and are able to manage their emotions, they are better equipped to lead their teams and bring out the best in their employees. They are able to respond to challenges, problematic employees and navigate tough situations with excellent composure. In conclusion, essential self-leadership is crucial for leading teams and driving organizational success. By understanding and leading themselves, leaders can:
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Integrating social media into your marketing plan and strategy can significantly impact your bottom line, helping you build brand awareness, get more ideal customers, and increase sales cheaper, easier, and faster than traditional marketing. Here are five ways to effectively use social media to increase your audience and income in your business:
In conclusion, incorporating social media into your marketing strategy is crucial for female entrepreneurs looking to grow their audience. By defining your target audience, creating consistent and engaging content, utilizing paid advertising, engaging with your followers and measuring your results, you can effectively use social media to increase income in your business. Menopause is a natural biological process that occurs in every woman's life and can significantly impact her productivity, focus, and overall performance. For female entrepreneurs, the challenges posed by menopause can be significantly pronounced, as they may struggle with decreased energy levels, severe mood swings, and difficulty concentrating. You may be struggling with keeping up with your daily tasks, barely getting through the day; focusing is now a challenge for you, you're watching your leadership abilities slip, and your business is being affected.
Disclaimer: This information is general in nature. Always seek to get professional advice from your doctor.
Working with my daughter for the past ten years has taught me many lessons, some of which I wished I had known before; it would have helped us avoid many relationship pitfalls and unnecessary disputes. Despite the challenges, I must say working with my children is one of the most gratifying experiences I was privileged to have while growing my business. If you are or maybe planning to work with your children, this information will be a valuable read. Parent-child relationships are among the most important relationships in our lives. These relationships can play a crucial role in shaping our future, careers, and even the businesses we start. When parents and children join forces and start a business together, they can reap many benefits while also facing common challenges. Let's look at both the benefits and challenges commonly experienced in parent-child relationships when building a small business together. Benefits of Parent-Child Relationships in Building a Small Business:
Challenges of Parent-Child Relationships in Building a Small Business.
Check out this video where i share more on parenting & entrepreneurship.Go on travel adventures ladies! As ambitious business women I know we can get engrossed in the work but it's important to make time to step away from the business and have some fun! "Travel is one of my love languages so imma advocate for this... lol " Couples can use travel as a relationship-strengthening tactic that can bring them closer. As an entrepreneurial couple, we spend a lot of time managing and growing our businesses, so it's really cool to set personal goals and live them out together. But, of course, you'll have to be intentional about planning and make the time to merge schedules. I believe traveling together and sharing exciting adventures can boost the quality of a couple's relationship and tighten the bond; It's a refreshing way to step away from your business briefly to enjoy the perks of entrepreneurship and a fun way to create happy memories. While traveling alone can be a fantastic, eye-opening experience, going with your partner can inject excitement that adds a refreshing spark to your relationship. Wink! Spending uninterrupted time together, you learn a lot about each other by observing habits and preferences, which can improve your ability to effectively communicate and work together. Experiencing new things together can be an indelible treasure engraved in your hearts and minds. Unique to your relationships. Fun Fact: It was found that couples who travel together agree more and have fewer arguments than couples who don't. In addition, traveling makes them more understanding and patient with each other.
Okay, guys, I hope I enticed you to start traveling as a couple! Travel can be much better when properly planned. After nearly two decades of extensive traveling, I've picked up a few valuable traveler tricks that make my trips safer, more financially friendly, and more comfortable tinyurl.com/Shellytiktokbit.ly/simplyshellyig
1. Make travel more affordable.
- cheapoair.com - expedia.com - google.com/flights 2. Shop long in advance for plane tickets: the closer you get to the travel date, the more expensive ticket prices and seating become. 3. When searching for flights for a few days, if you're returning to specific pages, clear your browsing history. Sometimes when the cookies track your previous activity, you won't get the best prices, and you won't see the most competitive rates. In some cases, you're actually offered higher prices! 4. Consider alternative routes. You can save time and money when you do! 5. Accommodation. You don't have to limit your options to hotel rooms; try other accommodation rental sites such as airbnb.com and flipkey.com. To rent beautiful houses, apartments, or villas. In safe countries, these are great options worth exploring. Choose wisely. When in doubt, stick with the more prominent trusted name brands. Look for hidden fees and parking accommodation if you're driving. 5. Ensuring your safety is a must. Before heading off to a new country, take these steps.
6. Get insurance. It's helpful to have international insurance for medical, lost bags, overlay, etc. (ask your bank for credit cards that provide insurance coverage) 7. Take pictures of your travel and identification documents as a backup. Keep your passport and travel documents in the safe in your hotel room or otherwise secured when leaving the room. 8. Don't travel with large amounts of cash; consider credit and debit cards as alternative options. Sometimes cards don't work, so having multiple cards and a little "just-in-case" cash can be useful. Bonus Tip: When changing currencies, most times, I've gotten more value for money at merchants rather than the airport Cambio (currency exchange) 9. Protect your documents while traveling! Having a passport and credit card case that protects your credit cards and passport from predators lurking to steal your information. There are really cute ones that double as a wallet during shopping trips. 10. Don't make assumptions about in-transit requirements; depending on your passport, you may require an additional visa. Also, get your immunization shots; besides being a health precaution, immunization is a requirement in some countries. Not being prepared for these requirements can result in you being turned away at the counter! Make travel creative, strategic, and fun while securing your safety! And remember... Always wash your hands and keep sanitizers easily accessible! Your business should be a blessing: not a stumbling block in your way of living fully; make time to enjoy the benefits of your effort and sacrifices as an ambitious businesswoman! Cheers to exploring a world of wonderful experiences with your spouse! Follow me on Instagram or Tiktok to see my travel adventures and business tips! Embrace Possibility Shelly You can be a strong woman in business without devaluing your companion. With the increased number of power couples on the rise, as a coach, I'm always intrigued by the dynamic of this unique kind of relationship. Normal relationships have their own dynamics, but the complexity of entrepreneurship and romantic relationships is another kettle of fish. While "power couples" can be highly inspiring to those looking on at their combined success, by no stretch is it an easy space to navigate. Some couples experience smooth sailing, but for others, it can quickly become a complex dynamic if power plays creep in and go unchecked. As entrepreneurs, we can be easily influenced by our natural desire to dominate and win; low self-esteem can lead couples to silently try to outdo each other to feel validated. But being an entrepreneurial couple can definitely be a beautiful, exciting, adventurous, and highly fulfilling relationship if managed well. "Your mindset, prayer, intentions, and approach make a world of difference." I'm often asked, "how have you and your husband managed your marriage and business success for 31 years?" Well, let me begin by saying both roles are time and energy-consuming; it can be emotionally trying at times, but it is entirely doable. Looking at your marriage as a partnership and staying focused on achieving marital success can diminish or even remove any urge to be competitive. "Opt to be collaborative vs. competitive." What works well in marriage is being supportive of each other's business, career, and personal goals with your gifts, talents, and prayers! Remember that at the end of the day, after all the accomplishments, public recognition, money, and community influence, you choose to love and support each other. When it's all said and done, your spouse or partner is the one you're building a home, creating a legacy, and, if you have kids, shaping another generation with. It can be highly beneficial when couples set personal, business, and family goals and work towards them together. Now, while working as a team is awesome, developing the skill of respecting each other's individuality without judgment is also essential. Concerning business and careers, there should be a clear understanding that the dynamics in these scenarios are entirely different. Therefore, you need to be mature enough to function optimally without convoluting the dynamic with egos and selfish opinions. There must be awareness and clarity of the role you fill in the other person's life and business if that's agreed upon. Support each other's business and know your place in that regard. Don't compete, overstep or dress each other down. Instead, be supportive, brainstorm, and even collaborate; you just might experience a level of greatness and closeness that you didn't envision. Choose to be genuinely happy for each other's success!
Watch this short video for more marriage and business success tips and strategies i'm sharing.
The most challenging aspect of coaching is not helping women gain the business success they truly desire; that is the straightforward part because success has a formula; it's getting clients to accept the importance of doing the mindset and personal growth work, then actually do it. . Now, that's where the challenge lies. As a business and life design coach to women, I often see female start-up entrepreneurs unknowingly sabotage the ease, effectiveness, and speed of their growth because they are so eager and excited about building the business and getting to the money that they ignore the importance of doing essential soft skills and personal development work. Instead, they dive straight into tips, tools, strategies, etc. Many entrepreneurs skip learning to navigate the entrepreneurial Maze, and this can be one of the most significant setbacks they face as entrepreneurs. So I'm constantly exposing my clients to Personal development, mindset, and self-awareness because I know how critical it is for success. As an entrepreneur, I was able to maintain an upward growth trajectory for 23-plus years, but this didn't happen with systems, tools, and strategies alone; focusing on my personal development and investing in my knowledge and skill were pivotal. Here's the thing, information regarding the non-technical soft skills aspects of entrepreneurship isn't attractive, so, unfortunately, the conversation isn't commonplace to start business owners. You see, many aspiring entrepreneurs aren't interested in the challenges and struggles of building a business. Instead, they start entrepreneurship starry-eyed about success and achieving a lifestyle of abundance and freedom. They are intrigued by the glam aspects of the entrepreneurial lifestyle; houses, cars, vacations, and shiny material things enamor them. That's human nature and very natural, but it can be a setback if it distracts you from work required to build your business. Few want to talk about how many long days, hard decisions, facing challenges, inevitable sacrifices, and risky investments are a part of setting up and growing a profitable, sustainable business. When you want to build a successful business, you must develop an entrepreneurial mindset, a leadership mindset, and the mindset that can deal with challenges and setbacks because these traits will help you build a sustainable business without crumbling. These are some of the traits that set the winners and losers in business apart. Of course, personal development is not cute, it's not exciting, and it certainly isn't easy. Still, it's critical for helping you to navigate your entrepreneurial journey more efficiently and effectively. Most people see the markers of business success, but few pauses to really observe all of the groundwork it took before you got there. There's a lot of rolling up your sleeves; long days, late nights, sacrifices, tears, frustration, calculated risks, and challenges entrepreneurs face. Sometimes you have to make hard decisions and practice delayed gratification. But unfortunately, no one is enthusiastic about discussing those aspects of the entrepreneurial journey because that doesn't sell coaching or excite people to start a business. Ladies, when your mindset is correct and your behavior changes, you'll hit your success stride, and your business growth and profitability will get to critical mass; now, that's what people see and crave, and that's when you've become a picture of possibility. But folks need to know on entering entrepreneurship that the process for progress includes some uncomfortable components. Entrepreneurs with great success, less confusion, stress, and frustrations enter with the knowledge of what business entails and requires. It's helpful to learn how to navigate the entrepreneurial Maze to build your business with clarity, courage, and determination to maintain the discipline required to gain a solid sustainable business. Listen, when you decide to become a businesswoman, you must prioritize personal development and developing the CEO mindset. 4 Benefits of doing the self-work as a woman in business:
When you genuinely want to win, getting into the presence of an expert coach who is where you want to be and can show you the path: is an asset. If you're ready to build your business minus the Hustle culture, chronic exhaustion, and chaos, let's talk about how I can support you. Book your Clarity Call here: ConsultwithCoachShelly Grow With Grace! Shelly
Article By: Richard Solomon Consultant
Nothing happens in your business unless something is sold.
Salespeople must have the right mindset; part of that mindset is "sales turn the wheels of business"; all business is turned by sales. Do you know that 39% of salespeople never intended to go into sales, and more startlingly, less than 1/4 of salespeople exceed their sales quota. These are worrying numbers. Here are 4 easy tips to improve your selling
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