Being a female entrepreneur is something very special – it’s totally exhilarating, but it can also be highly intimidating, especially when you’re just starting out. You’re carving your own path, taking risks, and putting yourself out there in ways that mean you’ve got to have plenty of bravery and self-belief, and that’s not always easy. In fact, it can be a huge challenge.
And in this case, confidence isn’t just something that’s nice to have – it’s essential if you want to be able to make good decisions, pursue opportunities, and get past the inevitable obstacles that will definitely get in your way from time to time. But the good news is that confidence isn’t just something you’re either born with or you’re not – it’s something you can build and a skill you can learn. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more about how to build confidence as a female entrepreneur and reach your goals in the right way.
Start Small And Celebrate Wins
Confidence grows with achievement, so you shouldn’t just wait for the ‘big wins’ and the success you’ve been dreaming of to feel good about yourself and have some more self-belief. In fact, it’s better all around if you can break your goals down into smaller, manageable steps and, as you achieve each step, make sure you acknowledge it and celebrate, even if it’s a very small thing indeed.
Have you just got your first client? That’s something to celebrate. Launched a new product? That’s another thing to celebrate. Mastered a new skill? Taken on a new employee? Reached a milestone in your Instagram follower numbers? These are all things to celebrate and you’ve got to give yourself credit for ticking things off your to-do list and really starting to move ahead – even a tiny step forward is still a step forward after all. And the more you do, the more you’ll believe you can do, and your confidence is going to grow as a result.
Surround Yourself With Support
Your environment plays a huge role in helping you to feel and be more confident, and that’s why it’s so important to surround yourself with people who truly believe in you, whether that’s mentors, partners, friends, family, or other entrepreneurs you’ve met when you’ve been networking, for example. When you’ve got a strong support network around you, they can be there to cheer you on, which is crucial when you’re not feeling one hundred percent confident and sure of yourself, but they can also be your sounding board for ideas and they can help give you advice and guidance – although the final decision will be yours, and always must be.
On the other hand, you’ve got to steer clear of negative people, no matter who they are. If there’s anyone around you who isn’t helping you and who is actively telling you you’re not good enough or that your business idea is going to fail, limit the time you spend with them. Even if they’re not saying it to be mean – and sometimes what they’re saying could sound like advice to them and they might think they’re being helpful – it’s not good for you to hear these things and it can really damage your confidence levels.
Develop Your Skills
One surefire way to build confidence is to build on your knowledge and expand your skills as much as possible – the more you know, the more competent you’ll feel, and that’s going to lead to more confidence. It might mean taking a business course, attending workshops, or taking a look at this list of the easiest side hustles to get started on something new, but whatever you do and whatever you decide to learn more about, it’s going to give you more knowledge and tools to be successful as a female entrepreneur. And as we’ve said, when you’re successful, even if it’s a little bit, that’s a confidence-builder.
Remember as well that developing your skills isn’t necessarily just about gaining knowledge – it’s actually a handy way to prove to yourself that you’re completely capable and adaptable, and you’ll feel much more prepared for the future. And guess what? Being prepared and being able to tackle whatever comes your way is yet another way to build your confidence.
Embrace Failure
This might be hard to hear, but it’s important – there will be some things you fail at when it comes to your new business. But what you need to know is that just because you’ve failed at something, it doesn’t mean you can’t also be successful, and although most people assume failure is the opposite of success, it’s not; it’s just part of the whole picture, and sometimes – a lot of the time, if you have the right mindset – failure can be a great way to build confidence, as strange as that might seem.
The way to get into this way of thinking is to view your failure as a learning opportunity and rather than getting despondent and thinking you should give up, ask yourself what went wrong and what you can do differently the next time to prevent it going wrong again. When you do bounce back and get things back on track again, that’s a major confidence booster, and at the same time you’ll realize you can deal with any obstacle and succeed, which is a fantastic mindset to be in as an entrepreneur.
Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
Growth and confidence are all about letting yourself get uncomfortable – at least a little bit anyway. It might sound counterintuitive, but the fact is that stepping outside your comfort zone is one of the best ways to build belief in yourself, and saying yes to opportunities that scare you, no matter what it is (as long as it’s going to benefit you and your business, of course), can do wonders for you.
Think about it this way: every time you push past where you’re comfortable and do something new and unknown, you’re showing yourself just how well you can handle things, even if you don’t know precisely what the outcome will be. So try not to avoid stepping out of your comfort zone as it can make a huge, positive, difference.