Guest Post by: Karen Wessels, co-founder and COO of VA Connect
Being an entrepreneur, particularly a solopreneur, is not for the faint of heart. It takes a certain kind of persistence, determination and whole lot of caffeine to be a successful solopreneur! As a woman entrepreneur myself, I understand only too well the challenges faced by women in the business world, particularly those involving time management.
Here are some highlights of the challenges we face in our daily entrepreneurial lives and some tips on how to overcome them.
Don’t allow fear to stand in the way
Women tend to be less prone to risk taking and can let their fears stand in the way of starting on the entrepreneurial path. It could be fear of failure, or success, or the fear of doing this on your own, that could stand in your way. Confidence is a great combatant for this. Believe in yourself, your capabilities, your value and your time.
Learn the art of saying NO
Growing up, women are most times taught to be nice and as a result, become natural people pleasers. This in turn can mean it’s harder for a woman to say ‘no’ in the business world. By finding it difficult to say ‘no’ in a business situation, we often find ourselves in a predicament of under-charging on products or services, or giving too much of our time. We need to learn the art of saying ‘no’ when the need arises.
Get the balance between business and family
Women naturally form the backbone of the family structure. As entrepreneurs, and particularly in the case of solopreneurs, often times we find ourselves torn between our business and our precious family time. How do we resolve this? By delegating and managing our time better. Be willing to give over control on certain tasks and do everything with intent to ensure you maximize your business hours, thereby freeing you up to focus on the family after hours.
Don’t be tempted to wear too many hats
Women tend to be everything to everyone, and we end up wearing so many different hats in our lives that we find it difficult to juggle everything. Add entrepreneur or business owner to the mix and all of a sudden the complexity is magnified. Learn to do what is currently best for your business, to promote growth and productivity. Always ask yourself the question, will this make the boat go faster? If yes, then do it. If not, learn to say no. Remember, you don’t have to do everything yourself, another common misbelief amongst women entrepreneurs!
So, spend your time wisely between growing your business and enjoying quality time with family and try and get the balance right. Be tougher when it comes to delegating and time management, so that you can work on growing your business whilst at the same time spending less time in your business.
Karen Wessels is the co-founder and COO of VA Connect, a South African virtual assistant platform that provides outsourced administrative support. Prior to establishing VA Connect, Karen spent over 10 years in different sales, marketing & admin support roles. Having worked with MDs, SMEs and professionals, she is very familiar with managing different workloads within tight deadlines. This has equipped her with the invaluable skills required to run a successful VA business. Follow Karen on Twitter | Facebook | Google+
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