Why Mentally Strong Women Don’t Fear Breaking the Rules
Maybe you were raised to be a “good girl.” Or maybe you just aren’t the type of person who likes to create waves. Being a rule-follower can serve you well in many ways. But there are times when breaking the rules might be the key to living a better life.
Bending—or breaking—a few rules might actually be good for your career. Take Lori Greiner, for example. Not only is she one of the cast members on Shark Tank, but she’s also known as “the Queen of QVC.” She’s an inventor and entrepreneur with an estimated net worth of $50 million.
But she certainly doesn’t follow all the rules. Take sleep, for example. You don’t have to look very hard to find books or articles that will tell you the secret to success is waking up early and getting a head start on the day. And you’ll likely hear Tim Cook wakes up at 3:45 a.m. and Richard Branson gets up at 5:00 a.m. because they both want to start the day before sunrise.
Not Lori, however. She told Parade magazine she usually goes to sleep at 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. And what does she do right before she goes to bed? She exercises. I doubt you’ll find too many health gurus or productivity specialists who will recommend a robust workout right before you hit the hay. But Lori says she’s a night owl and that schedule works for her.
Why More Women Are Turning To Entrepreneurship
The number of women-owned businesses increased nearly 3,000% since 1972 according to the “2018 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report” commissioned by American Express. Not only that but between 2017 and 2018 women started an average of 1,821 new businesses per day in the U.S. With women now making up a whopping 40% of new entrepreneurs, it’s clear that more women are turning to entrepreneurship than ever before. But why are so many women starting businesses?
The reality is that women are still the primary caregivers whether we’re talking about children or aging parents. One research study indicated that the primary reason American women start businesses is to accommodate work to their family needs. Another survey revealed that roughly 74% of women said flexibility is more important than making the most money. Being your own boss generally allows for more freedom than working for someone else. This additional autonomy is especially helpful when family may be the number one priority. The ability to set your own schedule also makes it easier to make time for exercise and a healthy lifestyle—another reason why women are turning to entrepreneurship.
“I roll out of bed in the morning, whenever I want, and I work right away because, to me, that’s the life. That’s freedom. The whole point for me is that I love the freedom of being an entrepreneur that I do what I want to do when I want to do it.” – Lori Greiner
5 Entrepreneur Tips to Learn from Successful Women
More women are becoming entrepreneurs and business owners than ever before. In fact, women-owned businesses now account for 40% of US businesses, a 30% increase since 2007. But how do you make a start on the entrepreneurship journey and overcome challenges so that you can grow your business successfully?
Whether you are considering starting your own business, need some help navigating the choppy, uncertain waters typical of entrepreneurship, or are simply looking for some fresh inspiration, these hard-won pieces of advice will be sure to come in handy. Here are 5 entrepreneur tips to achieving success from some of the world’s most successful women in business.
Businesses can face great periods of challenge and struggle, especially during the first few months of starting out. Repeatedly, successful female entrepreneurs offer the same advice to other women entering the world of entrepreneurship: be patient.
101 Reasons Being an Entrepreneur Rocks
Being an entrepreneur can be an exciting and liberating endeavor. Many people have ideas for a business or product, but only a few take the leap and open a new business. While being an entrepreneur is extremely difficult, it has its benefits. We spoke to 101 entrepreneurs to find out why they love what they do.
1. “When I quit and started my own business, I realized I could never go back to work for anyone else. I love being in control of my own destiny, choosing the clients I like to work with, and I even enjoy most of the challenges that business brings. I now work with small business owners, who are the backbone of the economy, and I love helping them to grow their businesses in turn.” – Alastair McDermott, founder, WebsiteDoctor
2. “I love being an entrepreneur because I am able to set my own schedule around my family life. Being a busy mom of two, I have the flexibility to schedule clients around my children’s sports, school schedules and doctor appointments.” – Stacy Haynes, CEO and counseling psychologist, Little Hands Family Services
3. “Being an entrepreneur gives you the opportunity to take a calculated risk on a passion.” – Francesco Clark, founder, Clark’s Botanicals
Read more at businessnewsdaily.com.
The 8 Most Common Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires
Since 2004, I’ve been immersed in studying what to do and what not to do in order to become wealthy and avoid poverty. Thanks to my research, I’ve made two monumental discoveries:
First, your daily habits have a great deal to do with your financial circumstances. Some habits lift you up and help you grow wealth, while others drag you down and could put you in the poor house.
And second, there are four paths to wealth: the Saver-Investor Path, the Big Company Climber Path, the Virtuoso Path and the Entrepreneur Path.
When you choose the path that is right for you and install what I call “Rich Habits” to reinforce you on your journey, building wealth becomes almost automatic. Conversely, if you choose a path that is not right for you, building wealth becomes almost impossible.
Why Gen Z is so keen on entrepreneurship, and what that means for employers
“In an era of fake news, and the filter bubble, [Gen Z is] also more likely to be able to push through the noise. . . Not only are they able to consume more information than any group before, they have also become accustomed to cutting through it. They are perhaps the most brand-critical, bullshit-repellent, questioning group around and will call out any behavior they dislike on social media. (Little wonder brands are quaking in their boots.)” – Lucie Greene
Who do members of Gen Z want to work for most in the future? Themselves.
According to a recent survey conducted by EY Ripples and JA Worldwide of 6,000 active and former JA Worldwide participants born between 1997 and 2007, 53% hope to run their own business within the next ten years. That proportion increases to 65% for those who have already entered the workforce.
This extremely favorable view of entrepreneurship is the result of a confluence of push and pull factors. On the one hand, the traditional pathway to career success—namely higher education and climbing the corporate ladder—has never felt more out of reach or less certain. At the same time, startup costs are plummeting, the pool of resources entrepreneurs can tap into is ballooning, and casual experimentation with entrepreneurship has never been easier.
“The results of the survey show that this generation yearns for careers that enable ‘original thought and ideas,’ which ranked higher than any other characteristic for Gen Z in describing elements of their ideal career,” explains Asheesh Advani, the CEO of JA Worldwide. “Entrepreneurship delivers on this promise of creative control.”
How to Reignite Your Creativity When You Feel Unmotivated
“Everything you can imagine is real.” — Pablo Picasso
Pausing to connect with the purpose behind what we do — whether at home, with our work, or in our relationships — can help us unlock our creativity and feel more satisfied with life. But when we feel uninspired, discovering that sense of meaning can feel challenging. In Thrive’s first book, Your Time to Thrive, we talk about the research behind discovering our purpose, and provide actionable tips for finding creativity and inspiration in what we do. And so often, it helps to hear what works for others.
We asked our Thrive community to share with us the tips that help them reignite their creativity when they feel unmotivated. Which of these will you try?
“My go-to fix when I’m feeling uninspired is nature. I typically visit the Theosophical Society Gardens, or go to Marina beach to listen to the waves. I take my notebook with me, sit by the water, and jot down notes. But mainly, I simply daydream in solitude. Doing nothing can be so inspiring.” – Anitha Balaraj, executive coach, Chennai, India
“To reignite my creativity, I like looking through a book of quotes, whether it’s an official tome or my own quote journal. Reading a quote that resonates with me is a great way for me to re-energize. It always helps motivate me and change my perspective when I’m feeling uninspired.” – Marta Rzeszowska Chavent, management and change consultant, France
Read more at thriveglobal.com.
Clearing Your Own Path
‘Live your dreams.’ ‘Listen to your heart.’ ‘Embrace your uniqueness.’ These messages call you to connect to your inner purpose and to clear your own path in life.
And yet in everyday living, you are programmed to stay on the path created by societal norms. As a young child, you receive messages from your parents about what to do and how to do it. These messages will help you learn how to survive in the world. Siblings and relatives help to reinforce what is considered normal. At school, teachers and classmates encourage you to fit in. And there is a general unspoken directive from a society that reinforces these norms. You become adept at gliding along this groomed path. And if you don’t, you feel the discomfort. When you pause to listen to your inner voice and take action, you can make unique choices. Yet the messages you receive from your surroundings can overpower this inner voice and will guide you to remain within the boundaries of a well-groomed path.
There are many benefits to being on a well-cleared path. It can feel comfortable for a long while. Consider that you are speeding down the road. As a child, on a bicycle and you gradually upgrade to a fancy car. You may get skilled at passing people along the way. You pause to invite a partner to join you. You add a few children and a dog. You know where to stop to enjoy the scenery. You may take a few detours and hit a few bumps. The style of your trip will be influenced by where you started out in childhood and your experiences along the way. You work hard and please others to stay with your group. You may be surviving but you may not feel as though you are thriving.
Read more at bizcatalyst360.com.
Self-Sabotage
Albert Camus, in a short story titled, “Jonas, or the Artist at Work,” describes a painter named Jonas who gradually squanders his talent:
Jonas was working less, without quite knowing why. He had always followed his routine but now he had difficulty painting, even in moments of solitude. He would spend these moments looking at the sky. He had always been distracted and absorbed, but now he became a dreamer. He would think about painting, about his vocation, instead of painting. ‘I love to paint,’ he still said to himself, and the hand holding the paintbrush would hang at his side as he listened to a distant radio.
The problem for Camus’ Jonas is that he fantasizes about painting instead of actually painting. The closer he gets to the self he wishes to be—a successful artist—in his dreams, the more the gap between that self and the real Jonas widens. Jonas is engaging in a common form of self-sabotage, one that teams up with fantasy and blocks adopting and implementing plans.
Many of us act in much the way Jonas does. We sabotage both our own success and our own happiness.
Read more at psychologytoday.com.
You Are Not Your Failure. It Does Not Define You
Most of us are afraid of failure, but not for the reason you think.
Yes, there are many reasons why we fear failure. We are afraid of humiliation. We are afraid of headaches and aggravation. We are afraid of wasting our time and effort.
And yes, we are afraid that our failure confirms that we are not good enough.
But if there’s one terror that failure evokes in us, it’s this: failure closes doors.
You see, before failure happens, everything is full of hope and promise. We’re optimistic about what roads lie before us. But as we experience setbacks, we feel those doors gradually begin to close on us. We are afraid that if there are no doors left to go through, we’re left with no possibilities.
As we grow older, we become more and more afraid of failure. We become risk-averse. We seek to avoid situations that may induce failure.
Eventually, not trying anything new seems like a better option because we’d rather not know the limits.
Failing in any area of life can be terrifying when you look at it that way.
Read more at thriveglobal.com.
5 Ways to Pick Yourself Up After Someone Tears You Down
It’s happened to the best of us: We’ve been told words that sting, handled experiences that crumple our self-esteem, and met people who let us down or left us feeling defeated.
To move past disappointment and hurt, try these tips at success.com.
Best Cities for Startup
During the pandemic many Americans uprooted themselves and moved. The exodus to smaller cities, the burbs, and even rural areas was on. Now that the pandemic is winding down, some may be coming back, though others have found life away from the crowded big cities a relief. Others love city life, and are staying or moving to the “big” city.
If you thought about moving in the last year, it’s not (it’s never) too late. If you want to move to a city that’s particularly conducive to business startup, there’s a “best” place for you.
The team at Go.Verizon.com just issued its 4th annual report on the Best Small Cities to Start a Small Business.
If you hate snow (like me) this is a great list for you. But, if you love snow, don’t despair, there are three cities on the list for you.
Learn more at smallbizdaily.com.
Texas Named Best State For Business By CEO Magazine For A Record-Smashing 17th Year In A Row
For the 17th year in a row, Texas has again been named the Best State for Business by the nation’s leading CEOs in an annual survey conducted by Chief Executive Magazine. The rankings are determined by the CEO’s assessments of each state’s business climate, workforce, and quality of life. Texas has secured the top spot each year since the ranking’s inception.
“Texas continues to dominate as the Best State for Business because of the unmatched competitive advantages we offer: no corporate or personal income taxes, a predictable regulatory climate, and a young, growing, and skilled workforce,” said Governor Greg Abbott. “As we continue to unleash the full economic might of the Lone Star State, I look forward to welcoming even more innovative, job-creating businesses to Texas. When businesses succeed in Texas, Texans succeed.”
Yes, opportunity is what Texas is all about!
As a Texas-based organization, Acceler8Success Group can help you explore and capitalize on opportunities across the Lone Star State with the following services:
- Entrepreneur & Leadership Coaching
- Small Business & Franchise Consulting
- Restaurant & Hospitality Consulting
- International Business Development Consulting
- Business & Product Brokerage
- Commercial Development Management
- Commercial Real Estate Advisory
- Design & Construction Advisory
For more information or to schedule a complimentary consultation, please visit our websites at Acceler8Success.com and FranchiseFoundry.com. We know business. We know Texas!
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