One of the challenges of  too many aspiring female entrepreneurs is having the confidence to commit fully to their entrepreneurial dream.  Confident female entrepreneurs are more likely to achieve their entrepreneurial goals. They say that success leaves clues and confident female entrepreneurs have specific traits that propel their success.

In this post I’m going to discuss 5 of these traits. I created a checklist for you –  13 Traits of  Confident Female Entrepreneurs –  It’s free. Click to access ===>>> CHECKLIST

Here are 5 traits of a confident female entrepreneur

Positive Attitude

Let’s talk about Oprah Winfrey, one of the most successful female entrepreneur. She has many  traits of successful female entrepreneurs.

One of them is a “positive attitude.” I know, it’s an overused phrase, but it has depth. Think about it, even though she grew up a poor, black girl in rural Mississippi, she didn’t allow her external circumstances to limit her choices in life. As a young girl, billionaire, Oprah, wanted to be a teacher. In an article on her website, Oprah.com, she stated “I wanted to be a teacher. And to be known for inspiring my students to be more than they thought they could be. I never imagined it would be on TV.”

Her positive outlook on life deflected the words of those who said she wouldn’t “amount to anything” because of how she grew-up.

Oprah didn’t become a billionaire just because she’s confident. But her confidence helped and allowed other important characteristics to develop. Her extended growth made it easier for her to be successful in every area of her life.

Embrace Their Fears

Embracing her fear, another Confident Female Entrepreneur trait, fueled Oprah’s success. She could have allowed other people’s negative stories to become her story. She chose to not believe she wasn’t good enough.  Instead, she chose to believe in herself and faced her fears and challenges head-on.

When you lack self-confidence, you don’t go after what you want. You’re afraid to make mistakes, partially because you are also afraid of what others will think of you. You doubt that you have the needed skills, abilities, knowledge, or experiences to go after what you want. You may even be afraid of success because it means maintaining a higher standard, and being exposed to criticism. These fears and doubts can keep you from getting everything you want out of life.

“Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

 

Rejection Proof 

Have you met other aspiring female entrepreneurs who seem to have everything? They are happy. They smile more, laugh more, and enjoy life more. They stand out from others because of the way they carry themselves. They hold their heads high. They walk and stand with purpose. They shake your hand with a firm grip and look you in the eye. They are always ready to jump into whatever situation life puts before them. That’s confidence in motion. They are rejection proof

Oprah was rejected by Baltimore’s WJZ-TV because they decided that she wasn’t good enough for television. She didn’t cower and lose her confidence. She reframed the negative experience for a positive one. It ignited her motivation to keep pursuing her dream.

Confident female entrepreneurs include rejections in their success formula.  They use them as tools for learning, growing, and as motivators to achieve their entrepreneurial goals. A rejection opens the door to acceptance.

Decisive (They are less likely to second guess themselves)

Every day you must make decisions. You have to decide about marketing, products or services, hiring and firing employees, and other strategies to grow a profitable business. For your personal life, you must decide what to buy at the grocery store. Choosing investments and retirement funds. You choose when to get up, what to eat, and who you’ll spend your life with. Each decision requires confidence in  yourself to make the choices that are right for you.  You move forward with your choices and take responsibility for the outcome. That’s confidence.

Here’s  a story of two aspiring female entrepreneurs. They are friends, and they are both Certified Public Accountants. They both wanted to start their CPA firm. One has confidence. In a few months she finds the location for her business. She chooses the name. Writes a one-page business plan. She walks into the bank to secure a small business loan, knowing she would get the money to proceed. She quickly decides on hiring an assistant.

The second CPA  vacillated. She couldn’t choose between servicing small businesses or corporations. She kept second-guessing herself.  One day,  it was yes to starting her business, only to change her mind again and again. She lacked the confidence to move forward.  It’s two years later, and she’s still an employee.

So far, do you identify with any of the confident female entrepreneur traits?

For more traits, click the image below, enter your email, and a checklist of 13 will be delivered to your inbox. It’s Free

Their confidence is like a muscle

Self-confidence is like a muscle that needs to be used every day.  The more you use it the stronger it grows. The more goals you pursue, the more you’ll accomplish. The more risks Oprah took, the more her empire grew.

You build confidence by acting despite your fears. It comes from the knowledge and  experience you gain from doing, and a great deal of practice. It comes from believing in yourself and your abilities. Confidence enables you to overcome and succeed when presented with new challenges, opportunities, or tasks.

Each time you experience success, you gain confidence in other areas. Oprah is an actress.  She was nominated for an Oscar for her first movie. She’s a talk show host, producer,  philanthropist,  the CEO of Harpo Productions, and The Oprah Winfrey Network. You may not have aspirations like Oprah, however, whatever your aspirations, confidence is one of the keys to bring them to light.

Take Action

It’s possible to have confidence in one area of your life and lack confidence in another.

When faced with a lack of confidence in some area, it’s important to still act. It will be uncomfortable. It will take work. By taking action, you will gain experience and confidence. Begin with small steps if you need to.

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie

Let’s say you have a fear of public speaking and want to get better at it. Begin by speaking in front of your mirror at home. Then move on to speaking in front of a room with one or two people in it. Then move on to speaking in front of bigger groups. With each step, you are gaining confidence in your speaking abilities.

Before getting in front of a group, repeat positive affirmations. Here are a few you can use:
• I am a warm, engaging person
• People are friendly
• I have positive energy flowing out of me
• I am confident in what I want to say
• People see the value in what I have to say. They respect me

A Few of The Many Ways to Build Your Self-Confidence

Face Your Fears.

Do one thing every day that scares you. Facing your fear is the best way to overcome it. And by facing your fear, you gain confidence from the experience. Get out of your comfort zone. What’s one thing you fear? Is it meeting new people? Networking?

Next time you’re at a social or business event, go have a conversation with one person you don’t know. By doing this you’ll gain the confidence in yourself to begin being more social. The more social you become the more your confidence grows in other areas because you begin to realize you are liked and respected for who you are.

Taking action and facing your fears, means  you’re taking steps to being more confident and self-assured in making changes in your life.

Build Body Confidence.

How you feel about your body directly affects your self-confidence. Accepting yourself as you are, inside and out, is essential to being self-confident. When you accept and “approve” of yourself, others will follow your lead. When you get right down to the bottom line it’s not your body, your looks, or things that attract people to you initially. It’s your overall, self-assured confidence that makes you shine and stand out in a crowd.

Your confidence intrigues people. It makes them want to be around you more often. They also want to learn about you and learn from you. This is when your inner beauty, the qualities and characteristics that can’t be seen just by looking at you, such as skills, talents, mindsets, attitudes, compassion, intelligence, loyalty, etc., come to the forefront. When this happens, they are more easily recognized and appreciated by others, as well as yourself.

When it comes to improving your body confidence, you might think that you need to start “fixing” the things that you don’t like about your body. You’ll be glad to know that body confidence has nothing to do with changing your body. In fact, building body confidence hinges on making needed changes to your ideas, priorities, focus, and actions. Your goal is to love yourself unconditionally.

 

Stop Comparing Yourself.

Comparisons aren’t healthy. It causes envy which can lower your self-esteem.

Instead of comparing your start-up business, bank account, skills, possessions or looks to others, remind yourself of what you do have. List your attributes and possessions. When you feel the urge to compare yourself, use it as a motivator to make healthy improvements.

Also, begin to create a new habit (even if you don’t feel like it,  or it’s uncomfortable) to celebrate the success of others. Use their success as inspiration for your business and life.  This attitude will help you to achieve your goals.

If you’re looking for a more personalized approach to help overcome your challenges … My 60 Minutes, No-Nonsense, Get Your Solution NOW Coaching, is  perfect for you. Click the link below and transform your life.

 

It’s a wrap

As you’ve seen, confidence comes from knowing and believing in yourself. You’ve seen how boosting your confidence can help you get what you want out of life.

Your self-image strongly influences how you behave. If you view yourself as not good enough, you won’t have the courage to go after what you want. When you like who you are, you’re more likely to face your fears and go after everything you desire.

Boosting your confidence and changing your self-image is achievable. Before you begin, you need to know why you should have confidence in your life. Confidence affects every area of life. Lack of confidence leads to dreams deferred, not taking care of your body, comparing yourself to others and living in fear.

Some aspiring entrepreneurs have the confidence to move forward in their business but may need a confidence boost, and others need to build their confidence from the ground up. If you find yourself making excuses for not doing the thing you want to do, then, a lack of confidence, or some other limiting belief may be holding you back.

If you need clarity, my 60 minutes of laser-focused conversation will help you … Click the link and let’s talk … 60 Minutes, No-Nonsense, Get Your Solution NOW, Coaching

Stay confident. Be empowered.

Adalia