As an entrepreneur, the journey to success can be both exhilarating and challenging. You set out with passion and determination, eager to make your mark on the world and create a thriving business.
However, the reality often entails feeling overwhelmed, pulled in multiple directions, and uncertain about where to focus your efforts. In the midst of the hustle, you find yourself wondering if your business is truly worth the sacrifices you make.
I talk to so many female entrepreneurs every month and I often find the same situation. There is a beautiful badass sitting in front of me but as I chat about the 5 Pillars of Vixen they can relate to almost every one of them. I love helping women thrive in their business and bring in more abundance (of money, time and energy), but we always start with the woman herself. The entrepreneurial roller coaster is real and we have to bolster ourselves for the ride. You are the foundation of your business (and, likely, your family, your community, and so many other areas). We women are superheroes but we often forget to take care of ourselves. If the foundation of your home is cracked, you are likely to have problems, correct? Let’s walk through the key areas to tighten up before we get into business consulting.
The Current Situation
I just had an Alignment call with Mary. As we chatted, I learned that the most important outcome for her was freedom of time. She stated that she didn’t even care about the money (something I hear often and will return to in Pillar #3). The day-to-day demands of running a business and raising her family left her longing for freedom to explore her creative side. She also acknowledged that her core business was likely heading for a downturn and so solidifying her financial base was a priority as well. She was preparing for that rainy day instead of focusing on her dreams. Now, while this is a smart business move, it left Mary feeling empty and like she would never reach her dreams. This is so common – doubts arise, and you wonder if your dreams are slipping away… Many entrepreneurs find themselves in this predicament; feeling frustrated and questioning their choices. What I love to remind you is that as a woman, you have all of the answers. You just need the right framework and the right coach to help you rediscover them.
The Desired Situation
Mary wanted to live on a beach (instead of being landlocked), have free time to be creative, travel, learn a language and she wanted to have her kids close by. She was looking forward to deepening her 8 year relationship. But, she couldn’t see her way to the finish line. And, she admitted that fear stood in her way.
The Transformation
I walked Mary through our 5 Pillars. I’d love to summarize them here for you as well. Follow us as we go deeper into each pillar of the next five weeks. For me, to have a successful relationship with a client – that means one that gets them the results they want, and increases the joy, peace and love they feel daily – it’s important that we solidify your foundation first. Your foundation is yourself. Then, we can get to the “fun” part of scaling your business! Most of our clients are able to do this in 90 days. In fact, many of them get significant results in the first two weeks due to Pillar #1!
Because I love helping entrepreneurial women live an abundant life and actually enjoy it, I’d love to share those pillars with you here!
Time, Energy & Confidence Management
Most women relate time management to a budget – something that might be important but they have no desire to do. I get it! I once hated routine as well. That was until I realized that mastering the art of my calendar gave me true freedom. For me, being completely present in the current moment and doing my best is freedom. That might mean coaching a client to scale their business or taking my niece to see the new Barbie movie. It might mean going on a hike with friends or holding our team’s quarterly planning meeting. Whatever I am doing, I want to give it 100%. Time blocking, color coding my calendar and mastering the skill of time management gave me this freedom. It also gave me back my energy and confidence.
Personal Core Values
One of my favorite “hacks” for making aligned decisions that feel good is to know my personal core values. All of my clients know theirs as well. What I find is that over time, we become buried under a pile of responsibility and “should do’s” instead of doing what we truly want. I fully believe that a woman’s intuition and what she “wants” to do is one of the most powerful indicators of true purpose. When we are aligned with our true purpose, our super powers are revealed and we are able to clearly discern what is right for us to be doing and what is not. This frees up more time for the things you love and helps you to fill your cup. Giving from a full cup is powerful.
Owning Your Worth
Remember Mary? She said that “the money doesn’t even matter?” What mattered was being by the sea, having more time for creativity and being close to her kids. Well, do you think a little bit of money might help all of these dreams become a reality? Like Mary, all of us have money blocks and/or limitations. By removing these blocks, we open ourselves to the abundance of life. And, the last step is this pillar is so powerful and transformative that you will feel on fire making the best decision for your business, yourself and your family.
Setting Graceful Boundaries & Enhancing Self-Love
I have a client who is a badass mortgage broker and she is a very direct woman. I love it! When she attended my small group training on graceful boundaries, she did it to “check me out” (before becoming a client). She thought that she already had mastered setting strong boundaries. After one hour of coaching, she shared “I thought I was good at this but I learned something from every step you shared with us. I realized while I am strong at setting boundaries, I could do it in a way that I felt better about and not question myself afterward.” Setting boundaries (time, personal and business) is a key component to having all that you want in your life. But, it is a critical skill that most have not learned. And those of us who have, still have to practice it and improve continuously. Getting better at this pillar helps you to live without a lot of guilt, shame and questioning yourself. Then, we can get to the fun part – loving yourself!
Creating a Compelling Vision of the Future
Defining a compelling vision of your company reignites your passion and keeps you motivated during challenging times. Your compelling vision becomes the guiding light that steers your actions and decisions. And, as you build out a team, it does the same for them. Once we defined this with our team, my team shared that they really look forward to Monday morning. Imagine that – both for yourself and your team!
Who Wants an Immediate Win?
Every day start by listing what you are looking forward to and excited about for that day. If you can vocalize this excitement to others (daily team huddle, family breakfast, morning coffee with your significant other, chat with a girlfriend on the way to work) even better!
At the end of your day, reflect on your “wins.” Challenge yourself to make the list as long as possible, no matter how “small” the win seems. Again, if you can share these wins, even better!
Add a color to your calendar for pure joy. First, reflect on what gives you true joy – make a list so that you have a cheat sheet. At the end of each week, look forward to the next week and make sure your color for joy is there. Mine is pink. When there is no pink on my calendar, I know that I have plans to make.
Conclusion
As an entrepreneur, specifically as a fempreneur and possibly even a mompreneur, life can sometimes feel lonely – even when you are surrounded by your family, your team, your clients and your friends. I founded the Vixen Gathering to let you know that there are other women like me who get it.
Since 2012, I’ve attended Masterminds with other entrepreneurs who have become my closest friends. It’s so nice to be in a room where you don’t have to explain yourself, you get cheered on and you don’t have to apologize for being you. My dream is to bring this level of support to female entrepreneurs around the world. I hope that you received value and tips from this article that raise the level of your life.
I hope they make you feel more alive, more joyful and more abundant! And, anytime you need a reminder – please reach out to us at The Vixen Gathering. You can join our email list today, join our Facebook Group, and listen to The Vixen Voice.
Yours in Joy, Peace, Love & Abundance,
April
