10 WAYS FOR WOMEN TO WIN AND SUCCEED IN BUSINESS

Women in business are well aware of the various challenges, women, in particular, face. Whether you are self-employed or working for a boss, you may feel like people doubt your abilities, qualifications and skills. Although you know that you are a hard worker and will give your best, your dedication may be constantly questioned.
More and more women are venturing out on their own to start their own businesses for some reason. Many just don’t want to put up with the gender politics and sexism in the workplace anymore. A lot of others go the entrepreneurial route because it offers them flexibility, enables them to do what they want and helps them fulfil their full potential.
Today as we celebrate International Women’s Day globally, we want to look into the various ways women in business can overcome all challenges they face in their day-to-day activities and how they can win and succeed.
Follow these top tips and you will find yourself winning and succeeding in your field:

BE CONFIDENT IN YOURSELF:

One of the downfall of many business and professional women is the “Superwoman Complex.” Once you recognise yourself as a strong woman and accept this fact, your job will get a whole lot easier. Tell your story through your business and believe in yourself. Every successful person needs a dedicated support team. You don’t have to do everything yourself, trust your team to do the work, after all that’s what you hired them to do. If you are an entrepreneur or small business owner, a great way to expand your staff is by engaging college students as interns. They can provide that extra help when you need it. Additionally, don’t rule out family and friends. Do not wait until a project is fast approaching its deadline, if not it will choke you up. Remember that delegating empowers others and allows you to focus on the future.

HAVE A MENTOR

Surround yourself with trail-blazing women in business with real-world experience not only to inspire and motivate you but who provide you with learning opportunities through their own experiences. There is a lot of information and “how-to” videos on the internet, but this can be extremely overwhelming and generalized. Most women don’t know how to start a business, talk to investors or what the next step is that they need to take in their careers. Don’t try and do everything yourself. Find a mentor. The good news is that there are women out there you can learn from, who already conquered many pitfalls in the business world. They will be able to shorten your path to success by learning from their mistakes. They will help be able to introduce you to their already established networks.

STAY POSITIVE ALWAYS AND LEARN TO ACCEPT CRITISIM:

A negative attitude will never yield positive results. Having a positive attitude helps you to succeed. Surround yourself with positive people who will encourage, inspire, support and motivate you. They will carry you through the tough days and cheer you on when you feel like giving up.
Criticism always hurts, but you must learn to soften the blow because getting feedback is an extremely important factor as part of the learning process on your road to success. When you do get criticised try not to get angry or retract into your shell. Rather learn to view criticism as being potentially beneficial to your growth. This will also help with improving your interpersonal skills. Take the positives out of the criticism.

BE CHEERFUL:

Research shows that laughter affects health, creativity, relationships and the quality of life. When your day gets too high-stress, lighten up! Lightening up the workplace reduces conflicts and stress and builds teamwork and productivity. Being happy and cheerful is great for morale. Making your staff and customers happy is good for business.

BE UP-TO-DATE IN THE TRENDS OF YOUR INDUSTRY:

Staying informed about what is happening in the world and in your local community and industry, is critical to your personal and professional development. No matter what business you are in, current events impact your industry and your clients. Do not be caught off guard. Read up on the current news and be in with the flow.

BE GENEROUS TO YOUR STAFF, YOUR COMMUNITY AND YOURSELF:

Reward yourself and your employees for hard work and success. Take time to give back to your community through volunteer work and charitable contributions. Winston Churchill once said, “You make a living by what you do, but you make a life by what you give. Remember, it’s far better to give than to receive.

TAKE CALCULATED RISKS AND TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS

Fear is natural, especially fear of the unknown. The President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, once said:
“The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.”
Success doesn’t come to you, you have to go after it. Take well-calculated risks and don’t be afraid to fail. Women often end up with a lot of regret that they did not take a chance because they were too scared of failure.
Also, trust your instincts. In business, there will be lots of times when you just need to trust yourself and follow your heart. This does not mean you should just blatantly ignore warnings or facts. It’s good, however, that businesswomen should cultivate and learn to balance their intuition with sound advice and logical thinking.

NEVER STOP LEARNING AND INNOVATE YOURSELF:

Learning and growing both personally and professionally is a lifelong process that drives our creativity, intelligence and ambition. Make it a priority to take courses and adopt new techniques that help you and your staff think out of the box. Innovation and reinvention are the order of the day. Set aside time for brainstorming and idea sharing. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to try new things and introduce yourself to new people. When you forego investments in yourself and your staff, you run the risk of allowing complacency to take root.
By learning new skills and technologies, you make yourself more valuable, you improve your confidence and self-esteem and you become a great role model in the business world.

TAKE OUT TIME FOR YOURSELF:

Get some exercise, read a good book, take a hot bath or socialize with friends and family. Your work is important, but it is not everything in life. Appreciate all that life has to offer, and your energy will radiate at work, at home and through everything you do.

IN CONCLUSION
Patti Stanger, Founder of Millionaires Club International once said, “The secret to being a successful woman in today’s market is to walk to the beat of your own drum, listen to your intuition, and always follow through. If you plan on taking on a partner, follow the three C’s rule, which also applies to finding a mate: communication, compatibility and chemistry, for without that, your venture won’t succeed.”

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY