Become a successful women-preneur

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. 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.

Be patient

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.

Whilst your long-term plan and goals are important, so is setting yourself achievable and impactful actions that you can accomplish in the short-term. This could be ensuring that you send out monthly newsletters or marketing campaigns to your customers or subscribers, adapting your business model in response to changing circumstances, or even partnering up with local businesses.

Being an entrepreneur means having an agile and accommodative mind while backing your own instincts and insights. It is important to sustain your ambition with perseverance, underlined with patience and prioritisation.

Follow your instincts

On starting her corporation, legendary American businesswoman Lillian Vernon once remarked, "It was a risk. I had a husband and I was pregnant with my oldest son. But I don't look at risks the way other people do. When you're an entrepreneur, you have to go in feeling like you're going to be successful."

Learning to trust your instincts is another important step along the entrepreneurship journey. Making mistakes is part of the process, but so is learning from them. Rather than allowing mistakes to slow you down, build on them.

It's really important to keep trusting your instincts, especially in those moments when you find yourself questioning your decisions or wondering if you have the ability or strength needed to continue. All businesses need some trial and error, so don't be afraid to try. If a decision doesn't work out the way you expected, learn from it. You will find that your own skills grow with your business.

Continuously learn and adapt

As your business grows and times change, it's important to allow your business to adapt and grow in response to market shifts. Not allowing yourself to get too comfortable and continuing to learn is one of the most crucial entrepreneur tips from women who have been working for decades.

This can be especially important if you feel that your business needs a refresh. Keep trying to find new ways to keep your business fresh and relevant and be sure to reach out to your customers using new technologies, platforms, and events. Continue to make new connections, meet new entrepreneurs, and share experiences and skills via workshops and conferences.

Know your audience

If you want your business to succeed, you need to have a clear understanding of who your customers are and the best ways to reach them. Think carefully about your target audience and explore different ways to provide not only great services or products, but also a memorable and high-quality experience.

Solve one problem at a time

Women entrepreneurs are especially skilled at multitasking. However, sometimes focusing on one specific problem at a time can be the best solution, allowing you to break problems into smaller, achievable steps that you can focus on and resolve. Prioritising effectively and maintaining focus are extremely important skills to learn as an entrepreneur.