I often get asked the question…“What is your best advice for business owners?”

I love answering this question because it’s advice I really wish someone had shared with me early on.

So here are 3 things I wish I’d known sooner...

It’s ok to NOT have the answer, even when you’ve been running your business for years.

I used to spend a lot of time worrying about looking stupid or being judged by other people for not having answers. I would often say “I’ve got it!” when I really didn’t, which sent me scurrying to Google and trying to cobble together resources and responses.

The truth is that I was afraid that saying “I don’t know,” meant that I wasn’t credible or didn’t have what it took to do my job. It felt like having all the answers was somehow a prerequisite for being a “worthy” business owner, which today sounds absolutely comical. 

I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t need to. I am not the expert in all things, and I don’t have to be EVEN NOW. 

But I do need to be good at recognizing where my knowledge stops, and someone else’s begins. That means sometimes saying “I don’t know, let me look into it!” 

Instead of digging through the unedited, unfiltered, unvetted pile of crap that is Google, I go straight to the source. If I want good answers, I go to good people to help me, especially those people in my inner circle & mastermind group.

So my #1 tip for business owners is to spend way less time Googling and far more time building your inner circle and network. The people you develop relationships with become your vetted sources for meaningful answers to your most pressing questions in business.

Having faith and belief in yourself goes a long way.

There’s a famous quote that says “Doubt will kill more dreams than failure ever will”. I believe that wholeheartedly because I lived in that doubt-ridden space for a very long time.

When I started my very first business, like so many of you, I was ecstatic! It was a big moment and I felt so excited to be pursuing my dream.

But during the course of those first few years, I made a ton of mistakes. I made bad decisions. I invested in the wrong things. I spent too much money. I partnered with the wrong people. I didn’t trust my gut. I didn’t sell nearly as much as I wanted to or thought I would.

Every mistake felt like a failure, and I spent a lot of time beating myself up for making those mistakes. I was so used to “getting things right” in my corporate job that I felt really defeated and I started to wonder if I had made a mistake opening a business.

Looking back now, I see it more clearly. I didn’t yet have the “evidence” that I was going to make it, but I also didn’t really believe in myself. I let my own negative self-talk override the part of me that knows I can work through hard stuff.

I still have moments of self-doubt and fear in my life & business. But now when it arises, I simply ask myself 1 question…

Do you have faith in yourself to figure it out?

That answer is always YES. I know at the core I am a great problem solver, just like you are, because that’s central to being an entrepreneur.

So my #2 tip for business owners is to start fostering your own faith & inner belief in your own ability, and start tuning out the rest of the noise! Your mindset is everything!

Actively seek out the company of other business owners who have a similar mindset, drive, and goals as big as yours!

As a business coach, I have a keen interest in human behavior, and I especially love watching what happens in groups. 

Think about your closest friends. Have you ever noticed what happens when one person starts to complain? Before you know it everyone has piled on and is trying to one-up one another on how bad they have it.

Conversely, notice what happens when one person levels up. Let’s say one of your friends decides she wants to train for a 5k and she’s really excited about it. Suddenly everyone is feeling more inspired and begins to share their own goals.

Do I want to spend my time around people who love to complain, or gossip, or otherwise bemoan the success of others? Hell no. And this was a big mistake I made in the early days.

I really underestimated the power of the people around me. When I spent time around people who vibrated at a low energetic level, it brought me down! And I noticed it was causing me to think more negatively about myself.

Today I surround myself with people who inspire and encourage me to go big, especially the women in my mastermind groups! The support they offer is beyond just the superficial high-five. These are people who truly celebrate my success, while also being there to catch me on days when it doesn’t go according to plan. 

So my tip #3 for business owners is to actively seek people who CAUSE you to level up. You are capable of far more than you know, and it often just takes the right people around you to foster that transformation.

In many ways, Hatch Tribe became the solution for these challenges I experienced early on. It’s a place to ask questions and get good answers. It’s a place where we remind you to trust in yourself. And it’s a place where you’ll always find encouragement to level up and go big in your business.

Hatch Tribe has been such a force in my own life. I created this community because I, like many of you, felt really alone and isolated in my experience as a business owner, and I knew there had to be a better way.

I love our TRIBE. I love watching each and every one of you grow. I love celebrating your successes. I love watching you learn. I love answering your questions. I love seeing you celebrate other women. I love that we are real AF, building badass businesses, and being badass friends.

If you’re craving that kind of connection and support, I encourage you to check out our mastermind group.

The CEO Society is an elite mastermind group for established women entrepreneurs & business owners who are on a mission to increase their income & impact…and RISE into their highest potential!

Learn more & apply to join today! Spaces are limited and we’re already more than 50% full for 2022!

Remember this…

You are capable of FAR more than you realize right now. Get in the company of others who are breaking through their own preconceived notions of what’s possible, and it will be hard NOT to level up!