Elaine Rau is the BOSS. The boss of all things BLOG that is! She’s the woman behind LadyBossBlogger.com and she share stories about female entrepreneurs from all over the world, documenting their journeys in order to inspire and encourage other ladypreneurs. Her desire is to fill the media with stories about powerful women and change women’s mindsets about themselves.

Obviously, we’re digging those vibes! So we sat down with Elaine to talk about her entrepreneurial journey and what she’s learned over the years.

What is your favorite part of being an entrepreneur? Having complete control over how I spend my time. When I'm feeling inspired I like to work all day long, when I'm not feeling motivated, I like to go on month-long vacations. 

What ignited the spark in you to start your business? It was circumstantial. I was stuck in Honduras and needed to find a way to make money online, so I started LadyBossBlogger.com to learn how to become a lady boss and a blogger and that is who I became! You can read the full story on the Huffington Post.

In one word characterize your life as an entrepreneur. Fun!

What is the best advice you’ve ever received? The only people who aren't successful are those that quit.

What sacrifices have you made to be a successful entrepreneur? In the first year of my business, I had zero social life because I would work on my blog from 6 am to midnight every day.

What advice would you give to your younger self? You are more capable and stronger than you think. There will always be someone who can't see your worth, don't let it be you.

Where do you find inspiration? My audience and what they need from me.

How do you handle fear? By doing things I'm scared of a little bit at a time. For example, I used to be TERRIFIED of being on video. So I faced my fears by finally accepting video podcasts requests. I scheduled 3 of them in 1 day and forced myself not to cancel them. For the next 2 years, I would face my fears of being recorded little by little until I started to feel more comfortable on camera. Then I started recording short 1 minute videos for my Instagram campaigns on @elainerau. This year I just launched my very own Youtube channel @LadyBossBlogger and @ElaineRau - both of which are works in progress, but it's a huge leap from where I was!

What would you do with one extra hour in the day? Sleep.

What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful business owner?

1. Optimism - when no one else is cheering for you, you need to be your own best cheerleader

2. Delegation - you don't need to do everything yourself, what you do need to know how to do is who you can turn to

3. Discipline - if you want to be your own boss, you must be very disciplined with your time

When you’re not working, what is your favorite way to spend your free time? I like to host parties at my house such as potlucks, game nights, etc.

What is your big goal for the next phase of your business? I am speaking at more conferences this year (so that people know I'm a real person) which I will be recording and posting on my YouTube channel @LadyBossBlogger.

Learn more about Elaine Rau and her work at LadyBossBlogger.com.