Being a small business owner can feel lonely. Unless you have a support system, it can be difficult to share your challenges and fears with people who have never been responsible for running a company. They may not understand what you’re going through.

This is why having a network of mentors and peers is so important, especially for women business owners. That inner circle of advisors, confidants, and champions is key to figuring out how to be successful.

Having mentors and fellow business owners in your corner can make the difference between struggling and thriving.

However, finding such mentors and peers can be a challenge. A recent study by Truist found that 30% of women business owners struggle to find mentors and 35% find it difficult to network with fellow women business owners. Lack of access to business owners who have faced similar roadblocks and can help offer potential solutions or paths to success holds women back.

Fortunately, it is possible to build a support network of mentors and peers. It all starts with proactively seeking out true connections with people who understand where you are and where you want to head in your entrepreneurial journey and who are willing to provide guidance.

Why a Support Network Matters

In addition to offering ideas and solutions to common business problems, an inner circle of business owners offers several types of support:

• Expertise. Mentors can offer recommendations and advice based on their personal experiences. Those “been there, done that” experiences can save you time, money, and frustration.
• Accountability. One of the most useful aspects of having peers and mentors to turn to is the opportunity for reporting and accountability. Knowing that someone is going to check in to find out how much progress you made in reaching your goals and help you stay on track can be game-changing.
• Business opportunities. Well-connected mentors and peers are often the best sources of new business referrals and introductions to potential clients. Your connection with other businesspeople exponentially increases the number of people you are connected to. It can be extremely helpful for your business.
• Emotional support. Every business owner faces times that can be scary and frustrating, just as they can experience big wins worth celebrating. Having mentors and peers you can turn to when you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to share in your excitement is also valuable to your company.

Finding a Supportive Mentor

Although the role of a mentor is to provide feedback and encouragement, often by sharing their own experiences and lessons learned, there are good mentors and bad mentors. To avoid wasting time with a mentor who doesn’t help you progress as an entrepreneur, keep an eye out for someone who has these qualities and characteristics:

• Experience in your industry or type of business
• Similar values to your own
• Has the time available to stay in touch regularly
• Able to be candid without being harsh or hurtful
• Encouraging and invested in your success

There may be other types of experiences that you’ll want to look for that would make a mentor even more helpful to you and your particular type of business, but these are some basics.

Then, where can you come into contact with people — mentors or peers — who could check some of these boxes? Here are some potential places and communities:

• Business groups. These could include those specific to women business owners, such as the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) or Chief, for C-suite women leaders, for example.
• Online platforms. Places like LinkedIn and Instagram are two places to identify potential mentors and peers and become familiar with their companies. They may not be the best place to try to start a relationship, however.
• Facebook communities. Although social media is a great way to get connected with people and to watch what they’re doing, communities are where women can support each other. In addition to WomensNet, check out Women Helping Women Entrepreneurs, as well as groups specific to your type of business.
• Business incubators. Programs established to help women business owners succeed are another source of potential connections. The NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center is one such place, as well as the Tory Burch Foundation and Y Combinator (which is not female-specific).
• SCORE. The SBA’s Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) was established to help entrepreneurs overcome obstacles and troubleshoot issues that arise; there may be a local former executive who can offer guidance at no cost.

Building a Network

To be successful as a connector, or someone who surrounds themself with knowledgeable business owners, it’s important to approach your networking looking for ways you can support others and not just expecting others to give you, a stranger, their time and talents right off the bat.

Here are some tips for establishing and nurturing a strong network of supporters:

• Give before you ask for something. That could be an introduction, an idea, or a recent news article you thought would be useful to them. But give without an expectation of receiving anything in return.
• Be clear about what you need. When you get to the point of wanting to establish a relationship, communicate what you’re looking for. Do you want a mentor to give you feedback every few weeks, or to take your call when you have a question? Do you want fellow entrepreneurs to commiserate with and share successes? Are you creating your own mastermind group that you’d like them to join? Make sure you know what you want before asking.
• Stay in touch. Make connecting and reconnecting with your network a part of your daily or weekly schedule. Don’t ask for advice and then drop off the face of the earth for a few months, only to resurface later with another request for more help. That gets old fast. Make sure you’re offering as much support as you’re requesting.
• Consistently work to expand your network. Set a goal to increase your business network by a certain number of people each week or month, so that you’re actively adding to your circle of contacts on a regular basis.

The good news is that you don’t need a huge network to get value from being connected to others. You can create a small circle of your business besties, who are there when you face challenges and cheer you on when you get a big win, or you can focus on volume, steadily building your connections until you know everyone in your industry.

There’s no wrong way to network, unless you start by expecting others to help you because you asked. A much better and more memorable approach is to start sharing your expertise and resources to assist others. They’ll appreciate it and look for ways they can return the favor, even without you having asked.

Marketing is often the tool that can make or break small businesses. The more marketing you do, effectively, the more traffic you can drive to your company and the more word of mouth you can foster. Conversely, if you don’t invest in promotional activities, it’s often harder to make your audience aware that your business even exists.

Marketing is critical.

Of course, there are myriad different types of marketing you can invest in.

Some are expensive, such as advertising (a.k.a. paid media), events, telemarketing, or sponsorships. Others are inexpensive but no less effective.

Social media falls into the less expensive category, at least at the start. You can certainly pour thousands of dollars into social media campaigns, but I’d recommend building up to that — figuring out what works for your product or service on a small scale before you go all-in.

If you’re just getting started or dipping your toe in the social media waters, here are some strategies to use that won’t break the bank but that can help generate results for less money:

Focus on one platform

You’ve probably heard this before, but do not spread yourself thin trying to be on every social media platform out there. It’s hard to get noticed if you’re only posting monthly on six different platforms, for example. A better approach is to be visible daily on one platform.

Choose that one social media site based on where your target market spends its time or is most active. If your business has a visual element, such as interior design or fine art, and your target client is a woman, Pinterest or Instagram would likely be a smart choice. Similarly, if you run a tech company or your target clients are other businesses, LinkedIn is probably your best option. You can also explore Facebook, TikTok, or Threads, to name other options.

Investing your time and resources on one social media platform allows you to build traction, boost your content more quickly, and get noticed faster.

Build a community

By attracting like-minded buyers and clients to your social media account, you can start to build a tribe, a community. With that community of fans and advocates in place, you can then encourage them to help you generate content and engage with each other. They can ask questions, offer advice, and make recommendations to others in the community.

User-generated content is less expensive for you because you don’t have to create it, and it’s more credible since it comes from people who like your products and services or have done business with you. It’s more believable than your own posts, which can be viewed as advertisements.

Although creating a Facebook group is the quickest and easiest way to build an online community, you can also build a following on other platforms.

Content batch

Save yourself time and money by spending a block of time crafting multiple social media posts that you can then schedule and drip out over time. For example, you could take short videos of various clients or of your work and then share them over the next few days or weeks. Or you could write up 5-10 blog posts in one fell swoop and schedule them to be posted weekly.

Using a scheduling app like Buffer or Later helps you plan ahead and stay on top of content creation without it having to take up time every day; that can be distracting and time-consuming. 

Posting regularly helps boost your visibility because social media algorithms prefer accounts that are posting consistently. Just don’t let it run your schedule.

Shoot more video content

Right now, videos seem to be what most platforms want to see, because that’s what users prefer. So, consider doing more video recording than writing.

Fortunately, you don’t need to invest in pricey equipment or set up elaborate photo shoots. Videos that are working the best are more casual, day-in-the-life scenarios that don’t require lots of planning and set-up. Use your cell phone to record and upload it to be edited or straight to social media.

In fact, some of the most popular types of videos are behind-the-scenes looks at your business or your work process, tutorials related to the product or service you sell, or even tips and advice to help your audience do something better. It doesn’t have to be high impact or deep, but help your audience get to know you and see a snippet of your work life.

Pay attention to your data

This holds true for all types of marketing, but whenever possible, look at your analytics to learn what’s working and what’s not before you spend more time or money to potentially give your community what it’s not interested in. Look for clues as to what your audience wants more of, to keep them coming back for more and engaging longer.

Most platforms offer free analytics that track metrics like followers and engagement. You can also see what topics seem to be resonating the most with your audience, so you can give them more of that type of content.

Today, social media is where people of all ages are spending much of their time online, so take advantage of that fact and make sure your company is findable online and that what you have on social media is of interest to your target audience. It doesn’t have to cost much but social media posts can generate significant sales for your business.

Although some users are leaving Facebook, the reality is that it is still a useful platform for connecting with customers, prospects, and fans.

By setting up a free online community, you can provide a way for curious prospects to get more information, demonstrate your expertise and credibility, connect prospects with satisfied customers, and foster excitement about upcoming products or services.

Best Practices

One of the best examples of how a free Facebook group can work is the ALDI Aisle of Shame Community, which has 3.5 million members. Although not officially run by grocery store ALDI, the group brings together fans of ALDI products to talk about their experiences in the store and with products found in the limited-edition area in the center of the store — a.k.a. the “aisle of shame.”

These ALDI superfans in the community provide product reviews, photos of products in use, and share positive experiences they have had while shopping. Approximately 99% of the posts are extremely positive and frequently spur members to run out to try to find the products mentioned.

Imagine having an online community of 3.5 million members who get together to sing your praises and encourage others to buy from you. You can’t buy testimonials or positive press like that. And that’s the potential Facebook groups provide, all at no cost to you or to your members.

Getting Started

Setting up a new Facebook group takes only a couple of minutes. 

Once you’re logged into Facebook, look on the left-hand side of your feed to find the Groups tab. Click on that and then “+Create New Group.”

After you’ve named your community, you can add a description of the group and upload an image to be the cover image at the top.

Next, you’ll want to start inviting members to join. You can do that by making an announcement from your profile, from your business page, on Instagram, via LinkedIn, to your email list, your YouTube channel subscribers, and anywhere else you have a presence.

Encouraging Members to Stick Around

Once you start to get community members joining your group, you’ll want to do things to make them want to stay. 

The more they engage, participate, and enjoy the information being contributed, the more positively they’ll feel about you and your company. And the more they know, like, and trust you, the more they’ll buy from you.

Here are steps you can take to get your members involved and feeling like they’re a valued part of your community:

Welcome them. Depending on how many new members join daily, you can either welcome them one at a time by tagging them or do a group welcome every few days.

Host giveaways. Giving away freebies and prizes is still one of the most effective ways to get new members to join, but they can also encourage existing members to stay. You can schedule a regular monthly giveaway, an occasional event in partnership with other business owners, or a 15-minute Facebook Party like business coach Kimberly Olson runs, where she gives away several of her products as well as other gifts.

Sponsor a contest. Where giveaways are typically done through a random drawing, if you want to encourage your members to take a specific action, consider running a contest with prizes. For example, if you’re a fitness coach, you could have members demonstrate how many steps they walked in a week. If you’re a writer, maybe your members need to prove how many words they wrote on a particular day. Make it fun and worthwhile by offering an enticing prize. 

Hold in-person events. Even if your community is spread across the country or around the world, in-person events can still be effective at drawing local customers in. These events can be appreciation parties, networking sessions, trunk or fashion shows, or paid coaching events or conferences.

Ask questions. The most active groups generally have a daily or weekly question for members to respond to. These questions can be serious, such as, “What’s the best business advice you ever received?” or they can be personal, such as, “What is your pet’s name?” Not only do the responses help you get to know your members better, but they can spark conversations that build community connections.

Conduct polls. Use the Poll function within the group to ask for feedback, for ideas, or to generally gauge how people feel about a certain topic. Polls can help you schedule your next Facebook Live session, for example, choose the cover design of your next book, or select which new product you’ll add to your inventory.

Record Facebook Live videos. Use video to share information live with your group, such as for making an announcement or sharing some training you’ve put together that you think they’ll find valuable. Video is one of the most popular ways people consume information today, so take advantage of it.

Use rules to reinforce good behavior. You can establish rules when you set up your group outlining what you consider to be acceptable behavior. Facebook offers some standard rules you can post and ask everyone to agree to as a condition of admission into the group, but you may want to add your own, too. Some businesses, for example, do not allow members to promote their businesses. Others prohibit political discussions.

Immediately address spammers. Despite stating what your group’s rules are up front, you will frequently find spammers who want to promote their companies or share inappropriate content. You’ll want to remove those members ASAP when you come across them so as not to irritate your legitimate members.

Encourage testimonials. You don’t necessarily want to call them “testimonials,” but invite members to share their successes, especially if they’ve had a good result thanks to your business. Ask members to share their experience, or what they liked most about doing business with you.

To stay on top of what’s going on in the group and what topics are hot buttons for the community, check in daily if you can. You can also ask others to be group moderators so that you have other helpers keeping an eye on things, too.

The goal is to attract more people and encourage useful or interesting discussions. If you can do that, members of your community will naturally want to check in regularly. Over time, the group can help educate and inform prospects and customers and position you as the expert in your market.

In opposition to the current U.S. government’s efforts to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across all sectors of the economy, grassroots efforts are springing up to express dissatisfaction with this decision. 

The first economic boycott occurred on Friday, February 28, 2025.

Consumers were asked to refrain from spending any money online or in person anywhere, with a particular prohibition toward buying from big box retailers. The goal, organizers explained, was to win the attention of governmental and corporate leaders who believe that Americans don’t care about such diversity, equity, and inclusion regulations.

Future boycotts are planned to target specific companies, to encourage those corporations to reconsider reinstating their diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and practices. Some of the biggest targets include Amazon, Walmart, and Target, which have all recently rolled back their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Now, whether you are for or against such boycotts, if you run a small business, you may get unintentionally caught in the crossfire. To reduce the damage that such a no-buy movement may cause, here are some tactics to consider trying to insulate your business from the effects of shoppers cutting way back on their spending:

Broadcast that Yours is a Small Business

Numerous activists have indicated that small businesses should be exempt from any boycotts. That is, consumers should be encouraged to continue buying from small businesses and to switch their spending patterns away from corporations and toward smaller ventures.

However, in case that message gets lost, be vocal in letting your customers know that yours is a small business and that you would appreciate their continued support. You can do this through:

• Small business signage or flags on the exterior of your business
• Signage inside your business
• A note on customer receipts
• A note on your website
• A note on your social media accounts
• A note in any advertisements

If you support diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, you may want to be vocal about that, to avoid any misunderstanding. Emphasize it.

The most important step here is communicating that your company is a small business.

Ask for Other Types of Support

If your customers opt to participate in boycotting larger businesses or to avoid spending money on those days, remind them that they can still show support for your business in several ways that won’t cost them a penny.

These include:

• Liking your shop on social media, such as Instagram, Facebook, and/or TikTok
• Writing a positive Yelp or Google review of your business
• Posting a positive LinkedIn Recommendation of you or your firm
• Commenting on your online posts to boost engagement
• Creating and sharing a post about your company on social media
• Providing a written or video testimonial that you can then share with your audience and they can share with theirs
• Encouraging their friends to shop with you

Even if your customers don’t spend their dollars during a scheduled boycott, encourage their ongoing support of your company in other ways.

Then give them an incentive to buy immediately following a boycott.

Announce a Special Promotion or Incentive

Although some customers may not be spending money during a boycott, take the opportunity to entice them to make a purchase immediately following the blackout period.

The day of or the day after a boycott, make a splash with a special offer to your customers. That could be a rare discount, a special event, or a product or service bundle that is hard to resist. 

For example, a restaurant could offer a special three-course meal for a bargain price. An accounting firm could offer a one-hour consultation to small businesses at no charge to the first 15 respondents. And a dog groomer could throw in a free nail trim with each doggy bath.

But offer it on the day of the boycott for the following day, or right after the boycott period ends.

Consider Closing During Boycotts

Granted, you can’t close up shop during every boycott, or it’s unlikely you would be profitable.

However, if you get wind that no one in your area will be shopping on a particular day, you might consider closing for the day, reducing your hours, or closing early, to reduce your labor costs when you expect no customers.

For example, if you run a bakery and have no orders on February 25th, consider closing early. Or if your nail salon has no appointments in the morning, you may want to open at noon instead of 7:00 am.

If you do that, however, you may want to remain accessible to customers online. Encourage them to get in touch with you so that you can better gauge whether it makes sense to continue closing during boycotts or if you should stay open for your customers’ convenience.

Boycotts have historically been efforts to shine a light on a particular issue or problem. At the moment, economic boycotts are being used to put pressure on corporations, but since small businesses are for-profit ventures, they can be lumped together with other for-profit companies.

Do all you can to position your company as a community asset, to reduce any fallout from consumers who are choosing not to spend money during these blackout periods.

“Unity is strength. Collaboration is power.”

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”

“Teamwork makes the dream work.”

You may have heard or seen some of these quotes before. They are fairly popular and are frequently used to rally the troops to work together to achieve a common goal, whether that’s winning a basketball game, convincing neighbors to support a local cause, or joining forces to reach a revenue goal.

The quotes can also apply to businesses that partner to achieve better results than they each could individually.

I’m talking about collaborative competition, or partnering with other businesses to attract attention and generate more business for all. Even competitors can join forces to increase demand for all the companies’ services. Because the truth is, the more you can push past the idea that other companies are direct competitors and see them as powerful allies, the easier it will be for you all to grow your businesses.

Adjusting Your Money Mindset

If you’re having trouble imagining how you could benefit from sharing information or pooling resources with the competition, you need to re-examine your money mindset.

Instead of assuming there is a small or finite amount of business up for grabs and that you need to beat out your competitors to be successful, how about reframing the situation? What if there was plenty of business for all of you? 

With that in mind — taking a more abundant perspective — you may be able to see how every business has strengths and weaknesses, even if they are selling the same products or services. Those strengths and weaknesses are differentiators. For example, geographic location can be a differentiator, as can brands carried or training workers have received.

If you can recognize that each business in your industry or space is different, you can start to see that there is enough business for everyone. You can work together to educate your market and attract attention for all the companies involved, so that you all make more sales.

For example, several gift shops in one town could band together to promote an evening of shopping for harried moms, maybe offering free child care to buyers. This helps attract shoppers to all shops in the area so that all have a chance to generate more business. Some thrift stores have been known to host a “thrift crawl” that buses shoppers from store to store during one evening. Or restaurants in one area could host a progressive dinner, with each location serving one dish.

Look for ways to partner, not put down.

Find Strategic Partnership Opportunities

The first step, of course, is brainstorming which other businesses might be strong collaboration partners. You could list complementary companies, such as those that serve the same target market as you but with different products or services. For example, if you’re a wedding destination, your target audience is likely engaged couples in your area. So, think about all of the businesses in your area that also serve soon-to-be-married couples, or online businesses that sell products that could be used at your location, such as rental linens and tableware.

Think about other businesses you’re already connected to. Is there some overlap in the audiences you serve or the products and services you provide where you could partner on some type of offering?

Local businesses have the opportunity to partner on in-person events, whereas online businesses can collaborate on virtual summits or product bundles.

But you don’t have to necessarily partner on a sales-related initiative. You could also collaborate by exchanging email lists or featuring a partner in a newsletter issue to your customers, and vice versa. 

But before you can zero in on how you’ll work together, you need to get clear about the businesses that would be a fit for your products and services, target audience, aesthetic, and reputation. If you’re a high-end provider, you’ll want to identify other upscale businesses that are serving a similar clientele.

Types of Partnerships and Collaborations

Once you’ve made a list of potential partners, you can make a list of the many ways you can work together for mutual benefit. This could include:

• Agreeing to become referral partners
• Joining forces at area trade shows or conventions
• Pooling marketing resources
• Creating a new product or service together that blends your strengths
• Hosting promotional workshops or events together

After you’ve identified businesses you’d like to partner with, the next step is contacting them to see if they have any interest in collaborating. If they are, you can discuss what you’re looking for and what they need to see if there is an overlap where you could both benefit by working together.

Formalizing Your Relationship

Even when you’re working casually with other businesses, it’s always smart to clarify what your expectations are — and for them to state theirs. That way, you avoid any problems or conflicts down the line.

You could create a formal written agreement or send a series of emails outlining each party’s responsibilities. A signed agreement is best, however.

Some of the issues you may want to discuss include:

• Whether any information shared is considered proprietary and needs to be protected
• Whether any customers are off-limits or if a referral fee will be paid between collaborators
• Preferred communication tools —will you be texting, emailing, calling, or something else?
• Expected response time — if you expect messages to be top priority, everyone needs to agree or you risk strained relationships
• How any conflicts will be handled
• How money will be handled — who is putting money in, what do they get, and how will proceeds be split later?
• Who is tracking the shared finances, if any

Before you formalize your relationship on paper, bring up these issues and make sure they are addressed and agreed upon to everyone’s satisfaction.

Start Small

It’s always a good idea to test a potential collaboration on a small scale before investing heavily in a major event or initiative.

For example, you might include a mention of your collaborators in an upcoming customer newsletter, and they could do the same for you. You could print up a custom sign for an event, such as a neighborhood shopping night, to see how things go. Or you could agree to develop a special product bundle of a limited quantity, to see how well they sell.

No matter what kind of collaboration you ultimately decide to participate in, make sure that your company or brand is on equal footing with your collaborators. Unless they are funding an event or initiative and you’re effectively a supporting partner, all of your brands should be on equal footing.

Use this startup period to set up systems for tracking results. You’ll want to be able to study your numbers to determine if it makes sense to continue collaborating or under what circumstances it is profitable for you. To have access to that data, you need to start collecting it now, from the outset.

Collaborations can be very effective ways to pool resources, attract attention, and generate sales for participants. You may not discover that sweet spot immediately, but if you find other business owners you like working with, keep testing different avenues for joint events and marketing campaigns so that you all benefit.

We hear a lot of entrepreneurs and business owners talk about “scaling.” Scaling a business is a goal for many because it involves increasing revenue faster than expenses. 

As SCORE’s Anita Campbell explains, “Scalability is about capacity and capability.  Does your business have the capacity to grow? Will your business systems, infrastructure, and team be able to accommodate growth?”

Typically, growth comes through increasing revenue by increasing production, adding employees, and addressing other capacity constraints, such as space, raw materials, shipping, etc. But revenue and expenses frequently rise in parallel – the more you sell, the more resources you need to invest to make that happen.

Scaling, however, is all about increasing capacity and sales without having to ramp up other aspects of the business. This is frequently accomplished through automation and other technology that can replace outdated and labor-intensive manual processes.

So, how can you scale and still have some semblance of a personal life? It’s challenging, to be sure, but possible if you plan for it. 

The first step is defining what scaling looks like to you.

How big do you want to scale?

Although scaling is appealing simply because sales can increase exponentially, the fast pace of growth can be extremely stressful. Yes, you can make a lot of money but at what cost? 

Maintaining control of growth is hard, so it’s smart to plan how quickly you want to grow. And you may not necessarily want to work 24/7 for the next year to make it happen.

Set realistic growth goals, keeping in mind the lifestyle you want and the other commitments and relationships you have.

Think about how you could grow your company without having to work around the clock. What would that look like? What is a stretch-but-doable revenue target? Are there certain aspects of the company you could expand that would generate more revenue without requiring a lot more of your time?

Systematize and automate

At the heart of scaling are systems and processes that make it possible to do more in less time. Automation is another key aspect of scaling, as a tool that helps you get more done with less human involvement—that’s how you increase sales without having to hire more employees.

For example, introducing a customer service chatbot on your website to help customers find answers to simple questions would be one automation tool.

Identify which processes have the biggest impact on the business. Those are the ones you should aim to automate first.

If shipping is a potential bottleneck in your business, explore how you could speed that process up. Do you need a better labeling system? A better-organized inventory system? Or something else?

On top of technology tools, think about how you can speed up your workforce.

One of the best tools for that is the creation of standard operating procedures (a.k.a. SOPs). SOPs are written instructions for how to complete a task, as developed by people on your team who are responsible for that task. With each employee completing a task the same way, your process will inevitably become faster. Not only that, but SOPs help standardize quality.

Delegate every task that doesn’t require your involvement

As the business owner or leader, you get the final say on how your company is run. But that doesn’t mean that you have to personally do everything. In fact, you should be working in the business as little as possible.

Your role is strategic, big picture.

You get to plan how your company will grow, what products and services you’ll sell and to whom, when your business is open, who you’ll hire, and every other decision that drives your business’ growth.

However, once you map out your growth plan, you can assign other people to execute it. You don’t personally have to write every blog post, for example. You don’t have to package every shipment. You don’t have to take every sales call, depending on how large your team is, of course.

As you grow, you can bring on freelancers or retain firms to fill in gaps so that you can step back from those activities and leave them in the hands of trained professionals.

Build a team

The more you delegate tasks to others, the more you discover that there are other individuals even more capable than you are to manage those tasks.

You may start adding workers faster.

Of course, the more new hires you bring in, the more you may disrupt the culture you’ve established. So don’t hire too quickly. Be methodical, adding new capabilities only when you recognize that your company’s growth is being hampered by a lack of support staff.

Early on, each new personality has the potential to wreak havoc on what you’ve built, so hire slowly and only after you’ve confirmed others can see that person fits your company culture.

It is much easier to teach skills than it is to mold someone to fit your corporate culture. Let your other workers help decide who will be the best addition to your staff.

Set boundaries

As your business scales, you’ll need to say “no” more often to ensure your business doesn’t overrun your life. To maintain time for non-business activities, you’ll need to set boundaries.

Some entrepreneurs use time blocking to plan how they will spend each hour of their day, starting with carving out time for family and friends. For example, if you are a volunteer one day a week at a dog rescue, you’ll want to start planning your week by putting that on your schedule first. Whatever is going on in the business that day will need to stop or get put aside once your volunteer time arrives.

Or maybe you’ve committed to your partner or children that you’ll be home for dinner each night. That means leaving work by a certain hour each day and not scheduling meetings that go past that to protect that time.

If your biggest challenges come from clients rather than family, you may need to alert customers that you are not available to them after a certain hour of the day or on weekends. Then, don’t respond to their texts or answer their calls. Demonstrate that you have prioritized personal time.

Carve out and then protect time each day for people and activities that have nothing to do with work. 

Choose new opportunities carefully

It is easy to get pulled in the direction of growth for revenue’s sake.

The faster you see your sales increase, the more growth you want to achieve. However, not all growth is good growth, and not all opportunities are a good fit for your business.

Sure, they may generate revenue, but if they will stress your employees or require you to provide more hands-on oversight, they may not be worth it.

The whole concept of scaling is that your business will grow without requiring more of your direct involvement. Don’t go backward just to boost revenue. It’s not sustainable long-term.

Look for passive income opportunities more than anything, and say no to opportunities that will only propel you forward if you invest more of your personal time.

That won’t support work-life balance.

Commit to regular self-care

Your overall well-being will determine how successful your business is.

As a leader, if you are wiped out, stressed, and stretched to the limit, your business cannot grow, and it certainly cannot scale.

To be able to lead a fast-growth venture, you need to be clear-headed, energized, and optimistic. You won’t be that if you’re spending too many hours at work and not taking care of yourself.

On a daily basis, make sure you are building breaks into your schedule so that you get up and walk around and have conversations with other people. A business is a community, and you should aim to be part of it.

Schedule time to take care of yourself, whether that’s a regular workout, massage, or nap. You know what your body needs to perform at its best, so make sure your schedule is built around that.

Be realistic with yourself about what you can get done in a day, a week, or a quarter. This is a marathon and not a sprint.

Creating a business life that supports a personal life is the only way to scale effectively.

If you’ve taken any time to look at the caliber of WomensNet grant winners, you know they’re impressive.

The monthly Start-Up, Business-Specific, and Amber Grant award winners all run businesses that meet a market need and demonstrate skill, perseverance, innovation, and dedication.

If that sounds like you, you’re on the right path to being seriously considered for a grant.

Within the WomensNet Facebook community, we often receive questions about how winners are chosen, why one entrepreneur is selected over another, and what applicants can do to improve their odds of success.

So, here are some tips on what many winning applicants have in common:

These attributes are not necessarily requirements, but they signal to the advisory board that if given funds, the entrepreneur has a solid plan to use that money wisely to start or grow her business.

That’s a core question: How will grant money help you grow your business?

If you’re looking for money to repay a large loan, catch up on months of back rent, or otherwise “save” your business, applying is not the best use of your time or money.

Grants are generally not given to companies struggling to survive unless the difficulties are related to a larger issue, such as a pandemic, for example.

However, if your business growth is limited by something you lack but can control — such as equipment, space, raw materials, or personnel — a grant might be able to fill the gap.

What We Look For

These are some things our advisors look for when evaluating applications:

1. Share a clear vision for your business

We love to see companies created out of a passion or skill, to leverage the entrepreneur’s talents, interests, or experience.

Make it clear what your business is offering, why it’s important to you, and the market you’ve identified as needing or wanting what you’re providing. Quantify that market as best as you can.

Businesses that exist “to empower other women” or to serve the local community aren’t providing a specific enough reason for their existence, nor a path to profitability. The vision for what the business is selling is unclear in these instances and are, for that reason, not as strong as it could be.

2. Tell us why people want your product or service

Within the application, we want to see that the entrepreneur has a fair idea there is demand for their product or service. This can consist of market research results if the business is not yet up-and-running or it could be historical revenue data the business owner shares to show rising sales.

We’ll even accept anecdotal evidence. We get a lot of “I took my product to a local market, and it sold out in one day” type of stories in winning applications.  Anything you can show in support of that, of course, would be a welcome addition.

3. Must have a motivated business owner

Although this is more nuanced, our advisory board is also looking for indications that you’re more than capable of running a successful business. To support this, you could talk about your track record of success thus far within the business or in previous businesses you’ve been involved with.

But also tell us why the business is special to you. Was it inspired by a family member? Is it the result of your love for the product or a discovery you made on your own? What’s behind your excitement for your business and your commitment to its success?

4. What do you plan to do with the grant money if you win?

Applicants who can provide clear explanations regarding how they would use the grant funding — including dollar amounts or ranges — are on the right track. State the planned use and the total cost.

Some applicants note their plan to use the funds for X, such as a new piece of equipment, for example.

But if the grant won’t cover the majority of that expense, you need to make clear how you’ll make up the difference. Asking for $10,000 to use toward a $70,000 machine, for example, when you don’t yet have the remaining $60,000 is a hard sell.

Conversely, if the grant will more than cover your primary investment, also disclose how you’ll spend what is left over. For example, if you want $3,000 to print up another run of profitable workbooks or planners, what will you do with the remaining $7,000? Tell us.

4. Reapply when…

Another question we hear repeatedly has to do with reapplying for a WomensNet grant.

Your best bet is to apply again when something has significantly changed for the positive with your business.

In fact, we typically don’t allow women entrepreneurs to apply more than once a quarter because we want to see progress. A positive significant change might include a big customer contract that you could use help fulfilling, a dramatic increase in ongoing revenue due to a new initiative, or an award won that is driving more traffic to your website, as examples.

As the FAQs on the website explains, “We’re looking for qualities like passion, business savvy, and vision. Women who believe in what they’re doing tend to make us believers, too.”

There are currently around 505 million podcast listeners in the world, with that figure increasing steadily by about 20 percent per year. There were 3.2 million podcasts as of early 2024 and more than 150 million podcast episodes. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts are currently the top three platforms from which listeners stream their podcasts of choice.

The point of sharing all these numbers is to make you aware of the huge opportunity podcasts provide as a marketing tool. Whether you are planning to start your own podcast or not – which is a lot of work – you can still explore opportunities to be interviewed on existing podcasts.

Being interviewed on podcasts whose target audience aligns with yours can be an effective way to boost your visibility and awareness. As a guest, you also benefit from the enhanced credibility and authority of being perceived as the expert.

However, given the vast number of podcasts out there it may seem overwhelming to try to identify those that would be appropriate for you. Fortunately, there are a number of services and communities that can help.

Finding Podcast Guest Opportunities

Although you may want to start by casting a wide net to get onto any podcast, that’s only a good idea early in your podcast career. 

Gaining experience on podcasts that your target audience is unlikely to hear could be a smart strategy to become comfortable with the medium. That way, if you make a mistake or say something embarrassing, it’s unlikely to hurt you.

Some of the most popular free and low-cost tools to explore include:

MatchMaker.fm

Jon Coogan, host of Mindset Mavericks, describes MatchMaker.fm as “user-friendly…where both hosts and guests connect.” Guests can create a profile to showcase their expertise and to identify podcasts that may be looking for experts like them. You can try it free for 30 days and then pay $15/month if you opt to subscribe.

Coogan says that he has used MatchMaker.fm to expand his reach as a guest. “By searching for podcasts that aligned with my expertise and experience, I connected with the host of Leaders in Disguise,” he said. “They invited me to their video studio for an in-person interview, where I shared insights from my entrepreneurial journey. The episode lifted my profile and introduced me to a wider audience.”

PodcastGuests.com

The free version of PodcastGuests.com offers registrants a weekly newsletter service that shares podcast guest opportunities. There is also a paid directory available, to make you findable by podcast hosts.

PodMatch

“While PodMatch isn’t free, it’s a highly targeted tool that’s worth considering if you’re serious about getting on podcasts,” Coogan says. “It matches hosts and guests based on interests and expertise, saving you time and helping you find the perfect fit with minimal effort.” The current cost starts at $29/month, though there is an upgrade available if you want more exposure to potential podcast hosts.

Facebook Groups

Sheena Yap Chan, host of The Tao of Self-Confidence podcast, recommends joining free and paid Facebook groups dedicated to connecting hosts and guests; the hashtags #beaguest and #needaguest are the ones to search for, she says.

The top three she recommends are:

Need a Guest – has 39.9k members 

Podcast Collaborate – has 18.6k members 

Podcast Guest Connection – has 12.8k members

Participation in these groups has netted her invitations to be a guest on other podcasts.

TikTok

Coogan says that “TikTok has been a surprisingly effective tool for connecting with podcast hosts. Many share videos about their show and the type of guests they’re looking for, using hashtags like #PodcastGuest or #PodcastOpportunity. He recommends creating short videos to introduce yourself and your perspective.

LinkedIn

While you’re checking out TikTok for podcasts, don’t overlook LinkedIn, where podcast hosts also share information about their shows and the types of guests they’re looking for. Since LinkedIn is a business platform, you’re more likely to find business-related podcasts.

A Low-Cost Marketing Tool

All of these tools and platforms can help you zero in on podcasts that may be looking for someone with your expertise, background, or experience, but you need to be clear about what will benefit you most. Which topics do you want to be known for? In which industries do you want to make headway? How do you want people to think of you?

These are all important questions to be clear about before you start researching and applying to be booked as a podcast guest. Despite the fact that most guest opportunities are free, podcasts can be powerful tools for shining a spotlight on you and your business.

As 2024 winds down and we look ahead to 2025, attracting new business opportunities is likely at the top of your to-do list. Creating new revenue streams, finding new clients, and building new products are just some of the ways you can generate more business next year.

But before you start bringing in new business, set aside some time to clear out the clutter that is no longer serving you. Believe it or not, taking action to get rid of physical clutter can have a major positive impact on your business.

Benefits of Decluttering

In addition to the positive energetic boost many New Age practitioners say accompanies clearing out clutter, there are several other benefits of decluttering:

Save time

The less stuff you have to sort through to track down a misplaced object or document, the less time you’ll waste on a daily basis. Stephanie Winston, author of The Organized Executive, says that managers waste about an hour a day looking for things; that’s 12.5 percent of a 40-hour week!

Save money

Extrapolating from Winston’s hour-a-day wasted looking for lost things, that equates to more than $8,000 if you’re paying yourself a $65,000 annual salary. 

On top of all that lost time, there is money spent replacing that thing you’ve been searching for. Can’t locate your calculator? After a certain amount of time looking, it’s likely you’ll just place an Amazon order to deliver a new one tomorrow. But all those duplicates add up and can cost you serious money.

Finally, losing track of bills also costs money. According to Harris Interactive, 23 percent of adults claim they pay bills late and incur fees and penalties because they lose them. Business owners who pay bills late can see their buying power decline and the cost of borrowing money increase.

Save space

The more extra stuff your business owns or stores, the more you’ll pay for space, either to squeeze in more equipment or more storage. Conversely, the more clutter you can clear out, the lower your space requirements and the more money you can save. 

Do you really need an entire room filled with filing cabinets, for example? If not, can you repurpose that space to prevent your company from outgrowing it too soon? Look for ways to reclaim space previously taken up by stuff from which your business isn’t benefiting.

And if you do clear furniture, décor, and old office equipment out, you can claim a tax deduction if you donate it to an eligible nonprofit. That way you’re also reducing your tax bill come April.

Improve focus

Clearing out unneeded items in your office can have a positive effect on your ability to concentrate. Fewer visual distractions improve the ability to focus, according to Psychology Today.

If you can see all the potential benefits of decluttering but aren’t sure how to begin, follow these steps to get started.

First steps

No matter how bad your clutter situation is, you can make a serious dent by following this advice:

Start small. Pick a small space to work on, rather than getting overwhelmed by tackling too much. For example, clear out a desk drawer or the top of a filing cabinet rather than attempting to clear out your entire office in one fell swoop. Keep the task manageable.

Single touch. Commit to touching each item only once. It has been said that clutter is caused by delayed decision-making, so when you pick up something, decide what needs to happen to it and then move it there. If you’re going through paperwork, for example, does that paper need to be filed, tossed, shredded, handed off to someone else, or acted on? If action is required, set it aside in a pile or file for that purpose. Otherwise, put it where it belongs or give it to someone who can take care of it.

Digitize. Where paper is concerned, consider digitizing it to be able to find it faster in electronic form and reduce the amount of space it takes up. You can purchase a physical scanner or download a scanner app to your phone to convert hard copies to electronic form.

Keep going. Once one space is cleared, move on to the next.

Decluttering is never really done, since there is often more debris and litter that can be eliminated. Make decluttering an ongoing process; you could make it a quarterly task. 

And as new items enter your workspace, commit to removing an equal number of items to keep clutter at bay. That means every new book, notebook, or pair of scissors requires that an existing one be removed. The same goes for furniture, wall hangings, and other décor items.

Clearing clutter from your office or workspace will make it easier to find things, prevent spending money on duplicates, and improve your ability to focus and think strategically – all of which will help you become a more successful business owner.