One Female Small Business Owner To Another

From one female small business owner to another, I have some advice. If your business couldn’t function without you for a month, a week, or even a day, you are doing yourself, your employees, and your customers a disservice. I know because I’ve been there and I know how it ends.

I Was A Successful Female Small Business Owner, But…

In 2017, I closed my association management firm after 10 years of profitable business.  As many others do, I had believed that my business would be around forever, with or without me. I had built a successful and thriving business working with nonprofits, but because I did not build a succession plan or exit strategy, I was unable to sell my business. 

The business had to shut down because it was too dependent on me to survive on its own.  The enterprise I worked for a decade to build into a profitable and growing concern turned out to be unsustainable without my constant attention.

I wanted to pivot my business and I did, but not in an ideal direction. It would have helped immensely to have someone knowledgeable and objective look at my business and help me develop strategies and an action plan, as well as supporting me and pointing me in the right direction. 

Together We Are Better!

Part of what I needed years ago would have been a community support group, a mastermind type of team of fellow female CEOs, or business coaching. It would have been a lifeline to sell the business instead of closing it when life took a left turn. I am now on a mission to make those resources for collaborative business relationships easily accessible. 

Women are wired to grow strong in community. I am passionate about that and am part of a movement to pay it forward by helping other female leaders see potential blind spots and sidestep potential pitfalls. Together we are better!

Consulting From Another Female Small Business Owner

I have been consulting on a long-term basis with several clients and I’ve been trained in all 8 aspects of business by becoming a coach for small business transformation. SCORE requests for my mentoring happen regularly. With SCORE I help people start nonprofits and businesses, as well as those who need to take their business or nonprofit to the next level. Creating business plans is a key part of that volunteer work.

My heart is really with female small business owners with at least 2 employees or contractors, whose businesses have been around at least 3 years and who haven’t had the time to think about a succession plan. Other ways female leaders can benefit from my hard-won expertise are through workshops and masterminds and my 1-on-1 consulting. If you need insight from someone who understands being a female small business owner and knows the path to success, then I invite you to click here to schedule a consultation or join an upcoming complimentary workshop.