One of my clients makes hand pies. Before Covid, she planned to scale her business, but the pandemic happened.

She was forced away from a visionary role to operational tasks. She even delivered her product to her customer’s trunks during the height of lockdowns. 

She discovered that many of her customers have dogs. She got so much joy from seeing these dogs while delivering her goods! 

It taught me that looking for joy in unexpected places is another way to remember that we can change the narrative about our day-to-day. 

Just like we overlook small joys in our lives, we also overlook things about ourselves. Like our strength and resilience. 

Today I want to remind you of the badass things about yourself and a few simple tips to start believing it. 

Women Hold Up Half The Sky: Here’s How. 

We can do hard things. 

I channel the strength of our collective foremothers on the days when I struggle to see my own. 

• The women who gave birth at home year after year. 
• The women who bucked tradition and convention. 
• The women who supported rights they didn’t get in their lifetime. 
• The women who lived with violence. 
• The women without access to education. 
• The women that kept going, despite the weight of the patriarchy on their shoulders. 

How did they manage?

They had these four strengths that you also hold as an entrepreneur: 

We Are Resourceful  

During difficult times, a game I play with myself is thinking about other times I did hard things and how I survived despite them. 

As business owners, women are climbing uphill (especially when it comes to funding). 

Like Patrice Mousseau, the founder of Satya Organics, says: “Women in business tend to do more with less because we have less.” 

We are resourceful; we find programs that help us grow our business; we make personal decisions that work around outdated social rules. 

If you’re reading this and feeling the impact of scrounging for time, money, or support… take a few minutes to remember those times when you’ve experienced hardship. 

Not to add this one to your list of hard times, but to remind yourself that you will overcome this one too.

We Are Deeply Empathetic 

Did you know the FBI teaches its hostage negotiators to “think like women”? To be collaborative, to listen with empathy, to ensure the other person feels heard?

Those skills are framed as groundbreaking when, in fact, it’s a fairly natural tendency for many of us. 

Contrary to the “winner take all” business strategy, where business leaders wouldn’t dare show emotions, every aspect of business has an emotional component! 

So rather than shrinking away from your emotions, own them… Own your ability to make people comfortable enough to share their emotions. 

Turn the stereotype of an empathetic woman in your favour. 

We Deserve More Recognition

This relates to my point about our resourcefulness. Partly, women are resourceful because our accomplishments are overlooked. 

Take a peek at the statistics about women-owned businesses compared to those founded by men to see what I mean. 

The good news: each year, women gain more representation in different segments of society. 

We continue to get recognition for our contributions, whatever the industry. 

One way to take this process into our own hands is to support other women. We can support other women that deserve recognition by:

• Offering financial support (like scholarships, loans, or employment).
• Cheerleading their success to our own audience.
• Promoting resource services — this article about organizations in Alberta lists several resources for women business owners.   

We Are Making Changes For Future Generations 

Each of us wants to make things better for ourselves and everyone that comes after us. 

This can be for our children, upcoming entrepreneurs, or anyone between!

Because, as women, there is more that unites us than divides us. 

In my book, I wrote about an event I helped organize for my local community. The understanding was that we support each other when given an environment that brings us all together.  

Regardless of age or walk of life, if you invite women to a space where they feel authentically welcome, they bring the magic.

If you’re interested in creating a similar woman-focused event, or you’d like to learn more about women leading us into the future, I found these examples to get your brain turning:

• A non-profit organization connecting female investors with women entrepreneurs.
• 10 women entrepreneurs that are trying to change the world. 
• 13 women business founders talk about what inspired their business idea. 

How to Kick Your Confidence Up a Notch

Despite all the great qualities that unite women, we all struggle with our confidence to varying degrees. 

It’s not that we don’t have confidence, it’s that we’re facing a temporary shortage of confidence. 

Here are a few simple ways to overcome that temporary shortage.

Fill Your Knowledge Gaps

Unknown outcomes make us feel less confident about our plans. Gaining more knowledge reassures us about the decisions we’re making. 

Having a backup plan will make you confident because you’ll be less anxious about what may happen if something goes awry. You’ll be prepared. 

One way to make a backup plan is to think about the known unknowns in your life and business. Identify what you change often and why. 

Then, build a management strategy for these unknown risks. And, heck, if the awry outcome doesn’t happen, you’ve got a light workweek or season!

When In Doubt, Trust Others 

We can’t see what other people see, but we can trust what they see. 

A dear friend who reminds us that we are brave and sure-footed is seeing something about us that we may not see for ourselves, but we can trust that their assessment is right. 

If you’re still unsure, consider this an opportunity to make a few generous assumptions about yourself!  

Spread Confidence From Point A to Point B

You know how you’re great at refinishing furniture and selling it for a profit? Or how you always find a way to keep the conversation going? Maybe you decorate the best sugar cookies your son’s school has ever seen?

Think about areas where you have confidence and find common ground with areas where you feel less confident. 

Everybody isn’t #1 at everything… but I guarantee there’s something in your life that you are amazing at. Maybe it’s math or asking detailed questions or a keen eye for precision. 

Figure out why you’re great at the projects you feel confident completing. Then, find a way to translate that skill into your life as an entrepreneur. 

Reject The Narrative That You Have Zero Confidence  

The patriarchy is sneaky; it often gets us to do the work for us. 

The time we spend talking about our “lack of confidence” matches the time spent on unpaid labour everywhere. 

Instead of telling yourself that you “have no confidence,” try using fresh language when you talk about yourself. 

You don’t lack confidence, you are:

• Experiencing a lack of confidence.
• Facing a crisis of confidence.
• Unsure about the best action to take.
• More comfortable after an hour or so to prepare.
• Waiting for more information. 

The stories we tell ourselves are important—let’s aim for a positive environment instead of perpetuating a lack mindset.

Summary  

When I introduce strategies to clients, feeling confident is a hard one to wrap our minds around. 

But the simplest way to think about it is to remember that you’ve done hard things before, and you can always do it again.

If that feels like a lot, remember the countless other women who have overcome so much and picture the fuel that your strength would add to another woman’s fire. 

I also have a free download with more steps you can take to kick your confidence up a notch. 

PS: If you like dog pictures as much as my client, you’re going to love these 70 pictures. 

PPS: She’s back in her visionary role planning a massive expansion of her business!

P.S. Whenever you’re ready… here are 3 ways I can help you grow your business:

1. Grab my Guide & Workbook to keeping your cool and making money- even during a global pandemic!
Can you make money, grow your business, and survive a pandemic all at the same time? The quick answer is yes.  — Click Here

2. Book a free strategy chat
You can grow your business bigger than you imagine possible, even during a pandemic.  Here’s what will happen – we will chat about your vision for your biz, where you are right now and any challenges you are facing.— Click Here

3. I’m looking for a few specific people to join me for my live training, where we will spend 90 minutes a week for 90 days to exponentially grow your business.

Just send me a message with DOUBLE in the subject line to get more details.