Almost every female founder I’ve spoken to recently has said that they’re overwhelmed. They’ve used that exact word.

And with the overwhelm has come an inability to think about their situation and make decisions about what to do (or not).

When everything is urgent, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s most important, what truly needs to be done.

They call it “paying attention” for a reason. As a woman business owner, there is a value attached to your attention in terms of:

1. Your time;

2. The information you take in; and

3. By default, the activities you are then choosing not to do and information you’re not letting in.

Your attention is one of your most valuable resources.

As a female business owner, you have two resources available to make your magic and grow your business...

Time + Money.

Yes, you have your talent - your unique blend of expertise, experience, and passion that makes you, you - but to fully realize that in service of your vision, you need to effectively manage these two commodities.

Here’s why knowing this matters.

There are business lessons for small business owners everywhere you look if you look hard enough. This includes tennis.

I am a big fan of Grand Slam Tennis, which once each summer, means Wimbledon.

Every year, there is one breakout player — a highly unlikely competitor who breaks through for the first time. This year that player was the 27-year-old American, Christopher Eubanks.

Call me what you want ... a business coach, advisor, strategist, consultant. The work is the same.

We start with your vision -- the ideas you have for the next phase of your business --and everything on your must-do list to make it happen.

Then, we develop the right sequencing and generate your tailored action plan, so you know what to do now, next, and later (and sometimes never).

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that I’ve been consulting with female business owners for over 10 years. Over that time, I’ve seen and done so much while working with clients and running my own business.

With that in mind, here are 10 lessons that I’ve learned in hopes that they'll save you time, money, energy, and sleepless nights running yours.

Almost 20 years ago, I decided I needed to go back to school. Literally.

My undergraduate degree was in Chemical Engineering — big on math and chemistry, but literature, not so much. Having started to take writing classes at the time, I realized I was woefully under-read. And this bothered me — a lot.

So much so, that I began researching truncated Master’s programs that would round out my education in the way I desired, and further, do so in a place I wanted to live (read: abroad).

sim·plic·i·ty

noun — “the quality or condition of being easy to understand or do.”

I have a thing for simplicity.

When I listen to someone describe a situation, plan, or process that is complex, that has numerous moving parts (people involved, expected outcomes, steps to complete, etc.), I can l feel the brain cells of my prefrontal cortex firing off, and not in a good way.

One of my favorite business podcasts is “How to Fail with Elizabeth Day.” In each episode, she normalizes failure on the path to success with guests from every walk of life.

She’s on Season 17. Clearly, if you’re a female founder and you’ve failed anywhere along the way, you’re in good company. Why so many seasons and so many failures? Because the truth is nobody knows, with 100% certainty, what will work (and what won’t) until they try.

Here’s how to get comfortable with this more positive approach to failure.

There is only one you. And you need to own it.

Recently, I needed to remind myself of this fact because as a female solopreneur, this is a case of “the cobbler’s children have no shoes.” Let me explain.

Fifteen months ago, I wrote a blog post titled, “Female entrepreneurs, you are unique.” In it, I talked about clients who think the market is crowded and wonder why they should bother, as it’s already been done before, likely better than they ever could.

Learning to say “no” is key to running a successful business.

I recently witnessed one of the most positive outcomes possible with a client I have the privilege to be working with … I watched them walk away from potential business.

Maybe it’s not what you would expect me to share here, but there’s a reason I’m doing so. As there is a lesson here:

Not all business is good business. Really. Truly.

There’s power in knowing your numbers.

I teed up this post a couple of days ago and then a request for assistance showed up in my feed.

The basic gist of it was: a female founder has a growing business and is at the point of needing to bring on team members to help serve her clients, and she is wondering how to address this in terms of financial forecasting.

I was so darn happy to see the question because this is exactly the right way to look at it.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had several conversations with remarkably smart and talented women business owners about confidence, or rather a lack of it.

con-fi-dence [kon-fi-duhns] - noun

“Belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities.”

When I interact with these fierce female founders, I see nothing but power and ability and possibility. And I want them to see the same in themselves.

The topic is Generative A.I. (think ChatGPT) and how we might think about it in terms of our businesses.

It’s been coming up on monthly coaching calls with my 1:1 clients. And I’ve seen it written about in every online publication, several blog posts, and social media captions, and heard it discussed in videos and on podcasts.

Most experts believe that this moment is on par with the creation of the Internet as we know it. A sea change is coming, and every business owner needs to get up to speed.

As a fellow female business owner, I know what it's like - you have a new client opportunity and you're excited! Your initial call went well, you totally vibed, and you want to send a proposal - ASAP. Let me know go on record with this - one conversation or meeting is usually never enough.

Rushing to pitch a B2B client can lead to missed opportunities for research, understanding, and relationship building - all necessary for a solid proposal that is well-received by your potential client.

Here are 5 signs you’re pitching too soon.

As a business coach for smart, savvy female entrepreneurs, one of the questions I’m often asked is, “Should I launch an online course?” And my usual answer is, “Well, that depends.”

Online programs can be a fantastic way to expand your reach, generate passive income, and make your knowledge more accessible to a wider audience.

But there are several factors you need to consider when deciding whether it makes sense for your business and, based on these factors, the right formats and tools to create and successfully deliver your course.

You’re an overwhelmed solopreneur. You’ve got too much on your to-do list. You're ping-ponging between trying to build a social media presence, nurturing your email list, rewriting your website, posting on your blog, starting your podcast, and actually serving your clients.

Your attention has been pulled in a million directions and you're pretty sure that none of them are getting you closer to where you want to be. You think, “I need help.” Now is the time to outsource some of what I’m doing to be able to grow my business and still have a life.”

I don’t know about you, but as a female business owner, this concept has been a tough one for me.

Because, as much as I believe (and share in my social posts), that “there is only one you, with your unique set of life experiences, expertise, passions, and interests,” sometimes it’s difficult for me to “take my own medicine.”

If you’re a female entrepreneur with a specific revenue goal for the year, you spend a good amount of time and/or money trying to generate new leads for your business.

After 10 years of consulting with just women like you, here are the lessons I’ve learned — both personally and through my 1:1 client work.

The business lesson. This story stayed with me. I took its staying power as a sign — there was something more to mine here.

And it got me thinking…

How can you use the time you have available during the week to create more of it for what you love to do…