On a recent episode of Influencers Radio with Jack Mize, Bonita Owens, Founder of the Amazing Women Network, discussed the common struggles and stress of female entrepreneurs and how she helps them make the transition from solopreneur to CEO.
During the interview, Owens outlines three specific pitfalls she sees facing female entrepreneurs as they try to transition from the solopreneur who does everything to the CEO focusing on growing their business.
- Imposter syndrome
- People Pleasing
- Letting Go
According to Owens, imposter syndrome is common, even among successful female solopreneurs, as they start to build a team. She explained, “When you’re starting as a solopreneur, it’s just you, and everything hangs on your own decisions, your work ethic, and all of the energy and focus that you’re putting into building your business… Then when it’s time to bring other people on board, you have to become the leader of your company in a different way. You have to be an example when you are selling your vision to them, communicate what it is you want them to do, and be able to give them constructive criticism. So a lot of women think, ‘Oh, my gosh, who am I to do this?’ But you have to express what you want from your team in a way that is definite and bottom line.”
Owens shared that one of the more difficult pitfalls some women business owners face is what she calls People Pleasing, making it difficult or uncomfortable to say NO, even in a professional environment, saying, “It can be very difficult for some women to say NO because we want to make people happy. We want people to like us. We worry about being seen in a certain light. But if you have problems saying NO and creating those boundaries, it causes lots of problems when you are building a team. I’m a firm believer that life is business and business is life. I can’t say this for everybody, but more often than not… when we have problems saying NO in our personal lives, we bring that into our businesses as well. I like to explore the struggle with why it’s difficult to say NO and help women to reframe their thoughts and stop being afraid to say NO, so they can create those boundaries when they need to make those decisions.”
The third pitfall Owens shared is Letting Go. Recognizing when it’s time to stop trying to do everything and start building a team is a critical milestone that just about every successful entrepreneur must face. It’s a decision that can mean the difference between growth and stagnation for the businesses.
Through her work at the Amazing Women Network, Bonita Owens is helping ambitious female entrepreneurs overcome these challenges so they can grow their business to its true potential by showing them how to build a team with confidence, intention, and effective communication.
As an Inspirational Speaker, Empowerment Coach, Leadership Developer, and the best-selling author of “Who Stole My Significance?”, Bonita has a unique ability to “hear beyond the surface” of issues her clients describe. Her intuitive ear and coaching style allow her to connect with clients and verbalize what they are feeling. As a result, her clients have gained clarity about who they are, what they want, and the confidence to pursue those desires.
Listen to the full episode at https://influencersradio.com/bonita-owens
To learn more about Bonita Owens and the Amazing Women Network, visit https://AmazingWomenNetwork.com