Introduction
“Just do it” Just start the business. Be that cool, tech-savvy entrepreneur who just quit their job and then starts their entrepreneurial journey.
I don’t know about you ladies, but I never thought that was very realistic. More importantly, I could never relate to it.
Oh, I’m Maria-Katarina Johannesson by the way, or you can just call me “Maria” or Linksandmaria. I am not one of those cool entrepreneur people.
I am a female business owner who is still trying to find her place. And honestly, it’s quite a lonely place to be, which is why I believe communities like IWNE play such an important role.
I am still on my journey, it’s a bumpy one (especially since I have this not always very charming trait of being a perfectionist, which sometimes means focusing on the wrong things).
In this article, I want to share some of the things I have done and are doing as a woman trying to “make it” (whatever that means).
I will finish each section with a “steps” part so you can learn how I did each step/my thought process. While my field is digital marketing, I think most of what I will talk about can be applied, even if you’re into something completely different.
The Underrepresentation of Women in Business
Being a female entrepreneur is not easy. In my circle of friends, there are almost no female business owners. If we zoom out a little, women are significantly underrepresented in the business world.
And if we look at women-funded companies, they only receive about 2.3% of venture capital funding (ibid). To top it all off – the whole work-life balance equation adds a lot of additional stress.
No, I’m not saying “pity us,” I’m just saying that there is (a lot of) room for improvement.
For more plants, for kinder plants. Sort of like that monstera plant that I had to be extra kind to when the leaves started to go all yellow-brown-ish.
Building the Courage to Start
To start a company is one thing, to keep going is another. If I’m going to be completely honest, it was actually a huge step for me to even start my own business (my specialty is link building/digital PR). I had all sorts of doubts in my mind, almost like “Was I even allowed to do this” – ME!?
The whole concept of starting (and running) a business for me was so heavily connected to those cool male “Internet gurus” who just quit their job and made 6 figures next Tuesday.
That honestly scared me. And I’m most certainly not cool (I’m a big plant nerd).
And I forgot to mention, I had to make it perfect. That made me postpone even starting the business for a year (again: was I allowed to do this?). I ended up feeling paralyzed and I took minimal action.
This may seem a bit random, but what did help me was to find “kind activities” that were not business related.
I became more involved in mindfulness, started knitting and nurtured my already big existing plant interest. This allowed me to pause and made room for some kind of balance.
Step 1
Acknowledge your fears about starting a company, (especially if you are surrounded by friends and family who have more traditional 9-5 jobs).
It’s normal to feel uncertain and confused when starting something new. Write down your fears to understand them better.
Embrace “kind activities” – engage in activities that bring you joy and relax you. When you start to compare yourself with all those cool people that are 100,000 steps ahead of you – these activities will help you maintain a balanced and healthy mindset.
Maybe most importantly, start small! Break down your goals into smaller, manageable tasks. This will make them less overwhelming and more achievable. Consistency is key – it’s better to do a few things often than to do a lot once in a while.
LinksandMaria the Perfectionist…
My native language is Swedish, and in my perfectionist mind, this was a huge problem. I always felt that I wanted to target the English-speaking market because it’s waaay bigger than tiny Sweden.
However, I postponed that for 2,5 years because I convinced myself that people wouldn’t take me seriously due to my Swedish accent. It wasn’t until I met my current mentor that I realized maybe I could target an international audience.
He has taught me a lot of things (and he always cracks me up during our meetings). One of the things he told me early on (and keeps telling me) was “no one will care if you post something strange, if you say something a bit off”.
When I was trying to craft the best outreach email and was thinking for 2 hours whether I should try one version or another, he said to me “just send out 50 emails of each type and see what happens”. I really needed this perspective because I felt that I had built a wall between myself and my future company.
I’m not going to lie, it’s still a bit scary to jump on a call with someone whose native language is English. But this approach of “just do it” has helped me a lot.
Step 2
“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”. If you feel stuck behind the perfectionist wall, ask yourself this question. This can help you come out of that very limiting headspace.
Another key thing is to really acknowledge your fears and doubts. When do they come up? Can you notice any triggers? When you write them down, you separate yourself from them – they don’t “belong” to you.
Share your fears with a friend, mentor or a support group (plants also count! 🙂 ). Sometimes just saying something out loud helps a lot.
Keeping the Momentum
Like I said in the beginning of this article, to start a company is one thing, to keep going is completely different. What has helped me is to be able to answer the question “why do you want to do this”.
Tying the business perspective with the emotional aspect has given me a clear purpose that goes beyond “making money”.
I like to view it as building resilience. During these 2 years or so, I have been starting and building my business, I have been faced with many different challenges, and I have kept going. When I got my first backlink, I shared it with all the different communities I am part of.
It’s those small things that have kept me going.
Step 3
Stay focused on your goals, make them visible and review them regularly. Break them down into smaller, actionable steps in order to make them more achievable. This will help you maintain clarity and direction.
Celebrate small wins! This is a big one! In order to stay motivated, you need to recognize (and ideally share with people who will cheer you on) the progress you make. Celebrating these moments will boost your morale and keep you going.
Reflect on why you started your business and what drives you. Connecting with the emotional aspect of your journey will help you when confusion and doubts hit. Knowing your “why” is your anchor.
Networking and Community Support
One thing I did early on was to join several communities in order to feel less lonely and to talk about my journey. And by this, I mean in a very honest way, sharing both my struggles and what is going well.
To this day, I am part of a business group that meets every Thursday. During this meeting, we talk in an allowing space about what is going well, and what is not going so well.
Most of the time, I am the only woman there. But that is okay because these meetings give me a sense of “I can do this” and remind me that I am not alone.
Step 4
A sense of belonging is key! I know that the time aspect can be tough (especially if you’re still on a full-time job, have a family, etc), so what online communities are there?
The point here is not to find women who offer the exact products or services as you. It’s rather to join a community where you can, in an allowing space, share what is going on in your journey, and others will understand.
A community that can challenge you, lift you up and maybe more importantly, stay with you when the perfectionist gene says you can’t do this…
Staying Updated and Adapting
I have a tendency to get into tunnel vision (I think this is a side-effect of being a perfectionist). This means that when I have started something, I need to finish it; otherwise, I feel like I have failed. This makes it hard for me to let other perspectives in, and it’s something I work on.
With AI coming into the picture, SEO and digital marketing are changing fast (and will continue to change). So at least once a week, I go on to LinkedIn and read about current market trends and thought leaders in the industry. It’s a sort of “check-in” so I don’t put in all this work for nothing and can stay competitive.
Step 5
Set aside time each week to review industry trends to stay informed. This will help you create strategies and stay ahead of the curve. Be open to learning and adapting new strategies, and try to adapt a mindset of continuous learning.
Take online courses, attend workshops, and network with people you look up to and who inspire you.
Listen to the market – pay attention to customer feedback and what your competitors are up to. Use this information to adapt your own strategies and offerings to better meet the needs of your audience.
And as for the tunnel vision – regularly step back and assess the bigger picture. Are there new trends or opportunities you might be missing? Stay open to change and be willing to adjust your approach as needed.
Conclusion
Starting and running a business as a woman is difficult. But if we all can acknowledge our fears, embrace kind activities, stay focused on our goals, and build a supportive network, we can navigate the ups and downs of the entrepreneurial journey.
Never forget the importance of “why” – keeping your purpose clear and your motivation strong.
Your journey is uniquely yours. Embrace the challenges, celebrate your wins, and keep pushing forward with resilience and determination.
And don’t forget the kind plants:)
