Entrepreneurs

How to Build Self-Confidence in Business & Trust in Yourself

Posted on by estherspina


Overcome Self-Doubt and Insecurity with 3 Helpful Tips from a Business Mindset Coach



By, Esther Spina

Business Coach for Ambitious Businesswomen & Female Entrepreneurs

Inspired by Chapter 14 of my Amazon Best-Selling Book, 

The Ambitious Woman,

What It Takes and Why You Want to Be One,


“LIVE A CONFIDENT LIFE!”



Are you FROZEN IN FEAR and afraid to take that next step in your career? 

Do you have big dreams, but you’re not sure you have the right skills or experience to succeed?


Are you afraid to work for that next  promotion because you’re not sure you can do it?


All the successful businesswomen I’ve mentored, battle with self-confidence issues at some point in their careers.

In this article, I show you what you need to know to combat over-thinking and fear. This frees you up to sail into your future with conviction and style!






1. Stop Overthinking by Shaking Things Up

Do you have a hard time meditating or going to sleep because you can’t get your mind to turn off? Are there a million thoughts running through your head at any given moment?


As a women’s business coach, I know you have a lot on your mind, and it’s hard not to focus on multiple things at once. It’s how you get stuff done. But it’s also how you get trapped in overwhelm, unable to see a clear path forward.

Signs you’re overthinking include:

  • Worrying all the time about things that haven’t even happened yet
  • Beating yourself up for making “mistakes”
  • Procrastinating because you’re afraid of making the “wrong” decision

So how do we stop our racing minds and start being open to growth?

I encourage you to go out and try something you’ve never done before. Take up a new hobby, try a different exercise style, or go to a city you’ve never been to before. This puts you immediately into a beginner’s mindset for learning. It prepares you for handling the unexpected.

This way you’ll see anything that happens in business as an opportunity for learning. You won’t beat yourself up when things don’t go as planned. Because we can’t control everything. Instead, keep your mind open to learning and you’ll become more adaptable to change.

When you allow yourself to be flexible, you become bulletproof to events beyond your control. This includes recessions, pandemics, and normal business downturns. And you’ll build confidence in ways you never could have imagined!



2. How to Reframe Negative Thinking & Take Action!

To overcome a lack of self-confidence in business — mindset is everything.

I coach women in business to re-wire negative thinking patterns and to expect positive results.


Habitual thoughts turn into beliefs, which turn into actions or INACTION.


If you’re thinking of starting a new business, career path, or promoting, fear of the unknown can be crippling.

Worrying about everything that could go wrong stops you from taking any action at all.


The businesswomen I work with in my mindset coaching programs suffer from perfectionism and self-critical thinking. These traits are a natural result of their ambitious natures. The same characteristics that propel you to the top work can destroy your self-confidence if you let them.

Instead, it’s better to get started and take any step forward. There’s no way you can think ahead to everything that could go wrong and prevent it. This is why a beginner’s mindset is so important so you can learn through trial and error.

For example, I had a thriving online baby clothing business until the economy slid into a recession. Then I had to unexpectedly shift gears and reinvent myself. It was devastating at the time, but the resiliency I developed gave me so much confidence. And my next business was even more successful.


I also experienced what felt like many betrayals in business. It hurt when partners I considered friends left to pursue other opportunities. I felt like I’d failed as a business owner at the time. I now realize that’s just a natural part of life and evolution. Things change, but these experiences had a silver lining . . .


Without these personal “failures,” I wouldn’t know how much I could handle on my own.


Thanks to these challenges, I became more self-reliant, which helped me gain confidence in myself. When you build this trust in yourself, you’ll feel invincible when business changes occur.



3. Fake it Til You Make It! — The Secret of Confident Business Women


Confidence is about perception. This means that as long as you appear confident, people will believe you are.

Many seasoned performers or speakers still get stage fright, but they know how to walk onto the stage appearing confident.


And, you know what? The audience can’t tell the difference. When they hear the applause, the confidence they were pretending to have becomes real. 


Katy Perry said, “If you’re presenting yourself with confidence, you can pull off pretty much anything.” (From the article, 51 Self-Confidence Building Quotes for Women of All Ages)


Every time you show up and put yourself out there you build confidence.


The only way to gain self-confidence is through experience and there’s no better time than the present. Taking that first step is a confidence booster in itself. Get started even if you don’t feel “ready.”


If you wait to be 100% ready, you’ll always be on the sidelines.


Don’t expect perfection, especially your first go-round. Expect that experience will teach you everything you need to know to get to where you want to be.


The most successful businesswomen in the world didn’t get there because it was smooth sailing to the top. They got there because they experienced setback after setback and kept moving forward.


When you successfully navigate obstacles, you naturally build faith in yourself.



And the more you create trust in yourself, the more others trust you too.



If you’re struggling with self-confidence, reach out to me. I’ve helped many businesswomen overcome self-doubt to achieve their goals.


Always Ambitiously,



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Are You Overwhelmed with Daily Business Tasks?

Posted on by estherspina

How to Stay Consistent in Business Without Burning Out



By, Esther Spina

Business Coach for Ambitious Businesswomen & Female Entrepreneurs

Inspired by Chapter 12 of my Amazon Best-Selling Book, 

The Ambitious Woman,

What It Takes and Why You Want to Be One,

“LIVE A CONSISTENT LIFE!”

For a limited time for Christmas,

get the book and audiobook CD for free (just pay $3.95 for shipping!)

“Be consistent. Little acts create great accomplishments.” — Uneeka Jay


If your list of Post-It notes is a mile long and you’re struggling to keep up, know that every successful businesswoman has once been in your shoes.

Maintaining and building a successful business can seem like a mountain of responsibility without the right plan in place.

I want to help you find the balance between growing your business and taking care of yourself so that you can maintain your goals for the long term.

In this week’s blog, I give you 5 tips for staying focused on the small steps it will take to get where you want to be as an ambitious woman or female entrepreneur.


1. Develop a Set Daily Routine You Can Stick To

Most successful entrepreneurs and female founders have a consistent daily schedule. For example, they may start with a morning routine including meditation to clear the mind, followed by a workout, then a healthy meal. They have this down to a science, and often, timed down to the minute.

Here are some examples of consistency in morning routines from top female CEOs and entrepreneurs.

While your routine might not be so regimented, I encourage you to think about how you structure your day and put a set plan in place that you can commit to doing regularly.

Of course, there will be times when you need to be flexible, but having a plan will prevent you from slipping into unproductive habits like mindless social media scrolling that distract you from the necessary tasks of the day.

Find the habits, hobbies, and schedule that works for YOU. Simply copying someone else’s morning routine may not work for your unique needs, and if you don’t enjoy it, you won’t stick to it. A brisk morning walk or light stretching to clear your head may work better for you than a drill sergeant-style workout class if you’re not a morning person and that’s OK!

Another strategy is to get the task you dread the most out of the way first thing in the morning. This way you won’t spend your valuable energy procrastinating and worrying about this task all day. Free yourself up to get to the other things on your to-do list with more vitality and energy. 


2. Mind Your Mindset for Business Success

It’s easy to get busy with your day-to-day tasks and forget to check in with how you are feeling and where your energy level is. Overworking becomes harmful when you have a lack of balance, which leads to full-on business burnout.

As a business coach for women, it’s not uncommon for me to meet female business owners and entrepreneurs who are working 60 hours a week and running themselves ragged for the sake of achieving their goals.

But, at what personal cost? 

If you’ve read my book, you know that I am an ambitious woman too, but if you wear yourself down to achieve your career goals, you won’t be able to enjoy the fruits of all your hard work.

Whatever helps you release excess tension, make sure you build time into every day to do it so that taking care of yourself first becomes a priority in your life. And when you do, I promise your business will benefit as a result.


3. Get Regular Support From Women Who Understand (Even If They Are Online Mentors)

Listening to your favorite female entrepreneur or businesswoman, on a podcast, YouTube, or TED Talk, keeps you on track and inspired, but do you do it regularly?

When you listen to your mentors, you realize that most successful businesswomen are not overnight sensations. They just stuck to the small daily habits that ensured their eventual success.

Those mundane tasks you don’t look forward to are the ones that will make all the difference. It’s all about consistency and daily needs repeated over time.

Join a Facebook or Meetup group for female business owners, and you’ll see that many women are facing the same struggles and occasional setbacks to motivation that you are. You will feel less alone and get valuable tips and resources from women who have overcome the same challenges along the way.


4. Delegate and Automate As Soon As Possible

Many of the tasks you are doing now you can either delegate or automate.

This frees your time to grow your business, instead of spending your time maintaining your business.

Look at ways you can outsource your smaller tasks to a VA or find systems that allow you to put them on autopilot. Preserve your energy for reaching your next business goal instead of expending it on simple chores that are not the best use of your valuable time.

Female billionaires know this secret — your time is the most valuable resource you have.

Putting systems like this in place allows you to stay fresh and concentrate on expanding the part of your business you love. Don’t look at it as an expense. Investing in your business is not an expense, it’s a necessity. 


Fun downtime with great friends!

5. Don’t Forget To Schedule Your Downtime and Time Off Too

As much as you need to make a routine to check your business needs off your to-do list, setting time aside to simply R-E-L-A-X is just as important. 

Give yourself one FULL day a week away from work and do whatever you want. Spend time with family and friends, lounge around watching TV, or on a day trip to forget about work. This is your day to do YOU.

More importantly, don’t feel guilty about your time off and stop telling yourself I “should” be working. Truthfully, you’re more productive when you return to your work relaxed, refreshed, and with a clearer mind to make important business decisions.

Take vacations when you can, even if they are staycations. This article, Why Business Owners Should Be Strategic About Time Off, mentions, Americans are taking less and less time off and as a result experiencing more burnout, fatigue, and depression than ever before.

Get more mindset tips and inspiring stories of women who never gave up and reached their dreams in my business book for women,

 The Ambitious Woman, What It Takes and Why You Want to Be One

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 

Get the Hard-Copy Book and Audiobook CD for Free!

Just pay $3.95 for shipping!!!




Keep the book for yourself and give the audiobook to a friend for free!

In my book, I share the hard-won lessons I’ve learned as a business owner and entrepreneur who has reinvented herself many times over. This includes how I overcame the recession, failed business ventures, and the mental roadblocks that prevented me from living the life of fulfillment and personal satisfaction I now enjoy.

And, if I can do it, you can do it too!

Until next time, stay consistent and remember that it’s all the little things that add up to BIG success.

3 Ways to Stay Humble in Business & Why It’s So Important

Posted on by estherspina


Advice for Successful Female Entrepreneurs and Leaders from a Business Coach for Women




By, Esther Spina

Business Coach for Ambitious Women & Female Entrepreneurs



Inspired by Chapter 8 of my Amazon Best-Selling Book, 



The Ambitious Woman, What It Takes and Why You Want to Be One,



LIVE A HUMBLE LIFE!



We’ve all been in that boardroom or meeting when someone’s ego has taken over and they can’t stop praising their own achievements. Their pride is out of control and no one else can get a word in edgewise.



No one wants to be that person, but how do we keep our ego in check and our feet on the ground as our business grows?



In this blog, I’ll share tips I’ve learned for professional humility and explain how it ultimately helps your business to grow.



As a business leadership coach and mentor, I know that humility in leadership is very important to see continued success. Read below for 3 ways to keep your feet on the ground and maintain the respect of your teammates and business partners.




1. Humble Leaders Give Credit to Others Where It’s Due



In my book, I mention that no one becomes successful alone. Even the most successful female entrepreneurs and CEOs have a team of people behind them supporting their vision. So, when we reach our milestones of success, it’s important to acknowledge the other people who helped us get there. 



This can be as simple as buying lunch for your support staff when you hit that once elusive goal. It can be acknowledging your go-to person in the next meeting to show them how much you appreciate their efforts. Or it can mean giving an unexpected bonus to someone whose hard work was crucial to achieving your desired outcome. 



Humility in leadership means you don’t take all the credit for your wins.



Humble leaders listen more, which ultimately leads to business growth when the trusted feedback of other team members is taken into consideration. No one makes it big by living in a silo and ignoring trusted opinions and feedback.



As businesswomen and female entrepreneurs, we are all better off when we get different perspectives to make our business decisions as informed as possible.



Strong, humble, ambitious women uniting at the AWC to learn and support one another.



This article by Forbes mentions a study that found that “humility in CEOs led to higher-performing leadership teams, increased collaboration and cooperation and flexibility in developing strategies,” all of which leads to more success in business. It also mentions teams show more productivity when leaders ask for their feedback and focus on their needs.



Female leaders and entrepreneurs who are humble know they don’t have all the answers.




2. Humble Leaders Acknowledge Their Mistakes and Know What They Can’t Control



Do you have a hard time acknowledging when you’re wrong or admitting your mistakes? If so, you could be compromising your humility in the eyes of your team. You are likely also compromising your business’ potential for fear of being seen as a failure. 



Learning not to take perceived failures personally and to take them as learning opportunities is a hallmark of humility.



If you’re not making mistakes it means you’re not taking risks. 



This also means allowing other team members or employees to make mistakes without fear of condemnation or consequences.



That way you create an environment for growth and experimentation that is a breeding ground for success, instead of a place where people feel nervous, uncomfortable, and hesitant to share their ideas. This limits innovation and ultimately your business growth.




3. Never Forget Where You Came From as a Business Leader



As you gain success in your career as an entrepreneur and businesswoman, it’s important to remember where you started.



It’s so easy to become obsessed with getting ahead and to forget how far you’ve come.

Helpful advice for successful female entrepreneurs from a Business coach for women and author of The Ambitious Woman book for success in business.

Taking time out to be consciously aware of how much you have achieved and how humble your beginnings were puts everything into perspective and allows us to have an appreciation for all we have in the present.



Think back to when you first started and ask yourself — What fears have I overcome since then? What milestones have I accomplished? What obstacles did I overcome?



Reviewing your past wins keeps you humble because it reminds you that the road to success was not always easy. We tend to forget how many challenges we’ve fought through as women in business and keeping the past fully in mind keeps us grounded and open to learning.



If you want to learn more about female business leaders who inspire me with their humility, pick up a copy of my book,



The Ambitious Woman, What It Takes & Why You Want to Be One

Get either the book or CD for the low price of $6.99 each!



And now, for a limited time, you can share the gift of inspiration with a friend for free . . .



Get a FREE audiobook for you and a friend when you refer a fellow Ambitious Woman to our mailing list!



All you have to do is email me at [email protected] with your name, your friend’s name, and where to send the audiobooks. Each of you will get the CD absolutely free (while supplies last) with no further obligation. That’s how easy it is! 



Let’s grow our Ambitious Woman circle together. 



The #1 Predictor of Success in Business

Posted on by estherspina

Read below to find out and get 3 quick tips to stay focused as a successful businesswoman and female entrepreneur.

By, Esther Spina, Business Coach for Ambitious Women

Inspired by Chapter 5 of my Amazon Best-Selling Book, 

The Ambitious Woman: What It Takes and Why You Want to Be One,

LIVE A DETERMINED LIFE!

I believe determination is the single most important predictor of a business owner’s long-term success. You could have the best business idea in the world, the most ingenious invention, but if you don’t have the drive to see it through the inevitable pitfalls and mishaps along the way, it won’t make it to the finish line. And the world needs your vision and innovation!

So, what does determination mean anyway?

Merriam Webster says the definition of “determination” is “the act of deciding definitely and firmly,” and, “the firm or fixed intention to achieve a desired end.” Notice the common term — “firm.”

Practically speaking, being determined means you’ve made up your mind about what you want and are unwavering in achieving your end goal.

Not that even the most successful businesswoman or female entrepreneur hasn’t struggled with self-doubt or fear along the way. As a business coach for women, I know we all have moments in our journeys as entrepreneurs where we question whether we have what it takes.

Determination doesn’t mean a lack of doubt, it just means you keep going despite your fears.

In this blog, I give you three simple tips for staying determined no matter what happens in your career or business. And a lot of it has to do with goal setting for success.

My hope is to empower you as a career-focused woman to stay on track with your goals and to eventually reach your dreams! 

Below are three simple but highly effective ways to stay determined and stay the course for long-term business success:

1. Set a Timeline for Your Goals & Stick To It

One mistake I know I made early on as a  female entrepreneur was not setting a timeline for when I would achieve my goals. Without a set end date in mind, your dream is just an ethereal idea somewhere out there in the future, instead of a real concrete plan that forces you to set realistic steps into motion.  

It can be a year from now, two or even ten, but fixing that date in your mind gives you something definite to plan towards. Then you just need to break down smaller steps for how you’ll get there. 

Take a moment to brainstorm, how long will it realistically take for you to get to where you want to be?

Every business will be different — for example owning a brick and mortar store will take much longer than a virtual online store.

The good news is that, according to these stats on entrepreneur success rates, the number of businesses started by entrepreneurs that fail in the first year has never been lower. Only 20% of new businesses, in fact, close in the first year currently, and that’s a 30% decrease in failure rates since the ‘70s.

So be encouraged! This means, you are statistically far more likely to succeed than fail as a business owner or entrepreneur!

The above article also mentions that the #1 reason most businesses fail is not because the entrepreneur or founder failed, but because there was “no market need” for the business.

This is proof that if you stay focused on your goals and refuse to give up, success IS possible!

But as a business and leadership coach, I also know it’s important to realize that things don’t happen overnight either. As we know, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and impatience can also be a dream killer.

To be successful as a female entrepreneur or businesswoman you have to stay focused on the end goal, but give yourself time to get there too.

You wouldn’t expect a flower to bloom the day after you plant the seed right? You have to water, nurture and tend to your dream, but know that when you do you’re setting yourself up for business success.

2. Make One SPECIFIC Goal You Most Want to Achieve

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you put too many objectives on your plate at once. As a business coach for women, I highly suggest setting one big goal and working towards it. And NEVER giving up.

As Tommy Lasorda, former manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers famously said, “The difference between the possible and the impossible lies in a man’s determination.” And in a woman’s determination, I would like to add!

So, what is that ONE THING you really want to do? Once you’ve spent some time pondering that or journaling about it without restriction as to what’s “possible” or not, then ask yourself — why not? That big dream is just as valid as any other idea you have that you’re not as excited about, so why not pursue your ACTUAL goal?

Sometimes we talk ourselves out of the one thing we want most because it is “too big,” “too hard,” or we “don’t have enough money.” But what if you just said you were going to go for it no matter what it took? All of the rest will sort itself out when you get on the determination train and refuse to veer off course.

3. Network with Other Successful Businesswomen to Stay Determined & Focused

Not only does networking give you much-needed moral support, but it also helps you learn from other perspectives and allows you to stay positive, especially during difficult times. Finding a supportive network of other like-minded businesswomen and professionals in your field is crucial for surviving the normal challenges of running your own business.

When you expand your network, you’ll  find other women in business who have been through exactly what you’re going through. They’ll give you helpful business advice to keep you from giving up right when you need it the most. I know, as a long-term entrepreneur, how important it is to have a circle of successful businesswomen that I trust around me to keep me strong when the chips are down.

We all have those times when things are just hard, then we start getting discouraged and wondering if our dream is EVER going to happen.

This is why I started my Ambitious Women Conference so that like-minded career women could come together and lift each other up. I can’t wait to get started with these in-person meet-ups again and help empower women to stay determined and on track for success! Stay tuned to my new website above for the latest updates on these exciting networking and business woman empowerment events.

If you want to read more about staying determined, grab a copy of my book, The Ambitious Woman. Get it at a discount on my site here before it goes out of print.

Read inspiring stories of women who gave it their all and overcame great adversity to realize their dream business against all odds. These were determined, Ambitious Women, and I know you are too!

***FREE BONUS JOURNAL OFFER***

For a limited time when you order my book, you get the accompanying Ambitious Woman Journal for free! Keep track of your favorite highlights from each chapter in one handy place and reference them whenever you need inspiration. Get one for yourself or gift one to another Ambitious Woman today.

How to Ditch the Daily Grind & Go For Your Dream Life

Posted on by estherspina

6 practical steps to move confidently towards the lifestyle you’ve always imagined!

By, Esther Spina, Business Coach for Ambitious Businesswomen & Female Entrepreneurs

Inspired by Chapter 4 of my Amazon Best-Selling Book, 


The Ambitious Woman: What It Takes and Why You Want to Be One,

LIVE YOUR DREAM LIFE!

This week I want to talk about the power of your imagination to make a new reality for yourself. Your most cherished dreams are not only POSSIBLE, they’re also completely ACHIEVABLE! In this article, I talk about how to move past your fears and any sense of limitation that is holding you back from getting to where you want to be.

Because your dream life is out there waiting for you to claim it.

1. Recognize When You’re Not Living for Yourself or Living a Smaller Life Than You Could Be

It’s so easy to get caught up in a life that isn’t of our choosing when we are busy surviving. As female entrepreneurs and businesswomen, we juggle a lot of demands — trying to make ends meet, building our careers, and providing for our families. When was the last time you slowed down enough to ask yourself —

Is this the life I want?

Is this the career field I want to be in?

Is this where I need to live to make my dreams come true?

You may be so busy that you don’t even realize you’re stuck in habitual patterns and a lifestyle that is keeping you from reaching your highest potential. You may even feel hopeless or like you’ve lost sight of your biggest dreams.

Maybe you took a job with more security but still dream about having the freedom of an entrepreneur, with the ability to set your own schedule and work from anywhere. And some days that just feels like a pipe dream that is far from your reality. I’ve certainly been there myself.

With all of our daily chores, routines, and tasks, it’s challenging to hold the vision of our long-term goals. But, the good news is, it’s never too late to refocus on your dream life. All it takes is a commitment to making it happen no matter what.

Give yourself hope by taking one practical step towards your wildest dream today.

This could be as small as purchasing the domain name you’ve been thinking of using for your business, contacting a real estate agent to scout possible office locations, or writing the outline for the book you’ve been thinking of. As ambitious women and career leaders, we tend to think about all the moving parts we need to put in place and then get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work and/or money it will take. 

Instead, take one small action and the momentum you generate will carry you forward to heights you can’t even imagine now!

2. Give Yourself Permission to Dream BIG & Don’t Limit Your Potential as a Businesswoman

Do you know in your soul what you want to do but feel the dream is just TOO BIG to achieve? 

Take a minute to ask yourself what do I REALLY want to do? Try not to think about the potential barriers, just think, if there was ONE THING you most wanted to achieve before you die, what would it be? Maybe you’ve even been dreaming about it since you were a kid.

When it comes to dreaming we have to go back to our purest intent, don’t put limitations on your dreams before they’ve even had a chance to be planted and germinate into a fully-bloomed flower. If you’re going to put your energy into something new, it may as well be the thing that makes your heart beat a little faster when you think of it.

One great way to gain clarity on your true soul’s purpose is to journal or draw. Try free-form writing words that come to mind when you think about what you’d love to pursue if there were no external factors. You can go general like “location-independence,” “be my own boss,” “have the freedom to spend my day however I want,” or be specific like, “be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company,” “have a successful brick and mortar bakery,” “create an online course that makes passive income.” You can also try drawing the blueprint of your ideal location or finding an image you relate to that helps you materialize that feeling of being on top of the world.

Use the Ambitious Woman Journal

to keep track of your thoughts and ideas while you’re freshly inspired.


The journal is a free gift with the purchase of my book, but you can also get the journal alone for just the cost of shipping here.

This exercise helps you narrow down your focus so you become clear on your end goal. It also opens the creative side of your brain and allows you to dream bigger and think outside of the box. 

And whatever comes up — I promise that dream is there for a reason. You were meant to do it. That’s why it came to you. You’re the one that can see it through or it wouldn’t have occurred to you in the first place. It’s your destiny!

Now that you have your big picture in mind, how do you get started without getting overwhelmed and giving up?

3. Take the First, Small Step Towards Your Business Dreams

What do most successful female founders and CEOs have in common? They chose to take action towards their dreams even when the path isn’t crystal clear. These ambitious women trusted everything to work out and, more importantly, they trusted in themselves to make it happen, no matter what obstacle arose in their path.

We all have one dream that stands out to us more than the rest, but how many of us actually GO FOR IT?

You may think it’s impossible, that you don’t have enough capital to get started, or that it will take too long, but if not now, when? I talk about the concept of “someday “ thinking in my book, The Ambitious Woman, and how it keeps us stuck in what’s comfortable and familiar. 

There comes a point when we have to say NOW is the time, even if it is a little scary and daunting at first. If it scares you, if the mere idea of it is terrifying and exhilarating at the same time, you’re probably on the right path.

As Neale Donald Walsch said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” 

If you’re comfortable you aren’t growing and if you don’t push yourself into the unknown, you will never know how much your life could have expanded. Take it from one ambitious woman . . .

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” — Anais Nin

4. Tell The Right People About Your Goals for Support & Accountability

The second we speak something into existence it becomes more tangible and, thus, more possible! Find someone you trust and tell them about your passion project. Soon, you will see this energy gain traction as other people bolster you up and help you to believe it is a worthwhile endeavor.

Another great way to start the ball rolling on your idea is to seek out collaborators and others who complement your goals as a creative, enterprising businesswoman.

However, one caveat here — make sure you don’t share your dreams with naysayers who are afraid to take chances in their own lives and make you doubt your goals. Some people will not understand and usually, these people are living smaller lives than they could be enjoying. Only share your vision with people who are also striving for more in their own lives, people who will encourage you and uplift you.

No one succeeds in a vacuum – it’s important to find your tribe and to surround yourself with other people who support your vision.

Try online networking sites like LinkedIn or Meetup to find like-minded career women, or join a networking conference like my Ambitious Women’s Conference when possible. Meeting other female entrepreneurs and businesswomen who are reaching for higher goals for themselves will keep you inspired and push you to succeed. And, usually, they are surprisingly accessible and nurturing!

When we surround ourselves with people that are striving for greatness in their own lives, suddenly our dreams don’t seem so unattainable after all!

5. When Failure Isn’t an Option You WILL Find Another Way

I mention in my book that my son David said to me once, “I fail to let myself fail.” When we refuse to give up on our dreams we become a powerful FORCE to be reckoned with. I’ve learned that even when the avenue I choose doesn’t work out, there’s always another way.

There’s no need to fear failure because if you trust in yourself to be adaptable and find creative solutions, you truly can get through anything.

Stay focused on the outcome you desire and you’ll be surprised at what lines up for you. Then you simply follow the path of least resistance to get there. I am a big believer in the Law of Attraction and your power to draw to you exactly what you desire and expect. So, make sure you keep those thoughts positive and watch as things work out surprisingly easy for you!

6. Get Advice from Business Books Every Woman Should Read

Dream to Destiny, by Robert Morris — This book, written by my pastor, is about believing each of us has a divine destiny, outlined by God, and that we have ten tests to pass to achieve it.

Break Out, by Joel Osteen — This is about “breaking out” from the feeling of living an average, mundane life and how to overcome the barriers to find your most authentic, fulfilling purpose.

The Ambitious Woman, my book including the 3 “DON’TS” that keep you from pursuing your biggest dreams, from the chapter this blog was inspired by. Get tips that helped me stay focused to succeed and read inspiring stories from other successful businesswomen. My book is available at a reduced rate on my website for a limited time below, I hope you enjoy it!

All Ambitious Woman readers can now get my

FREE BONUS JOURNAL

to keep inspiration handy at all times!

Order my book, The Ambitious Woman, now and get the bonus journal that accompanies each chapter for FREE! Or get the journal alone for the low $2.99 shipping cost here.

Keep track of your inspired thoughts in one convenient place and have them available anytime you need a little extra boost of motivation!

5 Empowering Mindset Tips for Successful Female Entrepreneurs & Businesswomen

Posted on by estherspina

Guidance from a Business and Leadership Coach for the ambitious woman who is ready to take charge of her career and scale her business towards greatness.

Inspired by Chapter 3 of my Amazon Best-Selling book,

The Ambitious Woman: What It Takes and Why You Want to Be One,

LIVE AN ACTION LIFE!

By, Esther Spina, Business Coach for Ambitious Women Entrepreneurs

1. Write Your Goals Down to Focus Your Mind on Business Success

According to this article, you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. This will help you pare down what you want to achieve so you can prioritize. 

What is your big picture plan? Start there and then break it down into smaller steps you will need to achieve the long-term goal.

We tend to be perfectionists as businesswomen. This process will help you stay focused on what you need to do in the short term, without losing sight of the end goal. Lower anxiety by getting all of those ideas out of your head and onto paper where you can see them clearly.

Once you do this you will be better able to make day-to-day decisions by making a schedule you can stick to. And this doesn’t have to be a boring process. Make it fun with a cute planner that keeps you motivated like one of these.

This will help you narrow your focus so you can level up and stay on track for your goals. It also grounds them in reality and allows you to see them as possible, not just abstract thoughts in your head.

2. There is No Such Thing As Failure – Only Lessons Learned and Times to Pivot

Some of what you may consider your biggest failures are just springboards to a better future. If you take the trying times as lessons and an opportunity to pivot your business instead of ruminating on what “went wrong,” it may open new doors of opportunity for you to an even better career than you could have imagined before.

I give an example of this in my book, The Ambitious Woman, from my personal experience as a businesswoman. When the recession hit in the ‘90s my once-booming construction business completely tanked.

I went from running one of the top 5 tile companies in San Diego and a successful upscale baby business, to completely bottoming out and having to start over.

I took my success for granted and it was a devastating time that shook my faith to its core. It felt like I had lost it all and I never expected I would have to start over from scratch after having two thriving businesses. I started selling solar pools to get by, which I had no experience with at all. 

Little did I know that this early experience would prepare me to be a top earner in a B to B sales career, as well as in a direct sales company. 

Everything happens for a reason, even if you can’t see that at the time. The trick is not to get stuck in feeling like you’ve failed or like it’s never going to get better when the unexpected happens. As a business coach for women, I know that every stage of our careers, even the scary ones, allows us to course-correct and get one step closer to a brighter future. 

3. Release the Pressure of Perfectionism and Take Charge with Positive Thinking

As a business coach for women, I know we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. It’s important to stay in the present and not to overthink everything too much. Most female entrepreneurs or businesswomen I work with beat themselves up if they don’t get things right the first time.

But, as the example above shows, you can’t always control everything that affects your business success. The 90’s recession was not something I could have avoided even if I tried, and the pandemic has made us all aware that some pitfalls are just not avoidable.

The only thing you can control is how you choose to react and adapt to unexpected challenges.

So how do you stay successful in business no matter what happens?

By maintaining a positive mindset and staying flexible. You will always land on your feet when you release the pressure to get everything perfect the first go-round. Stay open to bending with the times, practice flexibility, and you will always prevail in the end.

Success isn’t always a straight line to the top. We learn the most from our mistakes, failures, and disappointments. Sometimes we have unexpected twists and turns on our path, that is to be expected. You just have to be open to adapting and refining as you go.

Our ability to adapt and change with the times often comes down to one simple thing —

Are you doing what you love?

Journal your wildest daydreams and take some time to visualize every day what you would feel like if you were living your dream life. Visualization is a very powerful tool to manifest business success. Many successful women entrepreneurs and female CEOs cite this as a tool they have used to dominate their industries.

Studies show that visualization has been proven to lead to success in business. According to this study, 76% of business owners who used a vision board eventually realized the dreams they put on their boards. How amazing is that?

This shows us that when we focus positively on the future and picture ourselves winning, we position ourselves to achieve all the business and life goals we dream of.

4. Make Short To-Do Lists to Limit Overwhelm

I recommend writing 2-3 things max on your to-do list. This is less overwhelming than a lengthy checklist, which can just stress you out more when you look at the seemingly endless list of tasks you need to accomplish.

This way when you finish each thing and check it off, you will have a sense of accomplishment. Then you can create another short to-do list until everything is completed.

It’s easy to panic when we focus on too many things at the same time. Breaking it down into smaller steps helps a lot to keep that feeling of being swamped to a minimum. Otherwise, you run the risk of being discouraged when it seems you aren’t getting to where you want to be fast enough.

5. Take Breaks to Save Your Sanity and Stay In It for the Long Haul as an Empowered Business Woman

Where is your happy place? You know that place where you just feel “awwww, I can relax now,” where you take a deep sigh of relief the second you get there. Take a moment to think of where that is for you. I love to go to the beach when I need to recharge and relax to get my mind off things. 

Is there somewhere you are thinking of right now that heals your soul when you need a time out?


The next time you are starting to feel frazzled, put your work down and go to your special place to clear your head and get re-inspired. Nature has an amazing way of helping us to declutter our thoughts and gain a fresh perspective. Yoga or meditation can also help with this.

As ambitious businesswomen, we often work too hard and don’t give ourselves enough grace. We don’t acknowledge how far we’ve come enough and tend to over-focus on our “mistakes.” Perfectionism is something all overachieving businesswomen deal with when we are striving to reach the top, but we don’t want it to rule our lives and destroy our mental health.

When it all gets to be just too much, go to your happy place (even if it’s just in your mind) to recharge instead of giving up.

As a business leadership and mindset coach, I know how important it is to stay focused on action and to take responsibility for any challenges that come our way.

Grab a copy of my book to learn more about inspiring female entrepreneurs like Mary C. Crowley, founder of the multimillion-dollar home decorating company, Home Interiors & Gifts. You may be surprised to hear who her sons are and how she created such a successful national company despite many personal struggles.

Get empowered to take charge as an ambitious woman!

You can get your copy of

The Ambitious Woman, What It Takes and Why You Want to Be One,

1st edition, at a discounted rate for a limited time here:

I hope it inspires you to take action and take charge for the ultimate success in your career!