21 Mantras Women Entrepreneurs Swear By

Every great success story is backed by a rule book. A book of do’s and don'ts’ that help you keep sane and not get lost along the way while trying to reach a goal. 

I wake up every morning and think to myself, ‘How far can I push the company forward in the next 24 hours?’” —Leah Busque, founder and CEO of TaskRabbit

Bringing to life the meaning of the phrase “seize the day”, Leah and thousands of successful women entrepreneurs across the globe have learnt it the hard way. But lucky for us, we get to leverage the handbooks of these one-of-a-kind masterminds to know and do better. 

It’s a known fact that female entrepreneurs haven’t always had it easy. If you’re an entrepreneur or aspire to be one, here’s a compilation of 21 great mantras for women entrepreneurs that every woman entrepreneur ought to live by. And who knows, maybe this could be your very own “rule book”.

1. No one was born great at this. 

Feeling like you aren’t good enough or don’t know enough has stopped many women from moving forward. Honestly, no one was born knowing how to build an empire. If you’re absolutely unsure of some aspects, acquire skills and training wherever you need it. But don’t let a tiny blip in the road stop you from reaching your final destination.

2. Your life is NOT about how much you worked.

Oftentimes, we grow up in households where we’re told that working hard equals success. While this might be okay in itself, women especially tend to turn it into a mantra that ends up meaning the following: If I don’t work my tail off, I wouldn’t DESERVE success. This will only lead you to burn out eventually and also leave you feeling unworthy in the process. Know when to call quits for the day; having work-life balance might even leave you feeling more content, so in a way, your mind is healthier (and more alert) for the next day when you don’t work extra hours. 

3. You don’t have to be good at everything. 

People often narrate the greatest entrepreneur stories and lead with “He was a master of all trades”. This is highly misleading. There are things that you will absolutely love and that will come to you almost naturally, and there are things you will suck at. If something is not your cup of tea, delegate it. Invest more time in things you love doing. As an entrepreneur, it is upon you to set the bar high in terms of work ethic.

4. Don’t downgrade your dream just to fit your reality, upgrade your conviction to match your destiny.

We don’t know who needs to hear this but don’t settle. If you have a vision, strive to make it happen. There are always going to be roadblocks that curb you from doing what you want to, but a smart entrepreneur always finds a way around it. 

5. Failure is the opportunity to begin again, but more intelligently.

Don't look at a failure as a setback. That’s not a very “entrepreneur” way of doing things. Instead, have the ability to welcome failures with open arms and treat them as lessons learnt. The earlier you make blunders, the faster you learn, so in a way, they’re only there to make you smarter. 

6. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think

Of all mantras, this one is our personal favourite. By virtue of being a woman, it is sometimes easy to get carried away with perceptions of society and the outer world. So this is a mantra you ought to remind yourself each day. If you believe it, you can be it. 

7. You don’t have to be great to start but you have to start to be great

For all you to-be women entrepreneurs who are hesitant to start off, this one is crucial to remember. Every successful entrepreneur started somewhere. If you think you ought to know everything about your business before beginning, you will be surprised by how much you don’t know. And there are things that you will never know, let alone be good at until you don’t start. If you’re looking for a sign to start, this is it, START NOW.  

8. Discipline is to do what needs to be done, even if you don’t feel like it

There will be clients you don't like, there will be tasks you would rather dodge. But avoiding these will only make them haunt you more after. So be disciplined. Do what needs to be done in order to get what you want to achieve. 

9. It doesn't matter how small or how big the task is, if you can do it a little bit better than what is expected, you will be rewarded.

We often overestimate the concept of a good business idea. If you walk down the bread aisle in the supermarket, you will notice that there are over 50 brands to choose from. You know why? Because someone woke up someday and said, “It doesn’t matter how many people manufacture bread, I will still pursue it and do it slightly better”. That’s all the green signal you need sometimes.

10. The secret of success is to do common things uncommonly well

What are these common things? We’re all exposed to how important hiring is for a startup. Do we really take it upon ourselves to make this task a no.1 priority? Sometimes, your team will be the one to make or break your dreams. The secret to succeeding is doing these common things exceptionally well.

11. You cannot expect victory while planning for defeat

Another brilliant mantra every woman entrepreneur must live by is to have a “can-do” mindset. You can think about the ifs of failing - this will only drive your mind to think that you’re good both ways - with success or failure and it’s the most deadly mindset for a founder to possess. 

12. Meditation makes you a natural leader

While this might be a questionable mantra for a few who are completely anti-meditation or simply can’t get themselves to silence their minds - it has worked wonders for several women entrepreneurs. Meditation helps one polish the intrinsic qualities of a leader – inner self-confidence, strength, foresight and clarity to act in the larger interest of the company. Have we sold you on it yet?

13.Surround yourself with a trusted and loyal team. It makes all the difference

As stated earlier, your team is your ticket to victory. (most times) Besides having the ability to resonate with your vision and see eye-to-eye with the goals of the company, your team has to be trustworthy. This doesn’t stop at signing an NDA, it’s a lot more. It’s the kind of loyalty that assures you that even with a party to attend on a Saturday night, your teammates’ loyalty lies with closing that deal first, as a priority. 

14. Your competence is your confidence

A key problem faced by many entrepreneurs is the lack of knowing what to do at the right time in order to get the right results. And this in turn kills your belief.

Traditional schooling methods don’t give you the practical skills you need on the field to become a successful entrepreneur. Only experience and self-learning can take care of that. So allot time to get better at stuff. Build the skills you lack. Get all the information you need. Get a mentor if you have to. And after that, get great at what you do!

15. Set the right expectations

You can’t go into business expecting it to be an overnight success or assume you’ll make no mistakes. You can’t expect to hit a home run the very first time you step up on the field, and it is the same with business. You might strike out a lot. But remember that it only takes a single home run to transform your life.

16. Confidence is contagious

...belief is contagious. success too is contagious! We hear this ever-so-often, but it’s easy to get mixed up in crowds that aren’t the best for us. If you meet successful entrepreneurs, you will realise that their circle is filled with other successful people. Like-minded people. Make sure you surround yourself with positive, confident folks. Learn from the mentors and role models around you, their principles, strategies and try to apply them to your life.

In the words of Tony Robbins: “You simply become who you spend time with.” 

17. Maintain Authenticity. Be YOU.

Fact: The best women entrepreneurs are repeatedly called “crazy,” and told they ought to be more “reasonable” and “realistic.” In a world where people are obsessed with social media strategies, strangers dictate how we should look, feel and even how our business “should” look and feel. Apple gets more hate than they do love, but they never change their stance. It’s what makes them one of the best brands. While it’s easy to succumb to the pressures around you, let your business resonate with YOU.

18. Get constant and REAL feedback

Feedback becomes essential to validate your business. Competitive research could also help you better understand what customers want. You would have to go beyond researching on google. Read reviews, find similar articles about them, and interview some of their customers. Pay attention to negative reviews and ask people specifically what they wished they got better. Deliver the better. 

19. If you need something, ASK 

While navigating through your journey, there will be resources that you need - ranging from capital to technical know-how. Figure out exactly what you need at each stage and ask around. Ask everyone who could potentially have answers you’re looking for.

20. Networking is KING 

If you want to build a successful business, accept that you can't do it alone. You have to get over any kind of fear of rejection and network like it's your main job. The amount of collaboration and number of connections that you can gain by a large, but close network is truly invaluable.

21. Have BIG plans

Women entrepreneurs often tend to underestimate their own potential and fail to dream big enough. It’s so important to tap into the “whys”, the “whats” and the inner reason behind your business and actually think about the legacy you want to leave behind.

Like Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia once quoted “ The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough."

Want to be inspired? Check out these women entrepreneur AKA Sheroes AKA #BossWomen and their journeys on Linkedin: 

1. Aditi Gupta: The Co-founder of Menstrupedia

2. Ashwani Asokana: Founder, Mad Street Den.

3. Basudha Shrivastav: ExpressEarth Digital Services

4. Chitra Gurnani Daga: Co-founder, Thrillophilia

5. Dr Florida Tilton: Founder of Biozone Research Technologies

6. Farah Nathani Menzies: Co-Founder of The Mumum Co.

7. Isha Choudhry: Co-Founder ZoloStays

8. Jaya Jha: Founder: InstaScribe & Pothi

9. Khushboo Jain: Co-Founder and COO, ImpactGuru.com

10. Meghna Agarwal: Co-Founder- IndiQube

11. Mehak Sagar: Co-Founder of Wed Me Good

12. Naiyya Saggi: Founder Babychakra

13. Priyanshi Choubey:  Co-founder of InstaCar

14. Radhika Ghai Aggarwal: Co-Founder & CMO, Shopclues.com

15. Richa Singh: Co-founder YourDOST

16. Sairee Chahal: Founder, SHEROES.in

17. Sanna Vohra: Founder & CEO of The Wedding Brigade

18. Sayli Karanjkar: Co-Founders Of PaySense

I hope this article helps you reach (at least) a tad bit closer to your goals. 

FAQs- 

1. Who are the top women entrepreneurs in India?

Ans. There are many women entrepreneurs in India such as Sayli Karanjkar, Sanna Vohra, and many more. 

2. Who is the richest women entrepreneur in India? 

Ans. Kiran Mazumdar, Radha Vembu, Smita V Crishna, etc. are a few of the richest women entrepreneurs in India.