Top Five Tips for Starting a Business
Lessons from 10 Years of Entrepreneurship
Starting a business feels like standing at the edge of possibility, equal parts exhilarating and overwhelming. After 10 years of entrepreneurship, I keep coming back to a few things that have helped me move forward: clarity, community, resilience, commitment, and action. They don’t remove every obstacle, but they give me somewhere to begin when the next step feels messy.
If you’re curious about clarity and mindset, you might enjoy our related posts: Quarterly Reflections for Female Founders, Building the Right Mindset, and How to Identify a Limiting Belief. Together, they expand on the themes we’ll explore here.
Want a little encouragement as you put these ideas into practice? Get my 5-Day Confidence Prompts sent to your inbox, my treat! Bring your pen and a moment to recognise what’s working. You don’t have to have it all figured out to start building self-belief.
Ideas Behind These Business Lessons
The five tips I’m about to share come from personal lessons and experiences. They’re practices I return to when I need clarity, support, or the courage to take the next step. If you’d like to explore related perspectives, these resources offer further reading:
Sponsored content hosted by Harvard Business Review on strategic goals, Forbes Coaches Council on strategy and execution, Entrepreneur on mentorship, and Psychology Today on rejection and resilience.
Five Beginner Business Tips for Entrepreneurs
Starting a business isn’t just about inspiration; it’s about taking practical steps you can learn from. Over the past decade, consistent, grounded action has helped me turn ideas into something real. Here are five lessons from my own journey that you can reflect on as you begin yours.
Tip 1: Define Your Vision and Goals
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that clarity drives every decision. I love that people want to see me win and often share ideas for my brand. But not every suggestion aligns with the vision I’ve created. Because I’m clear on where I’m going, I can confidently say yes to aligned opportunities and no to distractions.
Tip for entrepreneurs:
Anchor your year with one clear, measurable goal.
Break it into quarterly milestones.
Align daily actions with your bigger vision.
Tip 2: Build Your Hype Squad
Entrepreneurship isn’t for the faint of heart. Friends and family often want to protect you, which can unintentionally encourage you to stay small. That’s why I surround myself with peers who’ve done bigger things than I dream possible. My girlfriends hype me up at live events, share my content, and say my name in rooms I’m not in. That kind of support is both professional and emotional fuel.
Tip for entrepreneurs:
Surround yourself with peers who inspire growth.
Join founder communities that expand your belief in what’s possible.
Let your hype squad amplify your voice when you’re not in the room.
Tip 3: Start, Like Actually Start
You can read all the books, register all the paperwork, and take endless notes. But at some point, you need to stop learning and start doing. Action is the hard part, but it’s also how you find out what works.
Tip for entrepreneurs:
Launch imperfectly; progress beats perfection.
Learn by doing, not just studying.
Treat action as a teacher.
Tip 4: Build Your Resilience Muscle
Being an entrepreneur means constantly putting yourself out there. Pretty much none of us bat at 100, and we all get way more nos than yeses. During my Kickstarter campaign, I sent out over 200 emails, texts, and video messages. Many were ignored or declined, and that’s entirely fair. But what do I remember today? Not the nos, but the fact that the campaign was successfully funded.
Tip for entrepreneurs:
Make room for “nos” as well as “yeses.”
Notice your wins while learning from setbacks.
Give yourself time to process rejection, then choose a thoughtful next step.
Tip 5: Embrace Embarrassment as the Cost of Entry
Lori Harder, a female founder I’ve admired for over a decade, says it best: “Embarrassment is the cost of entry.” The first few times you put yourself out there, whether on social media, podcasts, or live events, it can feel cringe. But experimenting gives you a chance to discover your authentic style. For me, confidence has often followed action rather than arriving before it.
Tip for entrepreneurs:
Let the first attempt feel a little awkward.
Experiment until you find your authentic voice.
Give yourself credit for showing up before it feels comfortable.
Why These Five Tips Matter to Me
When I feel stuck, these are the things I come back to. Am I clear on what I’m building? Have I reached out for support? Is there one small action I can take instead of waiting to feel ready? Sometimes I need to rest and regroup before I can answer. That’s part of the process too.
For me, confidence isn’t only built through planning and visioning. It also grows through the small things I try, the lessons I reflect on, and the wins I take time to recognise.
Your Next Step in Building with Confidence
Founder-to-founder: starting a business isn’t about perfection. It’s about giving your vision a practical next step, finding people who support you, and letting yourself learn along the way. If you’d like a place to reflect as you go, explore the Female Founders Journal Deluxe Bundle or revisit the mindset posts linked above.
And if you’d like a little company on the page, get my 5-Day Confidence Prompts sent to your inbox, my treat. You’ve already taken a step by getting curious about what’s possible. Let’s make room to recognise your progress, question the old stories, and build a little more self-belief, one reflection at a time.
