Entrepreneurship is a freeing and rewarding path for many. Many women entrepreneurs find success in their new ventures, however starting out can often be daunting and the early stages and some aspiring entrepreneurs may even hold off on their dreams waiting for the “right time” while missing incredible opportunities.
Luckily, there are women entrepreneurs out there who have already learned valuable lessons on their journeys to success and can impart some of their acquired wisdom with newcomers to the world of entrepreneurship.
Erica Sandoval is an award-winning mental health practitioner, speaker, executive coach, entrepreneur, podcaster, philanthropist, and author. She is the founder and CEO of Sandoval Psychotherapy Consulting – known as Sandoval CoLab – where she oversees a team of social workers providing psychotherapy and lead diversity, equity, and inclusion work for corporations, nonprofit organizations, and schools. She is also the founder and CEO of Latinx/e in Social Work, a series of English-Spanish anthologies containing personal essays by Latinx/e social workers about their personal and professional challenges and successes.
As an entrepreneur, Erica has learned many valuable lessons. One lesson that has been crucial to her success mindset is to not let failure stop you from chasing your dreams.
“I’m no stranger to failure, which means that I know that a failure isn’t an ending point; it’s a starting point for something new,” says Erica. “Knowing that has made me fearless and able to dream big. I am a believer in manifesting your words and thoughts. We are extremely powerful beings, we just need some healing and self love.”
For aspiring women entrepreneurs who are keeping themselves from going after what they want waiting for the right time, she adds, “Just begin. You don’t have to have all the answers at the beginning – and you won’t. You don’t need an annotated business plan or a slew of investors to start. You just need your vision. Once you have your vision, you’ll begin to see the path forward.”
Read more of Erica’s entrepreneurial journey here.
Nikki Watson is the founder of The Design Quad, based in Dallas Texas. The Design Quad is the largest Home Staging company in the nation with over 300 properties staged at one time. The company also does flooring sales and installation, interior design, and remodeling.
Starting out, Nikki’s biggest struggle was lack of support from others in the industry.
“Staging was founded in the 70s by a Realtor/Interior Designer so it is still a fairly new business,” she explains. “I was the first Black Stager in Dallas and none of the other Stagers would answer any of my questions when I reached out.”
Nikki began researching everything she could about how to run a business in her industry and had to make up many processes through trial and error. Along her journey there were some who did not believe in her and told her not to pursue her dream. Many women entrepreneurs can relate to this feeling—being doubted in their abilities to create a successful business and turn their dream into a reality.
To women thinking of starting a business or getting into a new industry, Nikki says “Do not let anyone tell you ‘NO’. There should be nothing standing between you and your dreams. Moving past the NO is imperative.”
Michelle Gordon is the Founder and CEO of Investably LLC, one of the few Latina-owned independent registered investment advisory (RIA) firms in the industry. She is driven by the mission of helping people make sound financial and investment decisions that helps them to build wealth over time and feel financially secure in experiencing their personal life goals and retirement.
Michelle felt the yearning to start her own business for years but didn’t act on that feeling until the pandemic hit. While entrepreneurship may not be for everyone, Michelle says if you have that yearn tugging at you, then do it!
“I strongly believe that you only get one life so don’t wait to make it a great one. ¡No dejes para mañana lo que puedes hacer hoy!” she says.
Unfortunately many women hold themselves back from their dreams. Instead of believing in their abilities, they let negative self-talk deter them from even trying.
To those struggling with self-confidence, Michelle says, “Don’t give in to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is something that many of us suffer from, so tell that voice in your head saying ‘I’m not good enough’ to take a back seat on the bus because you got places to go and things to do. It will help you to not wait for things to be perfect and move forward with good enough because you want to be nimble and adapt as you get feedback from your initial clients. Notice how many versions of iPhones are now out there? Imagine if they waited for the iPhone to be perfect to launch. We should have a mindset of always looking to improve on our service, our product, and our experience, so if that’s the case, it will never be perfect. In my opinion, it’s all about the clients, otherwise, you have no business.”
Read more of Michelle’s journey here.
The time to go for your dreams is never going to be perfect, so don’t delay another day. Get started now. Take that leap of faith and believe in yourself and your vision! You got this.
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