It’s The Audacity For Me
As a woman running a business, I am constantly striving to build a business that reflects my values and expertise. And when it comes to working with clients, we all want to make sure that the relationship is mutually beneficial and respectful. Unfortunately, there are times when a client just doesn't fit the bill, and it becomes necessary to cut ties. It's never easy, but sometimes it's a necessary part of maintaining your peace and preserving your sanity.
A Recipe for Chaos
Running a business as a woman is hard enough as it is. Add a family, ADHD, anxiety, and depression to the mix, and you've got yourself a recipe for chaos. But do people ever talk about it? Not really. It's a silent struggle that women like me face every day.
The lies my imposter syndrome wants me to believe
Let's be real, as a woman who grew up with two drug-addicted parents that did not have stable jobs, or maintained stable homes for their children and both died before I turned 18, success for me was merely not becoming a product of my environment. I never imagined being college educated, holding a Master's of Arts in Education, or being the CEO of a six-figure business because that was not a normalized reality for girls like me. But thirty-some-odd years later, here we are and how dare I sit and question my own potential and worth as if I haven't busted my butt for years to get to this place of bliss. The place of "I am not broke, I am comfortable", or the place of "I can work from anywhere I want, whenever I want".
The Neurodivergent CEO
After three years of running a business and being Neurodivergent, I think it is time to share some hard truths I have learned along the way. First and foremost, being a neurodivergent entrepreneur is a challenging journey but in my opinion, even more so for women. While there are many advantages to having a neurodivergent mind, of course, there are also plenty of drawbacks. So let's get into it.
The Burnout is real
The day starts at 6:50 am and more often than not, the day ends well after midnight. While I love having the time freedom of running my own business, let's be clear my days are completely at capacity. Every day there is no shortage of client and team calls, client projects, administrative tasks for the business, and mommy, and wife duties. Running a business while supporting a family is no walk in the park, and often times women frequently experience overwhelming feelings of burnout.
Humor: The Secret Ingredient to Building Client Trust
What I love most is I can truly use humor as a way to connect with people on a much deeper level. Of course, as an entrepreneur, building trust with clients is essential to your success. You want your clients to feel comfortable and confident that their information and their business are safe with you. I have learned that a great way to go about this is to start building trust using humor.
How to breathe life into your virtual team
While there are so many pros to this, there are also a few cons. One of which is forming a solid and unified virtual team when there is no longer a shared personal space. I have heard many times how people feel disconnected or lack a sense of belonging when it comes to their team. Amazingly enough with the right mindset and approach, it is extremely possible to create a team that is productive, efficient, and effective. Here are some tips for us women wearing the CEO hat on how to create a successful virtual team.
Throw the whole business away
Some days I have had to put in 12 to 14 hours to get things done only to sometimes ponder if the results are even worth all the effort. I have had days when I get so overwhelmed with my workload that my body freezes and I can't seem to physically get anything done. As much as I love being able to control my time and not having to answer to anyone, being the CEO is not for everybody.
Dear Black Girl CEO
How dope is it to embody so much character and brilliance while being okay with creating our own lane in life and business? As I have grown I became okay with not being pretty enough or smart enough to everyone else, but my petty is for everybody when you play on my intelligence.
Superheroes need rest too
Being a mom and a CEO definitely warrants the superhero title, if you ask me. But nothing is worse than also being the vessel that carries my own kryptonite, aka, my ADHD, anxiety, and depression.