For years of working in the corporate world, I always wanted my own business and for me personally I was never able to start anything up as a side hustle due to the contract I was held to. As soon as I left the corporate world to have my kids I started a side hustle to play with along side looking after my family and home. With balancing family and personal commitments I decided to nurture my passion projects of an evening whilst I am sat on the sofa and the kids are asleep. Its the only time I have!
Many women are the same starting a side hustle whilst juggling the family, balancing work and a side hustle. But hoe do we turn the side hustle into something more. From a small-scale business to a business that will last, a sustainable company?
In this post, we’ll discuss actionable steps to go from Side Hustle to CEO: How Women Entrepreneurs Can Scale Their Businesses Successfully
Let’s help women entrepreneurs successfully scale their businesses!
Women Entrepreneurs Let’s Do This!
1. Define Your Business Model and Growth Strategy
For startup success you need to define your business model and growth strategy. In other words, what your business is and how it will work as well as how you will grow your business. Scaling a business isn’t easy or everyone would be able to have thriving businesses. So, don’t beat yourself up!
Before scaling, you need a clear understanding of your business model. Ask yourself:
- What problem does my business solve?
- Who is my ideal customer? (Your customers profile – download my free template)
- What revenue streams are most profitable?
A scalable business model ensures that as demand increases, you can grow efficiently without sacrificing quality. Consider automating processes, outsourcing tasks, or introducing digital products to expand your revenue sources.
2. Leverage Digital Marketing for Business Growth
Nowadays, a strong online presence is key. Women entrepreneurs need to use digital marketing stratgies to gain traffic to your business website and be seen infront of the right people. Its all about having the confidence to do it, whether it be Tiktok videos, IG Reels or using pictures on Pinterest it’s key to be visible to attract customers and the right customer.
SEO Optimisation is a serious subject. Learning about seo optimisation and making sure you apply it to your website and all social media content will ensure your content is showing up when potential customers search for it. THINK KEYWORDS i.e for this article I have used the keywords women entrepreneurs, business growth strategies, and female founders as this is what I want this article to rank for on Google.
Email Marketing: Creating customer relationships with potential customers and/or existing customer via regular emails sharing your teachings or even offers is important. Reason being, the email goes straight to the customers inbox. There is no fighting for attention on a news feed here. Plus, if they didn’t want to know they wouldn’t have subscribed!
I use Mailerlite as its free under a certain amount of subscribers, plus its super simple to use.
Social Media Marketing: We then have the dreaded social media (for some!) engaging with your audience through dance, comedy, education and stories is easier for some than others. Its all about confidence and how much you want your business to actually grow. Use places like Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Tiktok to build your brand and gain brand authority.
3. Secure Funding and Financial Resources
Growing your side hustle business into something more, often needs capital. But, I know not all of us have this luxury. Some female founders are starting with nothing and others having plenty to use! For the women in business who are starting with nothing, you need to use what is available for free to start with. Free email marketing softwares like Mailerlite and social media to get your message out about your business can change your world.
Not only the free options, but there are also several other options available to women-led businesses:
Crowdfunding: You can use platforms which allow you to raise money as well as promote your brand. This is where people donate to your business usually because they like your story or what you are trying to achieve. You can use platforms such as: Kickstarter, Indiegogo, GoFundMe, Crowdfunder, and so many more! Just Google ‘crowdfunding platforms’…
Grants! Small Business Grants: Sometimes your local community or council run small business grants and even grants which are specifically available for women entrepreneurs.
Investors: And lastly, there are always investors looking to support women-led businesses.
Now, before we move on from finances its key to note that tracking your cashflow is vital. Especially when you are attempting to build and maintain a business that will survive in the future. Manage your expenses and think about where you can reinvest profits.
I hope you are enjoying these entrepreneurship tips!
4. Build a Strong Network and Support System
Having time to attend conferences where you can learn and meet new people will help massively with building your business network. This means meeting people who can be a sounding mind to speak to, even mentorship or support when you need it most.
- Online female communities or even female entrepreneurship groups on Facebook are a great idea for asking questions and making business friends.
- Attend conferences and networking events in your industry.
- Find other business owners or women entrepreneurs who have already been there and done it for advice and find out what they did to scale their business.
5. Automate and Delegate to Boost Efficiency
Now, I have spoken about this before and how important this is. Automation can save you from spending soo much time on the nitty gritty and give you more time to be creative within your business. And I know its annoying to set up but once its done…its done! Make sure your email marketing is automated, you have automated DM’s for social media to let your customers know how to contact you best and your opening times or even a link to your support pages.
Delegations is key when your business is growing and your time is best spent on specific projects. Outsourcing the tasks that anyone can do, will free up your time to do the things that only you can do or the important tasks. Just remember when hiring you can hire people who are better at the task than you are! Get multiple benefits out of someone else completing the task for you.
6. Adapt and Innovate Continuously
The most successful business owners are the ones who prioritise continuous improvements. If you embrace improvements and change you are more likely to gain a competitive advantage over other businesses alike. Most business owners are that involved with running the business they are not thinking about how to make it better. Use your customer feedback (see here how to gather customer feedback) to your advantage.
- Review your products or services quality
- Review and respond to customer complaints promptly
- Review your automated processes for improvements
- Review your customers experiences
Conclusion
Building and scaling a business can be very difficult but possible. With dedication, patience and the right support system around you, you can totally do it! Its time to make that business yours anf become a CEO! There is only you in your way.
Are your ready to begin? Share your biggest challenges in the comments below!
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