Ever since I started my journey as an entrepreneur, the one thing I have heard over and over again is that you need to surround yourself with people that you most admire, the people that have reached the goals that you are currently looking to achieve, have cleared the hurdles standing before you and the ones that never stop advancing their reach, knowledge and expertise. Think about the people that are surrounding you now. Are they always moving forward, seeking new opportunities, making their own businesses and lives better, making the kind of income you are looking for?

I would have never started this business if it wasn’t for a wonderful lady I met while networking, who has now become a very good friend. Gail Watson, who co-owns a successful email marketing business, was the one who helped me launch my career as a an entrepreneur. When I said, “I think it’s time I go back to work for someone else,” she said “maybe there is something else out there that you could do. I could use help with some things in my business.”

From that point on I began my new Virtual Assistant business that has now, more than a year-and-a-half later, continued to evolve from straight administration into brainstorming and strategy sessions, and social media marketing. During that process I spoke with Gail on nearly a daily basis, bouncing ideas off of her, and getting straight feedback, whether I liked it or not. I truly appreciate having Gail as a mentor and a friend, especially for all those times where I wasn’t sure I could keep going, and wasn’t sure what direction I was heading in.

“…you need to surround yourself with people that you most admire…”

I also found support and mentorship by joining communities specific to my industry, where wonderful people are willing to share their advice and lend support so generously. I highly recommend joining communities where you can learn (through courses and workshops) and interact with others that are in your field, who have experienced the ups and downs of running their own business.

And finally, when you are ready to truly step outside of your “comfort box,” I suggest you consider hiring a coach to work with you, to help you bring your business to the next level. This is something that I am currently doing myself. My coach is working with me to help me restructure my business to be even more successful and offer more ways to support women entrepreneurs reach the successes they seek.