The Comprehensive Guide to Developing a Success Mindset for Women in Business

The rise and success of female leaders and entrepreneurs in the modern business world has never been more prominent. It’s exciting to watch these trailblazers break through the glass ceiling and reshape countless industries with innovative ideas, backed by an unwavering determination to succeed.

At the heart of their success is something that’s almost intangible but incredibly powerful - the right mindset.

For some, it can come naturally, but for others, it can take time to develop. Over the past 25 years, I’ve helped countless female leaders and entrepreneurs cultivate a success mindset and empowered them to unlock their full potential so they too can achieve remarkable success. But I also recognise that for many women who are at the start of their journey to success, this can all sound overwhelming or even intimidating. 

So let’s start by unpicking exactly what a success mindset is and what tools and strategies you can draw on to achieve it.

What is a Success Mindset?

There is a misconception that all you need to do to achieve success is to think positively. If that’s what your understanding is, then you quite rightly may have become frustrated with yourself for not having a positive view on your life and business.

Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster of highs and lows, especially in the early days of owning and running your own business. Whilst optimism and positivity will get you far and certainly out the starting blocks, sustaining your success and growing a profitable business that fulfils your ambitions will mean many mistakes and failures along the way.

The good news is that these lows are often the experiences through which you learn the most important lessons you need to succeed over the long term - but only if you use them as opportunities to learn and grow.

Instead, a success mindset requires you to make a fundamental shift in how you approach challenges and opportunities.

It’s a blend of confidence, resilience, adaptability and goal-oriented thinking that moves you towards your desires and aspirations.

It’s important to realise that there is no one definition of success, but what is universal is that adopting the right mindset to achieve your goals will enable you to believe in yourself.

The ability to overcome obstacles, however daunting, is a crucial factor key in developing a success mindset.
 

Challenges Female Entrepreneurs Often Face

Even in the modern world, female entrepreneurs often encounter a whole range of challenges on their journey to success. Societal pressures start from an early age and the expectation that women will default to the primary caregiver role in a family set-up is still largely prevalent.

The education to counter this just isn’t part of our norm so it’s likely that you may have felt that entrepreneurship was never even an option when considering your future during your school years.

In fact, 73% of respondents in the Scottish Government’s Entrepreneurial Voice Survey felt that their education had not helped their path into entrepreneurship.

Many myths within the workplace and entrepreneurship are almost considered as fact: women are less ambitious (when in reality, 9 out 10 women under 30 want to be promoted) or the glass ceiling is the obstacle (it’s in fact the ‘broken rung’ that is the problem, as for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 87 women are).

It’s no surprise that these pressures and expectations can threaten to undermine your confidence, along with having to tackle the never-ending balancing act of juggling multiple roles including being a business leader, parent, carer and partner. It’s a less-than-smooth path to follow and becomes even more apparent in typically male-dominated industries where breaking through barriers and earning respect and acknowledgement can feel like an endless uphill battle. 

And then there’s our trusty foe: imposter syndrome. This can loom large and cast doubt on your abilities and accomplishments, providing a constant inner critic regardless of how competent you really are.

All of these challenges can leave you feeling depleted and it can feel hard to overcome and shake off. This is why one of the most important business skills you can master is a success mindset.

When you feel confident and filled with self-belief, you can truly become unstoppable, no matter what hurdles you face. 

Key Elements of a Success Mindset for Female Entrepreneurs

So is success an impossible achievement given the challenges you are likely to face along your journey?

Of course not! As mentioned above, there are several elements you can focus on to develop a success mindset, so let’s explore them further:

• Clarity of Purpose: Establishing and understanding your ‘why’ is a vital first step. It’s what will guide you through uncertain times, so be clear on what it is so you can remind yourself of what your ultimate goal is. This can be an incredibly powerful thing to draw on when you are facing self-doubt or need to take risks in your business. 
• Resilient Spirit: Failures are not setbacks. Instead, they’re important opportunities to grow and learn. By reframing your failures, you’re building your resilience to overcome similar or new challenges in the future. 
• Continuous Learning: By remaining open to new ideas and experiences, you can develop your ability to adapt and innovate, two things that are crucial for success. Cultivating a humble, learning attitude will help you grow and expand as a business owner which in turn leads to the growth of your business. 
• Authenticity: Being genuine in your approach and nature, as well as playing to your unique strengths is an undeniable tool when it comes to cultivating the right mindset. I will always remember when I asked a beloved client what surprised her most about our work together and what helped her create such powerful results, she replied, “The thing that has surprised me most is, the more I am me, the easier it is to succeed.” This sense of identity, self-belief and confidence was core to the work we did on her business strategy. As an entrepreneur, you are your business. Not many business schools teach us that unfortunately!
• Supportive Networks: Surrounding yourself with a community of like-minded individuals is key and one of the reasons I run my Business Incubator and Business Academy programmes. Encouragement and support is vital, especially in the face of the challenges. Finding a community where you not only vent and seek advice but also celebrate your wins (however big or small) with your peers is the ultimate confidence boost. We affectionately call it the #humblebrag in my community. You get a lot of practice at blowing your own trumpet in a safe space!

Practical Steps to Cultivate a Success Mindset

Building a success mindset is more than just having the right attitude and approach. It requires intentional effort and commitment, but luckily all of this can be achieved by taking some practical steps to implement these core values into your everyday life:

• Setting Clear Goals: These should be as specific as possible and it’s a good idea to be mindful of what is achievable. You might be tempted to aim for the moon, but be realistic about what you can achieve within certain timeframes. It can be disheartening to not meet any of your goals, so it’s a good idea to have a mix of short and long-term aims. Most importantly, remember to revisit your goals regularly, keep track of your progress and set new goals as you move along your journey.
• Self-Reflection: None of us are perfect and that’s okay! But what’s important is to acknowledge where you can make improvements. Setting time aside for personal development and some daily reflections so you can capture your wins and work towards an area of self-improvement will benefit you in all aspects of your life and help your brain rewire for success by creating new neural pathways. This is the ultimate transformation. 
• Celebrating Wins: We all know how important it is to acknowledge and celebrate victories, regardless of their size. Not only is it a great boost for your morale, but it’ll give you the energy, confidence and motivation to move on to the next big win and a hit of those feel-good brain chemicals like dopamine. All of my clients will tell you regular celebration is a non-negotiable when we work together! 
• Seeking Mentorship: Finding the right mentor can provide you with invaluable guidance and insight. Look for mentors who have followed a similar path to yourself as they’ll be able to provide the reassurance you might need during uncertain times, as well as tips you can implement easily. However, don’t dismiss those who have taken a different journey - they are likely to offer a different perspective that you may not have considered and it can be equally as valuable to engage with them and take their advice and guidance. 
• Work-Life Balance: Burnout is always a risk when striking out on your own, so start off (or get back) on the right foot by prioritising self-care and maintaining a healthy balance between your work and personal life. Take practical steps to set boundaries as to when you switch off in the evenings, if and when you work weekends and give yourself the time to rest and refuel during extended periods away from work. In The Feminine Edge Business Academy, I work with my clients to create their ‘Anti-Burnout Business Design’ to ensure their business gives them the lifestyle and quality of life they dream of. It’s a real passion of mine to help women create time AND financial freedom through sharing their gifts and talents with the world. 

Mel MacIntyre’s Expert Strategies for Mindset Mastery 

I have met and coached many women tired of doubting who they were and what they could achieve. Their critical inner voice held them back and dented their confidence. They focused on what could go wrong, rather than right. They all felt paralysed - whilst they knew they needed to take action, it felt impossible to do so.

It’s my mission to help women achieve a life that gives more - time, satisfaction and freedom. My own sense of satisfaction comes from seeing the women I meet and coach fully embrace their power and dance to the beat of their own drum in how they live their lives and run their businesses - it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it!

Authenticity is key when it comes to embracing a success mindset - without it, none of the other pieces can fall into place, so it’s vital that all the decisions you make are true to what you believe and desire. With this in mind, I use the 5 pillars of authenticity to guide women along their journey towards self-worth:

Authentic Vision: Connect with what is possible and dare to dream big! Don’t hold back and use your desires to find the answers and imagine your wildly authentic future.

Authentic Mind: Silence your inner critic once and for all! By working with your doubts (rather than against them), you can discover your triggers and become proactive in your response to them.

Authentic Voice: Connect with your inner wisdom and let her be heard! Don’t hold back and bite your tongue to fit in and be the ‘good girl.’ Learning to connect with the force that drives you and fuels your passion for change will enable you to harness those qualities every day.

Authentic Actions: If you don’t take action, nothing will change! Get good at failing and taking action before you feel ready so you can become incredibly productive.

Authentic Feelings: This is the big one - using your fear to your advantage. Learning to lean into the discomfort is a powerful tool as is being guided by your feelings - the biggest indicator of all! Your dreams are on the other side of your fears, don’t ever forget that.

Hear from some other women who have transformed their mindset for success 

"As a ‘perfectionist’, things had not turned out how I’d planned. Juggling everything on my own – two businesses, childcare, bills - was a slog and I felt bitter, anxious and completely overwhelmed."

Through Mel’s coaching and meeting a group of strong, supportive women from across the globe, I have reclaimed control of my life. Life can still be tough, but I now know that I can choose how I react to life’s challenges and upsets; I can set boundaries with work and relationships and I can claim the time and space I need to safeguard my wellbeing.

I am now procrastinating less, achieving more, and even exercising! I am all round much happier and more confident. I have chosen ‘empowerment over victimhood’ and gained a greater sense of calm and acceptance that life is not always perfect – but that is OK, and that I’m not always perfect - and that is OK too!

Thank you, Mel, and the authentic, ‘soul-led’ women who have supported me on this amazing journey! - Jennifer Lemon, Owner of Bright Lemon Consultancy

"Fear, not enoughness, self doubt and lack of faith in believing there could and should be more for my life, nearly held me back from signing up to Becoming Wildly Authentic."

"The vision and dreams I had for myself were buried so far down and I had suppressed my inner voice for so long, I couldn't even hear her. She was hoarse from screaming and I wasn't able to listen, wasn't able to go there.

Mel helps you go there. She helps you feel confident enough to face the fear of yourself and of your own dreams and to make friends with them again, so you can realize your own potential. But it's more than that, she supports you to own that you are worth more, that you deserve to follow your dreams, that it's your right.

I urge you please to just listen to yourself and know it's the right choice. You owe it to yourself to just leap in and find the best of you!" - Mel Peck, Speech & Neo-Natal Expert

There is a strong narrative in our society that says that in order to be successful, you have to sacrifice everything else - health, relationships, and other things that you consider to be important. It’s all about the hustle and it really isn’t sustainable.

It’s something that I have personally experienced and I have been exactly where you are now: worn down by a lifetime of having to meet this definition of success that is set by others. This is exactly why I have made it my mission to help women know exactly how to create the balance AND impact they long for. 

Ready for more?

If you’re ready to redefine your own life and career or business to create more success with less stress and risk of burnout, I would love to hear from you!

Find some time for us to have a coffee over zoom and I will give you my expert support and advice to identify the specific steps you can take to create more balance and freedom as you reach your next level. 

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR COMPLIMENTARY STRATEGY CALL

Having the right mindset is the cornerstone of success for any female entrepreneur. By embracing your potential, overcoming challenges and redefining the meaning of success based on your own terms, you can achieve greatness in both business and life.

Now is the time to step into your power, unleash your creativity and make your mark on the world and if it resonates, I'd love to walk by your side and be your guide!