Girl Get Your Mind Right! How Your Thoughts Can Effect Your Business.

9 million women own businesses in the United States, and we make up 30% of company owners around the world, yet many of us walk around day in and day out, feeling as if we don't belong and are waiting to be discovered as "frauds" even though we aren't. And then there are the women who have fabulous ideas and good intentions. She has a website and business cards, yet she is paralyzed by fear and can't move forward. Or she is still working a 9 to 5 and at the end of the day, she doesn't have the mental energy to plan her escape or even begin to think about owning her own business. With both of these ladies everything is paused, waiting for them to take the next step. Lastly, there is the female business owner who's thoughts are all over the place; racing, rambling, scrambling. She is always busy, but nothing ever gets done when it comes to her business. Kids to summer camp, breakfast, a meeting, pick up kids, play dates, dinner, oh...and did she include her husband in her busy schedule too? What do all of these women have in common? They all lack an entrepreneur mindset.

In October 2016, I decided to take a step out on faith and become a full time entrepreneur. Although I'd had several side hustles throughout my 23 years as a former social worker, this was the first time I was dipping my big toe into the entrepreneurial waters full time, but none the less, I thought I was prepared and that I could handle anything that came my way. Boy was I wrong. Here are a few things I quickly realized:

• There is no steady paycheck, so you have to change the way you think about money, budgeting and saving. You have to get out of your way and sell yourself and your business if you want to survive and generate revenue, because there is no marketing department or a sales team to do it for you.
• You are the boss. You develop your job description. No one is going to come along and tell you what to do and when to do it. There is no time clock where you check in and check out. Your mindset has to shift to constant productivity mode. You have to learn how to manage your time.
• How you feel about yourself on the inside, radiates outward. You have to be your own cheerleader. You have to surround yourself with likeminded people who get you and support you. Remove the negative people from your inner circle. Know that your family and friends mean well, but they are clueless about this new you and what you are trying to do. Don't let them bring you down. Don't bring yourself down.
• Fear can be your worst enemy! Fear of how people perceive you. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of the possibility of failure. Stop allowing all of those fearful thoughts to hold you back. Stop being paralyzed by the unknown. Learn how to conquer your fears, before they conquer you and destroy your business.

Success as an entrepreneur boils down to one thing, your mindset; how you perceive yourself and your business. When pivoting from a 9 to 5 into entrepreneurship, your mindset can and will be your biggest barrier. If you don't learn how to think like an entrepreneur you will never get out of your own way and your business will continue to falter, with success seeming like a far away dream. Girl, it's time to get your mind right!

Dr. Carey Yazeed is the author of Lipstick, Heels & Hustle: A Women's Guide to Entrepreneurship. To learn more about the author please visit www.drcareyyazeed.com