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Business Strategy and Execution – Women Founders’ Advice - Part 28

Writer: Women Story
Women Story
6 days ago
8 min read

In the Business Strategy and Execution Series, we feature the insights of 10 women founders who share lessons on starting with what you have, staying resilient through setbacks, and turning expertise and ideas into sustainable businesses. Their advice also highlights building strong systems and teams, using data and continuous learning, adapting to change, understanding real market needs, and balancing growth with values, relationships, and long-term purpose.


Featured Women Founders

  • Clarisse Reis  You need to persist and continue throughout any downfall.

  • Lorraine Nielsen  Back your expertise with data and continuous learning, then communicate it with clarity and conviction—confidence grows from demonstrated value, not perfection.

  • Dr Shallu Gupta  Stand for something non-negotiable, Let results speak louder than marketing, Don’t fear the “too hard” cases, Build stamina, not just strategy, Own your expertise unapologetically

  • Barbara Buades  To any woman who wants to become an entrepreneur, my advice is: don't do it alone.

  • Mary Ann Viloria  My advice to aspiring and early-stage women entrepreneurs is to start with what you have, but never stop building what you need.

  • Nisha Chauhan  Build solutions that solve genuine economic friction, and back your execution with relentless, unapologetic resilience.

  • Jade Nielsen  Do not confuse carrying everything alone with being strong.

  • Katina Pantazis  My advice to aspiring or early-stage women founders is to trust your vision, but remain willing to adapt how you achieve it.

  • PIALI MUKHERJEE  Start before you feel ready.

  • CHRISTY BOWNDS  Put God first in all that you do and be true to yourself.


Clarisse Reis – You need to persist and continue throughout any downfall.

Company– Realign Physio

Advice

You need to persist and continue throughout any downfall. Understand that you need to invest in your business in marketing and slow months to build upon and scale your business.


Lorraine Nielsen – Back your expertise with data and continuous learning, then communicate it with clarity and conviction—confidence grows from demonstrated value, not perfection.

Company– Property Destinations

Advice

Back your expertise with data and continuous learning, then communicate it with clarity and conviction—confidence grows from demonstrated value, not perfection.

Design a business model that aligns with your values and life goals, not just revenue targets, and be willing to say no to opportunities that don’t fit that vision.


Surround yourself with supportive networks—such as business groups and mentors—and remember that your perspective as a woman is a strategic advantage, especially in industries where clients crave empathy, transparency and long-term partnership.


Dr Shallu Gupta – Stand for something non-negotiable, Let results speak louder than marketing, Don’t fear the “too hard” cases, Build stamina, not just strategy, Own your expertise unapologetically

Company– Samshudhi Healthcare Pvt Ltd

Advice

Stand for something non-negotiable, Let results speak louder than marketing, Don’t fear the “too hard” cases, Build stamina, not just strategy, Own your expertise unapologetically


Barbara Buades – To any woman who wants to become an entrepreneur, my advice is: don't do it alone.

Company– MEETOPTICS

Advice

To any woman who wants to become an entrepreneur, my advice is: don't do it alone. Surround yourself with people who have already been through the entrepreneurial journey and learn from their experience.


Learn to negotiate from the beginning—it can have a huge impact on the future of your business. Delegate early, trust your team, and focus on what you do best. Everyone brings different strengths, and that's how great companies grow.


Use AI from day one. It can automate repetitive tasks, improve efficiency, and help you scale with fewer resources.

Most importantly, make sure you're solving a real market need. Validate your idea early and build a solid business model before scaling.


Finally, stay consistent and believe in your vision. Not everyone will believe in your idea at first, and that's okay. Trust your judgment, stay motivated, and surround yourself with people who encourage and support you.


Mary Ann Viloria – My advice to aspiring and early-stage women entrepreneurs is to start with what you have, but never stop building what you need.

Company– Creative Quest Corp

Advice

My advice to aspiring and early-stage women entrepreneurs is to start with what you have, but never stop building what you need. You do not need to have everything figured out, significant capital, influential connections, or perfect circumstances before you begin. I started my business with limited resources and borrowed money to purchase the basic equipment I needed. What mattered was my willingness to learn, work hard, build relationships, and keep moving forward.


Do not be afraid to start small, but think beyond your current circumstances. Learn how to sell, manage your finances, understand your customers, and build a business that can survive challenges. Protect your reputation and relationships because trust takes years to build and can become one of your greatest competitive advantages.


Choose your people carefully. As your business grows, learn to delegate, develop leaders, establish accountability, and make difficult decisions when necessary. Leadership is not about doing everything yourself; it is about building people and systems that can grow beyond you.

There will be setbacks, financial pressures, rejection, and moments when you question yourself. Do not allow failure to define you. Learn from it, adapt, and have the courage to rebuild when necessary.


Most importantly, do not measure success only by revenue, titles, or recognition. Build something that creates opportunities for others. Help people grow as you grow.

You may not control where your journey begins, but you can decide what you build from it. Start where you are, keep learning, remain resilient, and make your success meaningful by creating a path that others can follow.


Nisha Chauhan – Build solutions that solve genuine economic friction, and back your execution with relentless, unapologetic resilience.

Company– Elora Global Group

Advice

Build solutions that solve genuine economic friction, and back your execution with relentless, unapologetic resilience. Never dilute your strategic vision to fit conventional market expectations; instead, let your absolute operational excellence command industry respect.


True entrepreneurial mastery lies in absolute scale—so build highly profitable enterprises, but intentionally embed a sustainable social impact model into your corporate DNA to drive authentic, generational change.


Jade Nielsen – Do not confuse carrying everything alone with being strong.

Founder – ABJ Chapman Services

Advice

Do not confuse carrying everything alone with being strong.

Women are often expected to build businesses while also raising families, managing households, supporting others, and proving that our personal lives will never interfere with our professional value.


We are taught to be capable, dependable, and grateful for every opportunity. Sometimes, without realizing it, we begin measuring our worth by how much pressure we can endure without asking for help.

That is not leadership.

Leadership is knowing what only you can do and building support for everything else.

Document your processes before the business becomes overwhelming. Build systems before every problem feels urgent. Delegate before exhaustion forces the decision for you. Trust other people enough to allow them to grow beside you.


Do not wait until you feel completely ready.

I did not feel ready when I accepted my first client. I did not feel ready when I entered a male-dominated engineering field. I did not feel ready when I became the manager of 12 engineers. I certainly did not feel ready when I left my corporate career, discovered I was pregnant two weeks later, and faced the possibility that the income I had depended on was gone.


Readiness did not build my future. Courage, discipline, faith, and consistent action did.

Your first plan may not be your final purpose.

I entered college believing I would spend my career in engineering. Instead, engineering taught me how to solve problems, leadership taught me how to develop people, and entrepreneurship gave me the opportunity to use both to change the lives of business owners.


Do not allow a diagnosis, a workplace, a financial setback, motherhood, fear, or someone else’s limited expectations to decide what you are capable of building.

You are allowed to create a business that grows without consuming you.

You are allowed to want success and presence, ambition and family, leadership and balance.

You do not have to choose between building something meaningful and living a meaningful life.


Katina Pantazis – My advice to aspiring or early-stage women founders is to trust your vision, but remain willing to adapt how you achieve it.

Company– Katina Pantazis PA, sole owner of e-Estates and Trusts, PLLC

Advice

My advice to aspiring or early-stage women founders is to trust your vision, but remain willing to adapt how you achieve it. Building a business rarely follows a straight path. There will be setbacks, unexpected changes, and moments when you question whether you are making the right decisions. Those experiences are not signs that you are failing; they are often the moments that develop your judgment, resilience, and leadership.


I would also encourage women founders to build strong relationships and seek out mentors, professional peers, and trusted advisors. You do not have to know everything before you begin, and you should not be afraid to ask questions or learn from people who have already faced similar challenges. At the same time, surround yourself with individuals who respect your goals and are willing to provide honest and constructive guidance.


It is equally important to understand the business side of your organization. Passion and technical ability may inspire you to start, but sustainable growth also requires attention to finances, systems, technology, marketing, team development, and the client or customer experience. Learn to delegate where appropriate, but remain informed enough to make thoughtful decisions about every part of the organization.


Finally, define success for yourself. Growth does not have to mean becoming the largest business in your industry. It may mean creating a respected organization, providing excellent service, developing a strong team, achieving greater flexibility, or making a meaningful difference in the lives of the people you serve. Stay grounded in your values, protect your reputation, and do not allow the pressure to grow quickly to compromise the quality or integrity of what you are building.


PIALI MUKHERJEE – Start before you feel ready.

Company– MAID RIGHT OF NEW BRAUNFELS

Advice

Start before you feel ready. You will never feel ready.

Nobody handed me a roadmap. I built one while driving. Every pricing model, every hiring flyer, every client email — I figured it out, piece by piece, because I refused to wait until I had all the answers. The business doesn't reward perfect planning. It rewards relentless action.


Know your worth before you walk into any room.

As a woman, and especially as a woman of color in business, there will be rooms where people underestimate you quietly. The best response isn't anger — it's excellence. Let your preparation, your standards, and your results do the talking. Then watch the room shift.

Don't hire for desperation. Hire for alignment.


Early on, the temptation is to take anyone who says yes — any client, any staff member, any partner. Resist it. One misaligned team member costs more than an empty roster. One wrong client poisons your culture. Be selective early, and it pays you back tenfold later.

Build systems, not just hustle.


Hustle gets you started. Systems keep you standing. Document everything — your processes, your pricing, your standards — so the business can run on structure, not just on you being in the room.

Find your reason and hold it tighter than your revenue targets.

Money will follow the mission if you stay true to it. But the mission has to be real. Mine is trust — every home I clean, every person I hire, every client I serve. That north star has guided every hard decision I've made.


And finally — you are in, or you are out. There is no in-between.

This is the advice I give my own team, and I give it to myself every morning. Half-committed founders build half-built businesses. If this is yours, own it completely. Show up like it matters — because it does.


CHRISTY BOWNDS – Put God first in all that you do and be true to yourself.

Company– MOUNTAIN PLUMBING HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING & WATER TREATMENT

Advice

Put God first in all that you do and be true to yourself. Success earned is through your customers that trust and truly know where your heart is.


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