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Entrepreneurial Mindset – Women Founders’ Advice - Part 65
In the Entrepreneurial Mindset Series, we feature the insights of 10 women founders who share lessons on believing in yourself, trusting your vision, and taking action despite fear or uncertainty. Their advice also highlights authenticity, persistence, continuous learning, supportive relationships, clear purpose, and building businesses around meaningful service and positive impact.
Featured Women Founders
Muskan Ahuja If I had to share advice with aspiring or early-stage women founders, I would break it down into three key points.
Melinda Meltzer Be authentic and true to yourself.
Ellen Neufeld Believe in yourself, think positive, ask for help, and make sure to find gratitude even when it may be difficult.
Devi Patel For aspiring or early-stage women founders, I would encourage staying focused on purpose and believing in the value of your vision.
Summer Kaur Advice to Other Women Entrepreneurs Believe in your vision, even when others doubt you.
Amanda Hill, CPA Advice for Aspiring and Early-Stage Women Founders The most important advice I can share comes not from a business book or a boardroom — it comes from watching my three daughters watch me.
Smriti Bhatia Would love to say that success can never be tasted without fear of failure..
Susan Elisabeth Venter Believe in yourself.
Kelly Maclean If you know — deep down — that you can improve someone’s life, it is not selfish to build a business around that gift.
Rosaly Chaviano Monteagudo
Muskan Ahuja – If I had to share advice with aspiring or early-stage women founders, I would break it down into three key points.
Company– Risata Bakery and Patisserie
Advice
If I had to share advice with aspiring or early-stage women founders, I would break it down into three key points.
First, find your passion and your calling. Entrepreneurship will take everything you have — and then demand even more. You will have to sacrifice personal space, friendships, family commitments, and comfort just to keep the business surviving and afloat, especially in the initial years. If you are not deeply passionate about what you do, it becomes extremely difficult to continue. Without a strong “why,” the journey can feel overwhelming.
Second, set boundaries early and stand by them. Know what you bring to the table and have confidence in your abilities. Patriarchy and sexism do exist, and they can shake your courage if you let them. Do not give in to them. Do not tolerate disrespect.
At the same time, be completely on top of your business. Being a woman does not mean you stay away from finances, administration, HR, taxation, or operations. As a founder, you must have a 360-degree, bird’s-eye view of everything running in your company. If you stay on top of your numbers from day one, you significantly increase your chances of success.
Lastly, be relentlessly consistent and persistent. Show up every single day with the same commitment and discipline. Be so consistent and so stubborn in your efforts that the universe has no option but to reward you for it.
Melinda Meltzer – Be authentic and true to yourself.
Company– Stay and Play Pet Sitting
Website: temeculapetsitting.com
Advice
Be authentic and true to yourself.
Ellen Neufeld – Believe in yourself, think positive, ask for help, and make sure to find gratitude even when it may be difficult.
Company– Aviva Med Spa
Website: aviva-medspa.com
Advice
Believe in yourself, think positive, ask for help, and make sure to find gratitude even when it may be difficult.
Devi Patel – For aspiring or early-stage women founders, I would encourage staying focused on purpose and believing in the value of your vision.
Founder – Better Lives Foundation
Website: https://betterlivesfoundation.org/
Advice
For aspiring or early-stage women founders, I would encourage staying focused on purpose and believing in the value of your vision. Start by understanding why your work matters and who you are trying to serve. When you are clear about your mission, it becomes easier to stay motivated during difficult times.
Build confidence through learning and small consistent steps rather than waiting for perfection. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, seek mentorship, or surround yourself with supportive people who believe in your growth.
Resilience is essential, challenges, rejection, and setbacks are part of the journey. Use them as learning opportunities rather than reasons to stop.
Finally, lead with authenticity, compassion, and integrity. Success is not only about business growth but also about making a positive impact on people’s lives.
Summer Kaur – Advice to Other Women Entrepreneurs Believe in your vision, even when others doubt you.
Company– Edzoro
Website: https://www.edzoro.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.edzoro.com/
Advice
Advice to Other Women Entrepreneurs
Believe in your vision, even when others doubt you. As a woman entrepreneur, you may face additional challenges, but your perspective, resilience, and ability to adapt are powerful strengths. Start with what you have, focus on solving a real problem, and don’t wait for everything to be perfect before taking action.
Be consistent, stay open to learning, and don’t be afraid of failure—it is part of the journey. Surround yourself with supportive people, seek mentors, and continuously improve your skills and confidence. Most importantly, trust yourself and your decisions. With persistence, clarity of purpose, and dedication, you can build something meaningful and create a lasting impact.
Amanda Hill, CPA – Advice for Aspiring and Early-Stage Women Founders The most important advice I can share comes not from a business book or a boardroom — it comes from watching my three daughters watch me.
Company– FutureSight Accounting LLC
Website: www.futuresightaccounting.com
Advice
Advice for Aspiring and Early-Stage Women Founders
The most important advice I can share comes not from a business book or a boardroom — it comes from watching my three daughters watch me.
When I launched Futuresight Accounting LLC, I made a deliberate choice to bring my girls into the journey from the very beginning. They helped choose the name. They weighed in on the logo. They have contributed to social media and sat beside me at networking events, watching their mother walk into rooms full of strangers and choose courage over comfort.
That decision — to let them see all of it, including the uncertain and imperfect parts — has become one of the greatest gifts I could give them. And it has taught me more about leadership than twenty years in corporate America ever did.
So here is what I would tell every aspiring woman founder:
You do not have to be perfect to make the leap. Waiting until you feel completely ready is the surest way to never begin. I spent years doubting myself while others with less experience and less dedication moved ahead of me. The leap does not require certainty — it requires a decision. Take it.
Dream bigger than feels comfortable. For too long I allowed other people's limited perception of me — as a wife, as a mother, as someone who didn't fit their mold — to shrink what I believed was possible. My husband saw my potential for twenty-three years before the rest of the world caught up. Surround yourself with people who see you clearly, especially when you cannot see yourself.
Let the people who love you in. Building a business does not mean building alone. My family is woven into everything Futuresight is and is becoming. That is not a weakness — it is a foundation.
Imposter syndrome does not go away — but it does not have to win. That voice still shows up for me. On hard days, in big rooms, in quiet moments of self-doubt. But I have learned to answer it with evidence — with every client whose confidence has grown, every business owner who finally understands their numbers, every room I have led and every conversation that mattered.
Focus on the impact you have already made. Let that be louder than the fear.
Show your daughters — and every young woman watching you — that this is possible. Not the polished, highlight-reel version. The real version. The messy, brave, figure-it-out-as-you-go version. Because that is the one that actually changes lives.
The world does not need more women waiting for permission. It needs more women who decide.
Smriti Bhatia – Would love to say that success can never be tasted without fear of failure..
Company– Smriti’s ChocoHouse
Advice
Would love to say that success can never be tasted without fear of failure.. once you fall, give more strength to come back harder. Push boundaries with faith in self and divine. Balance your life, give yourself time and also your family. Do service, and take breaks when you need. Good things come only with resilience and love
Susan Elisabeth Venter – Believe in yourself.
Company– SM Architectural & Town-planning Services t/a SM Tekendienste
Website: https://www.smteken.co.za/
Advice
Believe in yourself. Having faith in your abilities can unlock immense potential. Let go of self-doubt and trust that you’re capable of achieving great things.
Kelly Maclean – If you know — deep down — that you can improve someone’s life, it is not selfish to build a business around that gift.
Company– Kelly Maclean Achievement Center
Website: Kelly-mac.com
Advice
If you know — deep down — that you can improve someone’s life, it is not selfish to build a business around that gift. It is responsibility.
Too many women hesitate because of fear:
What will people think?
What if it doesn’t work?
What if I fail?
But when we stay silent or small, we are not just protecting ourselves — we are withholding impact. Somewhere, someone needs exactly what you are capable of providing. Your experience, your insight, your solution could change the trajectory of another person’s life.
Starting a business is not just about income. It is about service. It is about stepping into leadership. It is about trusting your instincts enough to act.
You do not need perfect timing, perfect confidence, or perfect conditions. You need courage and a willingness to begin.
If you can help someone succeed, build the thing.
Because your fear should never stand in the way of someone else’s future.
Rosaly Chaviano Monteagudo – 1.
Company– Chaviano Law Firm, P.A.
Website: www.chavianolaw.com
Advice
1. Lead with passion and courage. Pursue what you truly care about and don’t let fear make your decisions.
2. Build your business around a clear promise. Decide what you want to be known for (e.g., clarity, responsiveness, results), then deliver it consistently. Your reputation will become your most powerful growth engine.
3. Systemize early. Even as a solo founder, create repeatable processes so you can serve clients at a high level without burnout.
4. Lead with visibility and confidence. Share your expertise publicly, speak about your values, and don’t wait for permission to take up space in your market.
5. Stay close to your clients. The best innovation comes from listening, your clients will tell you what to improve, what to simplify, and what truly differentiates you.
6. Invest in your people. Treat employees with respect, recognize their contributions, and build a culture where they feel valued.
7. Protect your mental health. Sustainable success requires boundaries, rest, and support. Take care of yourself as intentionally as you take care of your business.
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