10 Lessons Learned from 10 Years as a Female Entrepreneur

When I was in college, a local businessman who’d sold his business for over $200 million hosted a class where he taught us how to be entrepreneurs. He invited other successful people, of which there were many in Santa Barbara, to talk to us about how to think outside the box, how to ask questions, and how to challenge the status quo.

I’d never considered working for myself prior to this class. But it planted a seed that 5 years later, would sprout as I embarked on this blogging career. Be My Travel Muse started roughly 10 years ago and has grown to become one of the most-read women’s travel blogs in the world, with 2 full time employees and revenues in the mid six-figures. 10 years on, these are the things I’ve learned from 10 years of being a female entrepreneur.

10. Overnight Success is a Farce

Over the course of the past decade, I have observed many new players appear to rocket out of nowhere, and burn out just as quickly. If someone in the blogging world has experienced “overnight success”, especially if they tout how quickly they’ve done it, it’s usually bullshit.

You will find abundant opportunities to cut corners, buy followers, manufacture influence, and may even get sucked into shiny courses promising overnight success. But building a dedicated audience, which requires trust and showing up consistently, takes time. There’s no way around it. It’s worth it, though, because it’s sustainable. That’s how you last for 10 years as opposed to just a couple.

9. The Most Important Quality is Grit

I am not the smartest person to break into this industry. I’m used to being a B+/A- type of student – good, maybe even honor roll, but never top of the class. 

But the beauty of being an entrepreneur is it isn’t school anymore. There’s no standardized test we’re all taking at the end. I might not be the smartest in the room, but I’m scrappy as hell and will keep looking for ways to make something work. It took me 3 years to be cash positive on my blog, and I had many 11th hour moments.

Your taste and abilities are going to take time to hone. For 99% of successful people, it took many unseen and uncelebrated years of hard work. One of the greatest commonalities amongst those who succeed is that they just don’t give up.

8. Success Leaves Breadcrumbs 

One of my secret weapons has been doing occasional deep…