Christy Wright is a best selling author and host of the podcast, Business Boutique. Christy is passionate about equipping women with the knowledge and steps they need to successfully run and grow a business. Today is Women's Entrepreneurship Day, is a day that recognizes women's entrepreneurs, and Christy answers 3 questions about women going into business.

SM: What are some of the fears that women have in starting a business and what do you tell them to overcome?

CW:

a. Research shows that as early as age 6, girls are more risk averse than boys and this trait continues throughout adulthood. Being afraid of taking risks can hold women back in business and moving ahead in their careers. But here are some tips to help women overcome fear and put themselves out there: 

b. Take the first step. For example, if you want to start a fitness coaching business, don’t get overwhelmed with everything you have to do to “launch” it. Just help one client. As you take one baby step after another, each step gives you confidence and fuels the next step. Eventually, one tiny step at a time, you have your business.

c. Let yourself be a beginner. Success doesn’t happen overnight, and you don’t need all the bells and whistles right off the bat.

d. Do it scared. Don’t wait until you’re ready, certain or perfect. Those feelings may never come. Put yourself out there anyway. Don’t wait until you’re not scared to do the thing you want to do.

e. Take comfort in the fact that fear is normal. Researchers believe up to 70 percent of people (women, more often than men) suffer from the Imposter Syndrome – from the fear of not deserving your achievements or being “found out.” Fear isn’t a sign your doing something bad, it’s a sign you’re doing something bold!

SM: What are the 3 essentials you need to start a successful business?

CW: There’s never been a better time to start a business – all you need is an idea and a Facebook page. The risk is low, the cost is low and the opportunity is limitless. Don’t wait for everything to be perfect or for you to feel ready. Just go for it. Try something and see what works. You’re going to learn the most by doing. Most new business owners make it up as they go and they don’t have a plan. I’ve found in my research that it’s not having too many things to do that overwhelms us, it’s not knowing what to do. You need to know what to do and what order to do it in. You need steps. You need a plan. So take your idea, your Facebook page and your plan and get started!

SM: What does entrepreneurship mean to you? What or who inspired you to encourage people to become entrepreneurs?

CW:

a. Growing up, I saw my mom run a successful business from the ground up. After seeing such a great example of entrepreneurship, I knew I wanted to start my own business. So when I saw an ad in the paper for a 40-acre farm for rent, I saw it as a gateway to the life I had always wanted. It included an 11-stall barn where I knew I could start a business boarding horses. I didn’t have anyone to instruct or guide me. There were no book to read on the subject at the time. I didn’t know what I was doing, but like many of the women I now coach, I made it up as I went!

b. That’s why I wanted to write Business Boutique. I want to help women like me, women like my mom, and women like you! It’s a powerful thing to see women step into their God-given gifts. I wanted this book to help create a movement of women making money doing what they love.

About Christy Wright

Christy Wright is the #1 national best-selling author of Business Boutique, host of the Business Boutique Podcast, a Certified Business Coach and a Ramsey Personality with a passion for equipping women with the knowledge and steps they need to successfully run and grow a business. Since joining Ramsey Solutions in 2009, she has spoken to thousands across the country at women’s conferences, national business conferences, Fortune 500 companies and her own sold-out live events. You can follow Wright on Twitter and Instagram @ChristyBWright and online at christywright.com or facebook.com/OfficialChristyWright