Mindset Techniques for Female Entrepreneurs (Create a Mindset Routine)

Mindset Techniques for Female Entrepreneurs (Create a Mindset Routine)

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

When thinking about my own mindset journey it’s always been very ebb and flow. The times when I lacked any sort of mindset consistency or deep inner work it definitely showed in both my role as a mother, my marriage and as a businesswoman.

For me, the 3 main areas affect my mindset most are: 

1. Morning Routine

2. Money Beliefs

3. Consistent Messaging
   

Today on the blog, I want to break down each of these pieces to support you in creating a mindset routine that works for you and your life.

Too often I see entrepreneurs feeling shame, been there done that, around the “traditional” techniques not working for them. I encourage you to take the lessons I’ve learned and use them to inspire you!

Ok, let’s get into it.

1. CREATING YOUR MORNING ROUTINE AS A FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR

Let’s just clear the air around something super important. Yes, we call it a Morning Routine, but that doesn’t mean you need to do it in the morning. That doesn’t mean that if your morning doesn’t go as planned, it won’t work.

The keyword here is routine and I hope you’ll remember that.

Ok, now that we’ve covered that let’s talk about shame (oh so fun Michelle)!

When I started my business and left my 9 to 5, I reached out to entrepreneurs inside of a Facebook Group asking them what I needed to do daily and the response was a morning routine. And they got specific with it, stating that an hour was ideal (i.e. 30-minute meditation, 15-minute writing and 15-minute movement).

So, I did it, because trust me when I tell you enough people were telling me the same thing that I thought they had to be on to something.

We’ll surprise, I found myself struggling for two reasons:

1. This timeframe didn’t work for me and 

2. I needed something else and for me, that was physical intensity (more time dedicated to working out).

This all came from my own awareness.

Awareness is one of the best mindset skills you can create. Awareness is at the cornerstone of everything, it brings things to the surface you might not recognize day to day. This includes limiting beliefs and blocks, emotions that need to be tended to, as well as the awareness that rest is needed. 

And this awareness is so important when we think about the seasons of life.

Just like the seasons in nature, we have the same seasons in life and often each season is asking something different from us. It’s our job to recognize that and make decisions on what’s needed most to create a life on our terms.

For me, this awareness and particular seasons were telling me that I needed to start the day with more energy and shorten the time I was dedicating to my morning routine.

GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION and release the shame and expectations that one way is the only way.

At this particular time and even today, I realized I needed something more intense. 

With this awareness and knowledge, I created a new intention (that’s what I call goals) that apply to my morning routine.

“I’ve created a morning routine that serves me with movement, meditation, mindful writing and nourishment.”

This is important because it’s made for me and allows me the flexibility to do what feels best.

What would your ideal routine look like?
What 3-4 areas would you want to focus on?

When you’re creating your mindset routine, remember that mindset is the best form of self-care.

THE MORNING ROUTINE OF A 6-FIGURE ENTREPRENEUR

I know you love examples, I’m the same way, so here is a glimpse into my own mindset routine and the time I dedicate to each.

Remember, everything is based on my intention, “I’ve created a morning routine that serves me with movement, meditation, mindful writing and nourishment.”

MOVEMENT: I get my blood pumping and body moving first thing in the morning and aim for 30 minutes to 1 hour at least 5 days a week.

MEDITATION: I don’t do a full meditation daily. I aim for 3x a week (other seasons it’s been more like 5 or even 7). My meditations are typically no more than 10-15 minutes in length and I prefer meditations that are led by someone else. Check out YouTube or Spotify to find one that you enjoy. 

MINDFUL WRITING: This is my release. I do this 3x a week, except in high seasons of creation like when I’m launching, writing or speaking. I’ve found that asking myself a prompt or question helps with the flow.

I always start with two questions and let my writing go from there.

1. What do I need to hear today?

2. What do I need to work through today?

NOURISHMENT: Again fueling my body is part of my mindset. I’m a firm believer that you can have a great mind, but an unhealthy body or even a healthy body, but an unhealthy mind. I strive for both, so daily I’m making my morning breakfast a big part of my mindset routine.

As you can see, the intention I st is my only rule, how I perform each piece is open to what’s needed most at that time of my life.

2. MONEY BELIEFS AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Money beliefs are so important to address as an entrepreneur because we are the ones bringing in the money. 

Your view of money is often deeply rooted in what you’re taught or saw growing up. For many of us it lives in the subconscious and it’s our role to bring it to the surface. We can only do this through heightened awareness and bringing it into our mindset routine.

If you find money isn’t coming easily to you, or you’ve reached a cap you need to uncover what’s blocking the flow of money - we all have this block at some point by the way.

This is where daily meditation and writing can help remove this block because you’re digging deeper than you might do in the normal day to day of living your life.

I have very specific seasons where I do deep money work and I’m in one now.

A few things to keep in mind:

1. No one can do the work for you. If you find you’re struggling to make progress there is so much support available online. We have a mindset coach inside of Roadmap to Freedom, my group program for new and aspiring female entrepreneurs.

2. Focus on not only identifying the beliefs but also releasing them (forgive). This doesn’t happen just once it must be repeated over and over again especially as you reach a new level in your business.

3. Create a habit of catching yourself daily with the messaging you’re putting out into the world and what you’re receiving.

3. CONSISTENT MESSAGING THAT AFFECTS YOUR MINDSET

While I love talking about messaging as it pertains to your brand, it’s also so important to talk about the messaging you put out into the world and the messaging coming back at you daily.

If you’re constantly surrounded by people, media or information that brings you down or talks negatively about money or your potential, you will start to mirror that belief. 

Make more deliberate decisions about what and who you surround yourself with.

Listen to a podcast, I highly recommend my new podcast The Beautiful Climb, watch videos that inspire you or read uplifting articles. 

Your vibration matters and needs to be high the majority of the time to attract the things you want in life.

It’s also important to catch yourself and what you’re saying daily. 

For example: If you tell yourself and others you don’t have time, that will begin to be true for you. You absolutely have the time, it’s how you choose to view it and use it. 

We have the decision in how we respond to things that come our way. We might have things that happen to us or for us (depending on your views) and it’s up to you on how you respond.  

This is a muscle you have to flex. It’s not always easy, but making a habit is so important!

TIPS TO MAKE YOUR MINDSET A DAILY HABIT

• Create affirmations + post them in prominent places (I like the bathroom)

• Set daily alarms multiple times a day with reminders to breathe, think positively about money or just to evaluate your thoughts at that moment and change them.

• Catch yourself when you’re using a specific language like “I don’t have time!” 

• Write your intentions (goals) daily so they are at the front of your mind.

• Create a mindfulness playlist to ground you when you’re feeling low energy or overwhelmed.

• Schedule it! This is so important, it doesn’t happen by chance, these changes don’t fall into your lap you have to practice them and make them a priority.
  

CONCLUSION

I’ve felt like my routine or mindset wasn’t resilient enough in years past, because I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. This was a belief that only contributed to more doubt and resistance towards attracting what I wanted in life. 

Through the years I’ve made my mindset a top priority to overcome perfectionism, remove internal and outside expectations and create a life on my terms.

I chat about my journey and give you the tools to do the same on my new podcast The Beautiful Climb. Learn more at TheBeautifulClimb.com and subscribe on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher.

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

How to Find a Business Coach: What To Look For

How to Find a Business Coach: What To Look For

July 15, 2019

Are you considering hiring a business coach? 

It can be a little intimidating starting the search process and wondering if it’s the right move for your life and business. Typically, hiring a private mentor is a big investment. I want to tell you it’s all based on trust, but that doesn’t really give you much to work with does it?

Over the past three years I’ve worked with multiple mentors and coaches to bring my business to multiple 6-figures and ask myself the same questions before investing.

Today, on the blog I’m sharing how to know when you’re ready to hire a business coach and the top four things to look for before investing.

HOW TO KNOW WHEN YOU’RE READY TO HIRE A COACH

1. IDENTIFY THE HOLES IN YOUR BUSINESS

Before you move forward with a coach you need an idea of what's not working or missing from your current business. You’ll want to find a mentor that can help you with this specific area, every mentor has their specialty and it’s important to identify before investing. I suggest asking yourself the following questions.

• “Where do I need the most support?”

• “What are my goals for the year and what do I need to know/do to accomplish them?”

• “What areas of my business do I feel the least confident?”

2. UNDERSTAND YOUR GOALS

You don't have to have it all figured out before you hire a mentor, but you need to know what you're working towards. This will not only help you find a coach that can support you in reaching your desires, but will also help your mentor deliver on your goals. The best coaches WANT to see you succeed so having this clearly defined in the beginning can help everyone in the relationship feel confident in moving forward.

HOW TO CHOOSE A BUSINESS COACH

1. THERE VALUES NEED TO ALIGN WITH YOURS

I've made this mistake and got distracted with the promise rather than who they were as a person and what was important to them. You’re going to be walking very intimately with someone and it’s important that your values are aligned.

2. DO THEY FILL HOLES

As I mentioned before, it's important to identify what holes are happening in your business. Don't just get support to get support, find the right person who will help you fill the holes and move your business forward. 

3. THEIR CHARACTER

When I read testimonials I focus less on results and more on what people have to say about their character as a person. Everyone's results will vary and you have the opportunity to achieve more or less depending on you individual personality, but their character and how they support their clients is so important and will majorly impact the relationship.

4. LOOK FOR MORE

I don’t mean shop around for coaches, but rather be open to learning more. Even though you go into this with an idea of where you need support more is going to come up, it always does. I always look for a mentor who can support me with different levels of life and business and feels in alignment with where I want my business and brand to go - i.e. have they achieved what you are setting out to do.

I hope this was helpful in pointing out some really important details to consider before hiring a mentor. As I mentioned in the beginning, a big component of choosing a coach or mentor is to trust them. 

In addition to the steps listed above, I suggest following them on social media, joining their email list and consuming some of their content - this will tell you so much!

If you’re interested in learning how I can support you with your brand and business, I’d love to chat. You can schedule a call here.

P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? No? Well lady what’s happening here we’ve got to fix that. Come hang out with me on my favorite social media platform. Follow for inspiration and send me a DM to know we’re connected.

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

My 2019 Summer Reads for Life and Business

My 2019 Summer Reads for Life and Business

June 21, 2019

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Last year I shared a blog on The Top 7 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read and you loved it. I followed it up with Must-Read Personal and Professional Books for 2019.

I know that books (and audio) are some of the best ways to advance your personal and professional development.

And, as I’ve admitted before, reading is not something that just comes “natural” to me. In fact, I have to create a habit around taking the time to silence my mind and dive into a great read.

What I’ve found over the past three years of running my business is that I gain so much clarity around my next steps and content and resources to share with you when I immerse myself in a book written for personal development.

So, today I’m sharing four of my favorite reads for Summer 2019 (some of which I’ve already read and a few I’m diving into soon) so you can run to your favorite book store and grab a copy.

P.S. If you’re looking for inspiration in your biz and feeling a little lost or uninspired, reading is my secret weapon and always gets my energy and thoughts in alignment to share content.

SUMMER READ #1
OWN YOUR EVERYDAY BY JORDAN LEE DOOLEY

I gave this book a shout out on Instagram Stories while reading it on the beach in Florida and had to include it in this list. If you’re not already a fan of Jordan, I fully believe you need to follow her. I was inspired by her story while attending the Kajabi Summit in March and started following her on social.

I had no idea she was releasing a book at the time, but when I learned more about her work I wanted to dive in. Her ability to merge personal story with life lessons is amazing and one of my favorite parts about her book.

The tagline for Own Your Everyday is Overcome the Pressure to Prove and Show Up for What You Were Made to Do and it’s such an amazing book for the everyday woman (that’s you and I btw). She talks about our need to be perfect, to have it all figured out and bring such light and grace to the personal development space. Check it out here.

SUMMER READ #2
GIRL STOP APOLOGIZING BY RACHEL HOLLIS

I’ve talked about Rachel’s books before and if you don’t know who she is, I’m afraid you might be living under a rock at this point. Rachel has taken the personal development world by storm and is such an amazing brand to watch and study (hello, I’m a branding nerd).

This is the second book, following Girl, Wash Your Face, and I was so fortunate to receive an advance copy. I highly recommend checking out this book as a summer read, especially if you carry shame in asking for and reaching for your goals. Buy it here.

SUMMER READ #3
JUDGEMENT DETOX BY GABRIELLE BERNSTEIN

I’m a little late to the party here, but I’m such a fan of Gabby’s and the way her book The Universe Has Your Back transformed my belief around money and releasing the HOW.

I think one of the best things we can do as business women is to release the past stories we carry that affect where we want to go. If you’ve got big, audacious goals (and I know you do) then it’s time to go the past story work. I’m excited to read Gabby’s book and dive into the 6-step process she presents in the book. Buy it here.

SUMMER READ #4
HIGH-PERFORMING HABITS BY BRENDON BURCHARD

If you’re a friend of mine you know my obsession with Brendon Burchard and the work he is doing in the world. Another amazing speaker I met at the Kajabi Summit and was brought to church by his words.

When I finally dove into High-Performing Habits I felt like he was speaking directly to me. I’ve only felt this way one other time and that was reading Daring Greatly by Brene Brown! This book made me laugh and cry and understand my high-performance habits better than before.

I love Brendon’s work because it’s so deeply rooted in research, so if you’re a nerd like me I highly suggest grabbing this book this Summer. Buy it here.

Do you have a favorite book you’ve read or are excited to dive into this Summer? Let me know in the comments below!

P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? No? Well lady what’s happening here we’ve got to fix that. Come hang out with me on my favorite social media platform. Follow for inspiration and send me a DM to know we’re connected.

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5 Things to Know About Your First Year as an Entrepreneur

5 Things to Know About Your First Year
as an Entrepreneur

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

Look, I’m going to go against the grain here and say starting a business and becoming an entrepreneur takes work.

Insert Rihana singing “work work work work work”

The reality is this is not for the faint of heart, which is ironic because what you need to make this thing work is a whole lot of heart.

In addition to having the belief, mindset and deep desire to make this thing work there are 5 things you need to know in your first year as an entrepreneur.

The first year of my business it took months, I’m talking 8 months for me to truly figure out what I was doing.

I took action, continuous action and was busy working on building this dream, but I had little to show for it.

So, I consider myself a freaking expert in helping women who struggle to get going because I’ve lived through it.

After 8 months of pushing uphill things started to shift for me and within three months I was making enough monthly income to replace my 9 to 5 and in a year I had made 6-figures cash in my business.

Do I think I could have hit those goals faster if I’d had known these things? YES

But, then I wouldn’t be able to share this with you today #lessons.

So here we go - 5 Things to Know About Your First Year as an Entrepreneur (what I wish I’d known).

1. YOUR WEBSITE

How do I say this in a way that doesn’t come across as a total butthead - no one is searching for your website.

Oh, I know you want it to be the case, but in the beginning, people don’t know you, yet so many entrepreneurs spend so much time on building their website right out of the gate when they should be focused on building brand awareness.

Your website is needed and will be one of the most valuable tools in your business, but spending months and months and sometimes thousands of dollars to build your website is a waste at the beginning.

Take the time to identify your niche, who you want to attract and your brand messages BEFORE building your website and be sure to have a marketing plan to actually drum up enough interest that has people visiting your website.

2. YOUR BRAND

Another one that takes so much time and so much money - yep, it’s branding.

I love branding, it is my jam, but so many entrepreneurs do it wrong the first year. They jump right into finding their colors, fonts and designing their logo BEFORE understanding their brand foundations. Yep, you guessed it - your niche, your audience and your brand messages.

PLUS, they overlook the power of emotional branding (more on that here) which at its core is WHY people buy. So rather than diving right into the visual branding what we should be focused on is what branding truly is - the deeper connection to your audience.

One of the best things you can do is create content for your audience to build brand awareness (yes, this is part of branding) and watch as your visuals fall into place.

3. POWER OF STORY

You’ve got one thing when you start and that’s your story! It’s also the one thing you have that will help you stand out from the crowd and competition.

You need to spend time uncovering your story and setting a strong foundation for story in your business.

Your audience is 22x more likely to remember story, which means it goes beyond just your brand story and also includes authentically tying story into every piece of content and marketing material you make.

4. SOCIAL MEDIA I CONFUSING

Yep, that’s right social media is a lot of information. It can be one of the coolest tools you use in the online space OR it can literally drive you crazy.

In the beginning, you want to be everywhere because that’s what you’re told right? Well, not really the best move when you’re just starting out.

Instead, I suggest you focus on one social media platform to start and get really good at that. In order to do this think of two things. #1 Where do you like to hang out and #2 Where is your audience spending time.

Boom - start there and stop overwhelming yourself trying to be everywhere!

5. MESSAGING IS MAGIC

If there is one thing I’ve learned as an entrepreneur and especially my first year in business is that messaging can make or break your success.

This goes back decades and is the foundation of successful advertising. You need to be crystal clear, do everything in your power to not confuse your audience and clearly communicate how it benefits your audience.

If there is one thing you set up at the start of your business it should be your brand messaging. What do you provide and how does it benefit your audience?

That’s the secret - making sure you’re clearly sharing how it benefits your audience.

If you’re always focused on this, it’s freaking magic.

I hope you take these five essential pieces and put them into action.

They can completely change the course of your business and your ability to reach profitability faster.

If you need support along the way, that’s where I come in.

My program Roadmap to Freedom is opening soon and it’s better than ever. This live 90-day program is for the new and aspiring female entrepreneur ready to simplify the process of building an online business that allows her to make money on her terms and create a life of abundant experiences and impact.

You can learn more at brandmerry.com/freedom.

P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? No? Well lady what’s happening here we’ve got to fix that. Come hang out with me on my favorite social media platform. Follow for inspiration and send me a DM to know we’re connected.

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

Why perfectionism is bad for business (entrepreneur edition)

Why perfectionism is bad for business (entrepreneur edition)

April 25, 2019

PREFER TO WATCH, INSTEAD OF READ? I’VE GOT YOU BOO. SCROLL DOWN TO WATCH A QUICK 6 MINUTE VIDEO!

It's a trap. I'm talking about perfectionism, more specifically, perfectionism in business.

I know it's really easy when you dive into this whole entrepreneur thing that you want every single thing to be perfect.

So I have to know, do you struggle with perfectionism and more specifically, did you feel that heightened when you became an entrepreneur when you started diving into the world of entrepreneurism?

I know I did, and you and I are not alone. There are so many women who struggle with this. Today, I want to talk to you about what perfectionism means for your business and how you can start to escape it.

Real talk. I have struggled with perfectionism my entire life, and I'm not talking about that one time in college when that one paper had to be perfect.

I'm talking about perfectionism on an emotional, mental, and physical level really impacting me for years and years. And so when I tell you I get you, I am not freaking lying.

That feeling of almost being paralyzed to do anything in your business, redoing and redoing an email and a website, trying to get it absolutely perfect to the point that you feel exhausted and slightly overwhelmed and comparing yourself to other people in the online space because let's just admit it right now, comparisonitis plagues perfectionists so much.

I get it - all right. Maybe you're not that far gone, and to that, I say bless you, but perhaps you are, and you need to hear exactly what I'm telling you today.

Throughout my entrepreneur journey, I had to come face to face with my struggle around perfectionism. And today I have some harsh truths for you; perfectionism is keeping you stuck. I know, I get it.

When I first heard it, I was like, who do you think you are? But it's true and after three years of really making this a focus, to dive into how perfectionism was keeping me stuck, how it was keeping me in a safe space, I have come to learn that it is an excuse that so many entrepreneurs use, and it's probably an excuse that you're using today.

It's a belief that you have held onto for so long that it's ultimately keeping you stuck.

It is keeping you in a safe bubble where you are not taking risks and big, bold chances. And I have to tell you; it is those risks and big, bold chances that make you a better entrepreneur and more importantly, a better version of yourself.

And so with everything, I genuinely believe that you have a choice and you might be thinking to yourself, I know that and I believe that, and maybe you know that on a surface level, but have you actually thought about that today?

Have you thought about the fact that you can live with something forever and ever and you can wake up one day and have a choice to no longer let that be your truth?

You have a choice right now.

You can choose to stay safe in this perfectionist bubble, redoing things over and over again, not putting your voice out into the world, or you can choose to take action, and you can choose to get super uncomfortable, and I have to tell you, that's where growth comes from. It comes from doing uncomfortable things.

Also, side note, if the fear of failure is like going off in your head right now, watch my video from last week because we talked about the fear of failure and what it truly means.

But I have a question for you. Does everyone who struggles with perfectionism stay hidden? The answer is no. Obviously, because there are big important people in this world who are out there sharing their message that struggle with this same thing that you and I struggle with and I know that was a huge part for me.

When I realized that these people out there every single day are doing it even though they might be a little fearful that they might fail or that it won't be perfect. They're still doing it. I'm standing in front of you today to tell you that you have a choice.

You deserve to show up, and you deserve to be seen just as you are in this moment, even if it doesn't feel perfect, it's your job to decide not to let this label keep you from achieving greatness.

My first live stream was horrible. My first webinar blew up in my face, my first launch. It did not go as planned, and the only way that I grew was by putting it out there and continuing to take action over and over again.

So how can you ever perfect something if you're not willing to put it out into the world? If you are afraid of what people are going to say, I have to tell you there will always be people who love you and there will always be people who want to bring you down.

You have to focus on the people who love you, and you have to put your stuff out there and to be your true authentic self anyway.

So how are you going to show up and take action and take risks even though it is scary, even though you want it to be perfect and it's not there yet because I am telling you your business, your life of freedom, it all comes back to you and the choices that you will make today.

If for you, that action means finally getting started, your thriving online business. If that means for you saying yes to the dream that you've had forever playing over and over in your head, but you're afraid to do it because guess what? It's not perfect yet.

I want to invite you to my upcoming masterclass where you'll hear from someone who has been where you are struggling with perfectionism, and we're going to talk about exactly what you need to create a thriving online business that doesn't waste time, energy, or resources, and get you to profitability faster. You can go to brandmerry.com/masterclass.

Please share your biggest takeaways from this blog post and how you’re going to implement this information in your own business!

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P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? No? Well lady what’s happening here we’ve got to fix that. Come hang out with me on my favorite social media platform. Follow for inspiration and send me a DM to know we’re connected.

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