7 Steps To Building Your Own Empire

Building an empire is the dream, right? Everybody wants to one day look back on the empire they’ve built and feel the satisfaction and struggles of those first few days. It’d be great if there was a how to build an empire guide, but life is unpredictable and building a business that grows into an empire is never a straight path.

If you’re dreaming about sitting on an empire one day, it’s better to learn from the women who’ve already done it. They stayed strict with themselves and realized their dreams.

Here are some tips you need to take from these seriously inspirational women!

 

1.

Don’t let the first (or fifth) no stop you

 

As the founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely has an empire to be proud of. But she started off with humble beginnings. She worked at Disney World, then later went door to door selling fax machines.

She sees those opportunities as her training period, giving her the skills to drive a hard bargain, care for customers, and brush off a no.

When you’re starting a business and trying to become an entrepreneur, there will be a lot of no’s. You can’t let them stop you.

 

2.

Look after yourself

 

Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post and author of multiple best-sellers, knows a thing or two about stress in the workplace. In fact, she believes that the healthier the employees are, the more successful the company will be.

She told Forbes: “It matters to entrepreneurs with big ambitions because in this new definition of success, building and looking after our financial capital is not enough. We need to do everything we can to protect and nurture our human capital as well.”

Don’t get so busy working on your success that you forget to work on yourself.

 

3.

Stop caring what others think

 

Sheila Lirio Marcela is the Founder, Chairwoman, and CEO of Care.com. Care is a huge website for finding and managing family care.

When she first started out, people wondered why she wanted to start a ‘babysitting business’. She told Babson that her initial challenge in setting up a company and growing it was in her own head.

“Don’t worry about how you’re being perceived, especially as a woman entrepreneur with a female-centric business. I learned I had to play by my own terms and be authentic to who I am. Don’t worry about fitting into the molds of business stereotypes.”

 

4.

Optimism is a job requirement

 

Everyone knows Tory Burch. Her company produces and sells incredible luxury bags, and it all started with the right idea and a determination to make it work. She believes that your mindset and how excited you are about your idea is a good measure of how hard you’re willing to work at it.

Tory Burch sat down with Future of Business And Tech and was really clear that launching a business is not the easy way out. “You have to have a unique idea that meets a need, an idea that you really believe in. Launching a business is a tremendous amount of work—much more than I ever imagined when I was starting out—so you have to be truly passionate about what you’re doing. I always tell our entrepreneurs to embrace ambition—think big. Optimism is a job requirement.”

 

5.

Embrace your mistakes

 

Diane von Furstenberg is one of the most celebrated fashion designers of our time. She has built an empire based off the back of one wrap dress, and it seems as though everything fell into place for her. The opposite is true, however.

When you’re building a business (and trying to grow an empire) you will make mistakes. Diane von Furstenberg always says you will learn more from looking at her mistakes than you will from looking at her success. Make sure that every mistake you make becomes a learning experience.

 

6.

Learn things that you aren’t good at

 

Whitney Wolfe is the founder of Bumble, an up and coming entrepreneur who’s building and growing an empire. She will most likely work on more exciting things in the future. One of the keys to her success is always learning, which is something you should definitely keep in mind.

Building a business, you can’t just hire out every skill you’re not comfortable with. It’s a good idea to start to get uncomfortable and learn the things you don’t know anything about.

Whitney told Entrepreneur: “I’m learning a lot about accounting. I’m not super math savvy, but I think it’s something that is incredibly important to any business. I’m working on that and learning more about different corners of the business. I’m really trying to educate not only myself but the rest of the team in categories they might not specialize in.”

 

7.

Find your role models

 

 

Maria Hatzistefanis is the founder of Rodial and Nip + Fab, and since the release of her book How To Be An Overnight Success, she’s the name on everyone’s lips. She believes the key to staying on track and growing is to stay motivated by looking at other successful women.

“In this day and age we have so many examples of successful women in their careers or their own businesses, don’t let anyone bring you down. Find role models and inspiring stories to keep you motivated”

It’s easy to give up when the going gets tough – but that’s just not how Career Girl’s roll. Need more inspiration? Check out these successful women’s morning routines.

 

Q. Who are you inspired by?

 

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