The TEDxBristol team were overjoyed to be spending a whole day with a room packed full of positive enthusiastic women in business in Bristol. And we were not disappointed! The Female Festival of Entrepreneurs was a very uplifting experience and Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation has a wonderful warm & engaging interviewing skill and without a shadow of a doubt has an immense passion for supporting entrepreneurial women.

We compiled a list of more than 20 take-aways from the day and now we’ve whittled it down to our very favourite 5 things that have really captivated our attention and we feel are fundamental for female business owners.

1.Choosing growth isn’t always the right option.

We assume it is the ONLY option, but this isn’t true. There are many factors that need to be considered before we idly opt for growth. Each situation in our business journey and in our personal journey has a different set of priorities. Recognise the current priority in your life at any given time before committing to business growth.

2. The most important aspect is self care.

The vast majority of the many wonderful female coaches and mentors we know have been through an experience which has lead them to this conclusion. But why do we have to neglect our own well-being so badly before we’ll make that change. Let’s listen and learn from those that have been there and make a promise to ourselves and our families and friends that we will TAKE SELF CARE SERIOUSLY.

3. “It’s not about doing a task, it’s about living a purpose.” Bev James CEO of The Coaching Academy. Success doesn’t come over night even the ‘overnight success stories’ were not overnight. When you are living a purpose, you are driven through the challenges, difficulties and bumps along the way with courage, grit, determination and vigour. But if you’re just doing a task, you’ll find it a million times harder to persevere when the world feels against you and nothing appears to be going your way.

4. Women are wonderful at telling stories.

We need to explore this attribute more & use it to our advantage. The journalist panel said ‘Journalists are always looking for good stories about business women’ So let’s tell our story, let’s tell more stories, let’s share each others stories. Not only does it benefit our business and raise our profile but it does wonders for our mental wellbeing too!

5. Plan your business strategy & what you want from this venture. Emma Bridgewater said “If you don’t stop, you’ll just be working. Then one day you’ll wake up & say ‘what?’ ‘how?’...” Invest time, money & resources in a PLAN. If you need some support with your plan (don’t we all?) then seek out a mentor that has the same values as you and can work with you to turn that plan into reality.

The TEDxBristol team are really excited to attend the #FFE19 event on 18th October (make a note in your diary not to miss it!) and we can’t wait for another amazing day!

We gained so much advice and wisdom on the day from the panel and the audience!

We’d love to hear your tips for women in business, please do share with us on Twitter @TEDxBristol