If you think that you are safe from the proverbial glass ceiling just because you own your own business, think again! I often see that women business owners, in comparison to their male counterparts, will put themselves in a position of under-earning. And, unfortunately, this gap is at a far greater degree than what we see in the corporate world.
How does this happen? It often starts at the very beginning. For example, say two individuals are launching their niche coaching business, one male and one female. The woman prices her three-month package at $3,000 (which is way under market value) because she is “just getting started”. Whereas the man considers the going rate of a three-month coaching package and settles on an $8,000 – $10,000 price point. As you can see, from the beginning, there is an immediate wage gap that will only widen over time. Even though women will come up a little bit at a time, men are jumping up in bigger increments.
So, the self-imposed glass ceiling is real! To bust through it, you must permit yourself to charge more by positioning yourself in a value proposition, as opposed to money for time. Getting here requires you to own who you are and what you do, see that there is always room to grow, and ask, “Where am I not rising equally, and where am I not leaning in?”
Find a Mentor
When alone, we often do not lean in the same way, or as far, as we do when we are with someone else. This is why having a coach or mentor who can hold space is invaluable. However, as we rise up, start making seven or eight figures, and the gap between who we serve and who we are widens, the number of reliable mentors (someone they can lean on) narrows.
Mentorship is not just about nudging you to step up, solving your problems, or fixing what is “broken”. (In reality, many of my mentees are not broken, so there is no need to fix anything at all!) A mentor’s role is to call you on your bullshit while holding space in a way that you can lean in and surrender without you needing to take care of them! So even if you are making a billion dollars, your mentor must recognize that there is room to grow and hold the space for you to continue pushing that ceiling. Just not that as your business grows past seven and eight figures, the needs of a coach or a mentor changes!
“It’s not about being broken. It is about pushing the limits of possibility and
forever expanding what you can step into.“
The Steps to finding a mentor.
It is important to find someone that looks at that overall picture. They must hold you accountable making sure that you follow through with what you say that you want!
Step One:
Find a person that can identify what is preventing you from leaning into and accomplishing your goal. For example, are you holding onto an old staff member that no longer serves you or fits your goal? Your mentor must be willing to say that it is time to let that person go.
Step Two:
The more that we rise up, the smaller the pool of people we can lean on becomes. Why? As you continue pushing past the multiple six and seven-figure income, you start developing fans. Your mentor cannot be your “fan”! Yes, it feels good to hear that your hair looks great, and your shit smells impeccable, but let us face it — fans are never going to nudge us further!
If you are relying on a fan to lean on, coach, or mentor you, there will be an imbalance. Often, your successes or the challenges that you face can trigger them. As a result, you will be the one holding space for them. So watch for this when you are sussing someone out.
Step three:
Rely on your intuition! Your intuition will allow you to tune in and quickly determine whether someone is a good fit or not.
I want to hone in on this intuition piece. If you are hitting the multiple six and seven-figure marks, your ability to make quick decisions that land you in the direction that you want to go becomes vital. So let your intuition guide you to who it is that should mentor your growth in your business and allow you to expand who you are so that you can expand your business! More on intuition here.
That is your inner dominatrix moment for today. Let me know how you’re doing with this! I would love to hear from you. Also, If you have not picked up a copy of Badass Intuition, head over to InnerDominatrix.com and get your copy. You can also get yourself hooked up to the course that I’m putting together for that as well.
