Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Diann Wingert, founder of Diann Wingert Coaching, located in Portland, OR, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

The number of female entrepreneurs in the US has increased by 114% in the past two decades, but social and corporate conditioning have left many women unprepared for the psychological struggles they face. Consciously, they worry about whether they have what it takes, but unconsciously they also fear outshining others, evoking criticism and jealousy, and being seen as incompetent or unfeminine. As a result, they hold themselves back or even sabotage their success without even realizing it. As a psychotherapist turned coach, I specialize in helping female entrepreneurs, creatives, and independent professionals to eliminate these inner obstacles and embrace their full potential for success.

Tell us about yourself

I became a business mindset coach after a 20-year career as a psychotherapist because I realized that therapy is ideal for addressing abuse, addiction, trauma, or loss. However, once a woman is mentally healthy, she may still have trouble going after and reaching her goals due to unconscious beliefs and habits. I wanted to evolve my conversations from talking about problems and pathology to talking about potential and possibilities. It's been five years since I closed my therapy practice and got trained and certified as a coach. I just love helping entrepreneurial women become focused fired up. Flame retardant help them identify and eliminate whatever is holding them back.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I launched The Driven Woman Podcast in May 2020, a few months after the start of the COVID pandemic. I had been a guest on a number of podcasts but was resisting starting my own for all sorts of reasons that seemed valid at the time, but I realized they were just fear pretending to be logical. The Driven Woman Podcast is now in the top 5% globally and one of the most exciting parts of my business. Not only do I share my knowledge and perspective on solo shows and share my coaching outcomes in Client Success Stories, but I have the opportunity to network with other brilliant female entrepreneurs who are my podcast guests. I love it!

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

One of the topics I am asked to speak on most often is how being an entrepreneur requires us to unlearn so much cultural conditioning about ambition, success, and what it means to be a woman. Women are taught to put everyone else's needs ahead of their own and ask permission to do things, especially those outside conventional norms. When you become an entrepreneur, you have to take risks, ignore critics and haters, and sign your own permission slip. This is challenging and scary, especially when you don't have any other female entrepreneurs in your social circle.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Don't be afraid to stand out. Do things differently. It's how you get noticed. What makes you different makes you special. Leverage it.
  2. Surround yourself with people who get you and are willing to encourage and support you to go after your goals. I am not talking about flattery and empty compliments, but people who believe in you and urge you to keep going when you doubt yourself and feel like quitting.
  3. No matter what kind of business you are starting, you are in marketing and sales, so find a way to enjoy it and get good at it.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

If you are a female solopreneur who was successful in your corporate, nonprofit or academic career and are now struggling as a solopreneur, take this quiz to figure out why: https://bit.ly/obstaclesquiz

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.diannwingertcoaching.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diannwingertcoaching/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachdiannwingert/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diannwingertcoaching/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.