Meet Elisa Balabram, Author of Ask Others, Trust Yourself:  The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Key to Success

At first I thought of creating a directory of women’s associations, and not-for-profit organizations that assist women business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. After brainstorming the idea with others, I realized that it was as important to discuss how, when, where and why ask for business help, while making sure you trust yourself through it all. In my experience as a business coach, I heard many women say that they had met with a coach that said that their idea couldn’t happen, or even that their family members weren’t supportive, and therefore, they hadn’t started to pursue their passion, or they hadn’t taken their businesses to the next level. I decided to dedicate one chapter to discuss how to handle “naysayers” and what to do with the negative feedback received. Finally, I really want to encourage women to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, and asking for help could be the key to their success.

What are some of the major challenges you faced while writing the book?

I think the main challenges were: 1- staying motivated and committed to the project, 2- dealing with the negative voices within, 3- editing the book. For the first challenge, I really committed to it; I would wake up early in the morning and write every day, even if only for 15 minutes, for months, until I had written most of it, and it was time to start editing it. Do we ever conquer the second challenge? I hope so! I listened to the voices within, I acknowledged them, got support and encouragement from friends and mentors and kept writing. For the third one, I started doing a lot of editing myself, but when it became too frustrating, I hired an editor to help with it, and also asked friends to review the manuscript.

Many business guides for women have been published recently, what makes Ask Others, Trust Yourself unique?

This book is a self-help business book, and even though we have a chapter that covers more specifics of writing a business plan, marketing, and raising funds, most of the chapters discuss how asking for business help can make a difference in your business. I also encourage readers to first think about their personal and business goals, so that they know where they would like to go. Then, it is time to decide whom to ask, and I discuss in detail: mentors, business coaches, mastermind groups and associations. The book also has a spiritual side to it that shows how changing your mindset can help your business go to the next level.

What’s the best advice you can give to an entrepreneurial woman who is uncertain of her next steps?

If you haven’t asked for help yet, consider doing so and brainstorm the issues you are facing with a business coach or a mastermind group. If you are uncertain of your next steps because you already asked for help and you don’t know which option to pursue, you can do the following:

-         Journal about the situation, and measure the pros and cons of each strategy.

-         Meditate by doing simple breathing exercises and then ask yourself what is the best course of action to pursue.

-         Investigate each option available to you thoroughly: verify the budget, skills, equipment needed, etc.

-         Start taking small steps towards executing the strategy that resonates best with you.