Owning a business as a woman is a huge project to take on. It comes with a truckload of responsibilities, challenges, and, yes, rewards. From dealing with stereotypes to feeling out of your element to handling family commitments, life can be tough.
In this article, I will be sharing entrepreneurial success tips from an unpopular point of view or as the title goes, unpopular success tips that works. Female entrepreneurs work the hardest.
You know Why? We have to balance family, business, and our personal lives. Against all odds, we devote ourselves to build a vision from the ground up in a world that believes entrepreneurship is more masculine than feminine.
But no matter what anyone thinks, God believes you have what it takes to succeed in every area if your life, especially in your business. There are accounts of women who had amazing personalities and attitudes in the bible.
You can learn from them to learn success tips that works and make the necessary modifications that will guarantee the growth and success of your business. Let’s take a look at Zipporah, the Daughter of Jethro, Prophet of Midian. She later became Moses’ wife and even saved his life.
Lesson 1: She Loved To Serve
Sometimes, what makes you a good businesswoman is your desire to help your client. Do you love to serve and satisfy others? The Bible reveals that Zipporah and her six sisters tended their father’s flock.
They took on a masculine occupation to help their father, who was also a priest. This shows that Zipporah and her sisters were raised to love serving others. Their father taught them to have an entrepreneurial mindset.
Zipporah and her sisters became shepherdesses out of necessity. Obviously, it wasn’t because they wanted to turn a profit—which isn’t wrong—but because they wanted to help their father.
Again I ask... Do you love to serve and satisfy others? This is the kind of mindset that should drive your business. Jesus had this same attitude concerning his purpose. He told His disciples that He came to serve others.
Lesson 2: She Was Proactive
You need to swing into action concerning that new business idea or investment. After Moses met God in the burning bush and was sent to deliver the Israelites from Egypt, the Bible says that God came to the inn where Zipporah, Moses, and their son had lodged.
What did He come to do? To kill Moses. Why? Because Moses had broken God’s covenant by failing to circumcise his son. But immediately, God’s wrath fell on Moses, Zipporah swung into action.
Take a look at Exodus 4:24-26: “And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.”
She acted fast to save her husband’s life. Imagine if she’d stalled. Maybe she developed her fast-thinking and quick-acting skills from the days she tended her father’s flock.
Zipporah’s kind of proactiveness will save you losses and make you a ton of profits in your business. You need to swing into action concerning that new business idea or investment. What’s your plan for your business in the next five years? Sometimes, being proactive determines your growth and success.
Lesson 3: She was Knowledgeable
Your business will grow and rake in more profits when your knowledge grows. Why did Zipporah believe circumcising their son would save Moses? Because she learned about the covenant God made with Abraham, which was sealed with a sign – circumcision.
Her quick-thinking shows an in-depth knowledge of Hebrew tradition and the consequences of breaching God’s covenant. When faced with such a terrifying situation, she knew exactly what to do because she was a woman who valued knowledge.
Your business will grow and rake in more profits when your knowledge grows. There are solutions to the problems you face in business, but you have to search them out. How often do you study your line of business and the changing trends?
How well do you know the background and needs of your clients? To be a top-notch entrepreneur and move from small business owner to owning a company someday, you need to value knowledge. Zipporah knew exactly what to do to get the result she desires, and so should you.
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Lesson 4: She Thought Rationally In a High-Stress Situation
As women, we tend to react to life emotionally. In high-stress situations, women tend to throw tantrums or have a meltdown. But that reaction can be modified by taking a leaf from Zipporah’s book.
She was in a high-stress situation that night at the inn. Her husband was dying in front of her and what she had to do to save him was crazy. How could she stand seeing her child’s blood? Yet Zipporah didn’t panic or lose her cool.
Instead, she taught rationally; I know what God wants, so I’ll give to Him. She didn’t get emotional about the pain her child would go through. Zipporah weighed her options. Her child needed his father, and she could save his life.
Have you ever been this calm and rational while under pressure? Knowing how to replace emotional reactions with rational thinking will boost your interactions with clients and affect how well you salvage circumstances that would have caused great loss in your business.
Lesson 5: She was willing To Do the Right Thing No Matter What
Today, it’s easier to turn a profit if you’re low on morals. In contrast, it means that trying to be sincere and transparent will cost you. Zipporah was willing to do what was right, no matter the cost.
Yes, what she had to do was unpopular and nerve-wracking, but her husband’s life hung in the balance. Exodus 4:25 says, “Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.”
Her words clearly show that the whole incident was unpleasant to her, and she didn’t approve of how gory it all was. Yet she knew that her husband had broken God’s law by not circumcising their son, and she had to make things right.
Always remember that God is your source. He blesses the work of your hands and makes you prosperous. Therefore, your loyalty is to Him, and your dependence is on Him. No matter the circumstance, seek to do the right thing in God’s sight like Zipporah.
Having integrity in business might not make you rich quickly, but it’ll make God bless you. Once Zipporah did what was right, Moses’ destiny was blessed, and the curse of death was lifted.
Lesson 6: She Was Brave
Bravery is the ability and willingness to confront fear or danger rather than run from it. In your business, fear and danger (risk) may keep you at one spot, unable to try new things, or leave your comfort zone.
But Zipporah teaches you to stare your challenge in the eye even while you’re quaking in your boots. She called Moses a bloody husband, indicating how ugly and horrible the experience was, yet she was brave enough to overcome it.
A popular quote says courage is not the absence of fear. As a female entrepreneur, there’ll always be stereotypes, limitations, and challenges that back you into the corner. But your success depends on how brave you are to take the risk.
Lesson 7: She Takes Care Of Her Family
Even as a business owner, you are responsible for your family. You need to learn how to always be there for your spouse and kids, even while trying to grow your business. You can learn from Zipporah that a woman can save her family.
She took care of her family by stepping into the situation to perform a responsibility her husband had neglected. Your case might be different because you’re handling a business and family.
But at least, you see from Zipporah’s life, the reason a mother shouldn’t be away from her home too long. Yours might not be a life or death situation, but it is godly to take care of your family.
Lesson 8: She trusted in God
Zipporah was a woman who acted based on her trust in God. She didn’t act out of fear. Her husband most have taught her about the God of his fathers who kept his promise. So she knew that according to the Abrahamic covenant, any male that wasn’t circumcised would be cut off from the Jews.
Therefore, God’s wrath against Moses wasn’t because He was a wicked God but because He kept His promises. Zipporah had enough faith to know that God won’t kill Moses and cut off her son from his kindred if she met the requirement. She trusted God to be just.
Consider her actions. Do you trust God that much? Do you trust Him to be just in your life? Are you convinced He will keep His promise to you? Zipporah believed and trusted God to follow up His word both for punishment and deliverance. Learn to trust God in your business and finances.
Lesson 9: She Helps Others Succeed
Zipporah didn’t know she was getting married to Prophet but was ready to leave everything she knew behind to support Moses. She could have said she didn’t bargain for such a life.
However, she was a loyal and supportive person. Zipporah was willing to help Moses succeed, even if it meant being out of her element. As an entrepreneur, are you all about the money? Or do you sincerely want to help your clients succeed? Can you be as selfless as Zipporah?
Lesson 10: She Knew When to Take a Break
Exodus 18:5 says, “And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God.” Zipporah had gone back to Midian, Her father’s town, because of the nature of Moses’ mission.
She couldn’t take her children into such a captive-situation. She was supportive, she had saved his life, but she knew when to take a break. Most female entrepreneurs experience burnout and break downs because they don’t know how to manage stress.
Taking a break once in a while is good for your wellness and enhances your productivity on the job.
Final Thought
Now that you have these lessons from Zipporah’s, and you have these success tips that works from her story. It is my hope that you will begin to see improvements and results in your business and family life as you put them to practice.