The Female Maverick Manifesto

We sat in the conference room, anxiously awaiting our presentation slot. We had been asked to present our boldest and best ideas to move into a new market and double the growth of our business segment. We had prepped for weeks. Our PowerPoint was flawless. Finally, it was our turn.

There is no way to be humble about this. We were on fire. Everyone in the room was transfixed. Asking thoughtful questions. Taking copious notes. Senior management nodding their heads. Sounds amazing right?

It wasn’t. After thanking us for the great work and ideas, nothing happened. Budgeting season, then management changes, and then an executive who thought things were working just fine.

So, we took the leap, started our own professional services firm, and never looked back. We handpicked and fell in love with our staff, thrived on the daily challenges, and celebrated the wins as a team.

Of course, we made mistakes. A LOT of mistakes.

And, inevitably, we spent time licking our wounds. More than we would like to admit.

Eventually we made money. Enough to retire.

But the battle scars are still there.

Our goal is for you to make more money than missteps.

That’s why we’re sharing our lessons learned in a set of rules that will help you bypass the pitfalls we stumbled into and, hopefully, get to the good stuff faster.

In the coming weeks, we will dive deep into each of these rules and give you road maps to follow along with a shortlist of Maverick Must-Dos for embracing each rule.

For now, here’s a quick overview of what we wish we would have known then.

Rule 1: Prioritize the Right Idea Over Your Passion Project

While the last thing the world needs is more bro-oriented business advice, there’s no denying that Wayne Gretzky’s dad was spot on when he said, “skate to where the puck is going, not where it’s been.” In other words, it’s all about chasing the right hustle. Often this means that the most compelling business idea won’t always be the one you are personally most passionate about – find a hobby for that – but it will always begin and end with a “can’t miss” market opportunity story. Alternatively, a snoozer of a market – think flatlining growth or weakening prospects based on economic storm clouds – exponentially reduces the odds of building a multi-million-dollar business. Furthermore, while the size of your Total Addressable Market, or TAM, matters, where it’s going and how fast it’s going to get there matters more. Make sure you are uber confident in the underlying trends driving your idea’s future TAM. If not, find something else to do with your extra 200 hours a week and never-ending sleepless nights.

Rule 2: Build Yourself a Kitchen Cabinet

Networking might not be your thing; it surely wasn’t ours. But slavishly keeping in touch with a few really smart people you meet along the way is essential – this is how our network was built. When you find keepers, send them smart articles or stupid memes – you be you. Take them out to dinner and give them social media shoutouts when they do something amazing. If they are brilliant in areas that aren’t your personal forte, and they are willing to give you direct and unadulterated feedback, by all means, deal them in. Formal or informal, make sure you have a group of smarties to DM when you need advice, a contact or just an emotional boost. And be ready to do the same for them in return. Relationships like this take a while to gel – a smart, supportive group simply doesn’t materialize overnight. So, if you haven’t begun investing in establishing your personal advisory council, there’s no time like right now to get started. Seriously. Go ahead and send a note or lunch invite. We’ll wait…

Rule 3: Don’t Sacrifice Growth for a Good Night’s Sleep

Every entrepreneur feels, and likely is, stone broke when they start up. This makes us all watch money like a hawk. But don’t go so far that you can’t take advantage of critical growth opportunities at the exact moment you need to. We swear, there will come a time when you have to sacrifice growth – think new clients or product features – because you don’t have available capital when you need it. A little short-term pain (less salary or fewer founder’s shares) can help minimize these missed opportunities and will make the pot at the end of the rainbow all the bigger. Perhaps the most important corollary to this rule is that you need to start building relationships with a ready source of investment capital on day one. Map out who can help you raise money, find a credit partner or get your angel investment network educated on the glowing future prospects of your business.

Rule 4: Start Before the Gun Goes Off

Somewhere between beta and a sure bet is the place to start selling your business idea. You must get comfortable selling your product or service when it isn’t completely fleshed out. Going out on a limb when you are reasonably, but not 100 percent, sure you can deliver what you are selling is a risk you will have to take. Expect discomfort, a constant higher heartbeat and flushed cheeks. It’s not pleasant, but it beats the alternative—if you wait too long to introduce your idea, your work frenemy or most nimble competitor will surely elbow you out of the way to claim the fame that could have been yours.

Caveat: Do NOT follow Rule 4 unless you are serious about Rule 5.

Rule 5: Flip the Script, and Keep Flipping It

We did not make up this rule. We stole it from literally every smart tech billionaire in the world. Consider going to market with your first business idea as a trial balloon. Don’t charge full price for it. Be ready to gauge people’s reactions and make on-the-spot changes. Again. And again. Don’t get your ego tied up in perfection. Be willing and able to do this 100 times, and you really will have the perfect product or service when you’re done. By the way, fancy people call this an MVP – a minimum viable product – and recommend starting with this “build, measure, learn” approach.

Last But Definitely Not Least…

The Golden Rule: One Hard Thing a Day – No Exceptions (Spoiler alert—it’s always difficult.)

Our Golden Rule, do one hard thing a day. Not two. Not three one day, and none for the next few days. ONE HARD THING A DAY. This is non-negotiable.

Usually, the one thing is the very thing you’re dreading from the second you wake up. It’s going to torment you until the damn thing is done. And it must be done! So, get to it. Maybe it’s a tough sales call. Or talking to a seriously pissed off customer. Or maybe it’s updating monthly projections and weekly financials. Whatever your daily dose of pain happens to be, when you’re diligent about taking it head on every day, and you string enough days together, you will make consistent progress and ultimately succeed. We guarantee it. But if you try to speed things up, frustration is a given. We’ve seen too many great ideas abandoned because of burnout. Don’t let yours suffer the same fate.

Follow every rule. But, mostly, follow the Golden Rule.

Following these rules requires the right mix of discipline and fearlessness. That’s what it takes to succeed big in this world. And the more relentlessly you follow the rules, the more guaranteed your ultimate success will be. That said, it’s not going to be easy. But even on the hardest days, if you can stick to the Golden Rule and check one difficult task off your list, you’ll stay on track. And everything else will begin to fall into place.

More on each of these rules later. For now, we want to know about you.

What’s your vision? How are you pursuing it? Is anything holding you back? We can’t wait to hear all the details!

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