Women entrepreneurs make up one of the fastest growing sectors of the business world today and there are as many expressions of entrepreneurialism as there are the kinds of women who choose this route; however, whether your idea of being an entrepreneur means running your own part time consulting business out of your house where you employ 1 or 2 other people or you are running a multi-million dollar company and manage hundreds of employees, the 7 keys to success remain the same.

What follows are the 8 key success principals that will allow you to take your business to the next level:

1. Dream Big

Do not limit your dream. Make it big and spend your time identifying the steps to get there. There is no limit to what you can achieve when you set your intention and keep moving every single day toward your goal.

2. Create a Vision Statement

What do you want to achieve? How would you like your ideal day to look? How do you want to feel? Write it out. Be as detailed as possible and create a picture that you carry with you every day. Keep your vision statement accessible and read it every day. You will achieve what you put your focus, energy and attention on.

3. Invest in Yourself

Never stop learning. Take classes, go to seminars, connect with those in your industry who have experienced similar situations and have succeeded. Find a mentor and pay attention.

4. Create a Mastermind Group or Success Team

This is one of the greatest practices you can have. Get together either in person or over the phone on a weekly basis with other women entrepreneurs in your field. Do not worry about the competition. You get what you give. help others and they will help you. Imagine the power of 10 minds!

5. Do Not Let Failures Stop Your Progress

You are going to run into obstacles and some ideas may fall flat. Some initiatives will fail entirely. That is okay. Learn from it but keep moving ahead. Do not waste time focusing on the failure. If you do, you are taking away from time that could be spent planning your next step.

6. Be Real About Who You Are and Where You Are in the Process

One of the things I see most often with new entrepreneurs is that they do not want to admit the struggles. They want everyone to think everything is great, they have all the business they want, and the money is rolling in. They do not realize how putting this out there can prevent them from really learning and it may even prevent people from offering their help. Be real about your situation. If it is going great, be proud of it and find someone who may benefit from what you are doing. If things are not going so great, lose the ego and be honest about it. There may be those that will be thrilled with your lack of success, but most will reach out to you and help you if they can. Take advantage of the success of others by picking their brain. Ask questions and be open to learning. You will get much further faster.

7. Do Not Compare Yourself to Others

Many people waste a lot of time comparing themselves to others who may be making more money, finding greater success, or who appear to be doing it all with ease. This practice will not serve you and it will often only increase frustration or stunt your growth. Everyone has a story and I assure you your story is just as valuable as theirs. Instead of thinking about them and comparing yourself to them, learn from what they are doing and apply some of their principles to your own unique situation. You have the opportunity to share your ideas, vision, and expertise with the world. Take pride in your own unique approach and in the gifts only you alone can give.

8. Go After the Dream, Not the Money

If you ask anyone who is really successful, 9 times out of 10 they will tell you they were out to do something they loved and something they felt passionate about. They were not going after the money. Go after what you love and if you make a lot of money in the process, consider it a great bonus.

Practice these 8 steps to achieve certain success in your entrepreneurial endeavor.