So how does this translate for us as women entrepreneurs? How can we express authenticity – show up as real and genuine – with our clients, customers, employees and colleagues as we develop our products and services? And why is authenticity as entrepreneurs even important at all?

Here are 5 things you can do to increase authenticity in your business(es):

1. Identify, define and write down your core values for yourself as an entrepreneur and for the vision you have for your business or organization – what is the “bottom line” for what you want to create and offer? (3-5 at most is recommended, otherwise you lose the power of this step).

2. Run EVERYTHING through these core values to see if your actions, choices and plans remain true to your vision and what matters to you as an entrepreneur.

3. Do personal work to cultivate your inner knowing and authenticity with yourself –  your connection to your innate intuition – as this will always tell you if you’re on or off track (with your message, marketing, products, services, roles, etc).

4. Get clear about your Yeses so you know when to say “No” – and SAY “NO” OFTEN in order to support your Yes(es) – your values and your vision.

5. Get clear about your Target Market/Niche and be “true” to them in the message you deliver, and in your products and services; do not try to speak to everyone, and understand that this means there will be people who do not “like” –  or may even hate –  what you offer (hint: they are not your target market).

So, why so much emphasis on “authenticity” for entrepreneurship? Because this is a point of departure for successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs. Choosing to be an entrepreneur automatically takes out the possibility for “safety” and makes us vulnerable to risk and failure.

In order to create something new and needed and bring it to the market, we will open ourselves and our work to scrutiny. There is no way around this.

Dr. Brene Brown, author of countless books including “Dare to Lead” observes, “If you trade your authenticity for safety, you may experience the following: anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, rage, blame, resentment, and inexplicable grief.”

This is also true if you trade your authenticity for people-pleasing, the need to always be “right,” the feeling of security, and/or the need to always look or feel good.

Being authentic in business requires that we be clear about our message and our market. Identifying our target market/niche, coupled with a clear understanding of our core values, will help us sustain authenticity in our business relationships and offerings. 

Speaking our truth through our message will not work for everyone that message reaches and will even possibly anger or upset some people. This is why authenticity can feel threatening. If we fail to put ourselves out there – to make ourselves visible – then no one can hate on us. But then the audience we are trying to reach and serve with our products and services can’t see us either.