As a business coach, I am often asked to meet with a new client as she is thinking about the next chapter in her life. As a woman in business, she is generally ready for something new and exciting, but doesn't know how to go about finding it.

The conversation goes something like this:

Vicki: "Tell me about yourself. Explain how you got to this point in your life with regard to your family, other relationships, education, work experiences, community involvement and goals."

Client: "My parents wanted me to join the family business from as long as I can remember. I loved working and making money and taking on responsiblities at a young age and I am proud of what I have accomplished. I learned about business and how to work hard to achieve success. I had a good education that added to my knowledge of how to create goals and work to attain them. Being in business has allowed me to be part of a community of business people and customers and has led me to get involved charitably to help other. But, now that the business has been sold, I am ready for a new adventure."

Vicki: "What are you thinking about doing?"

Client: "I have a lot of ideas. I know I want to have a business of my own. Or maybe I should just work for someone else. I want to try selling goods to others as I know a lot of people. Or I might buy a retail store or open one of my own. I'd like to go somewhere new and different and try starting a business there."

Vicki: "I started at 10 years old working for my brother in the newspaper business. I learned how to do everything needed to operate a newspaper. After college, I went full time to work at the newspaper and learned how to sell and publish. Much later on when I was itching to start a business of my own I knew that I had newspaper experience in my blood and that I had a passion for it. It never occured to me whether or not I would make a go of it. I knew in my gut I would be abundantly successful. And I was."

Client: "I know that I could start and succeed in a business like my family's, but I thought it might be fun to try something new."

Vicki: "Tell me what you would do if you were going to start a business like your family's - where would you locate it, what would it look like, who would work there, who would be your customers....."

My client, with fiery passion, recites a list of ideas for a business plan she says she hasn't given any thought to!

How is she able to do this? This type of business is in her blood - it is part of who she is and what makes her whole.

What she truly needs is a time-out, vacation, or break from the business that has been her entire life. What she does not need is to start a business that she has no experience for and risk a lifetime of savings.

Women are much more likely then men to want a dramatic change in their career and life after a long term reponsibility. Why? My theory is that women, more then men, feel outside pressure to conform to what others see them as and therefore fight the urge to comply. This is true even when what others see them as is exactly what they are good at.

My favorite examples of this happen on non-profit boards of women. Although the women are happy to give to the board and the organization they often want to contribute in ways that are not compatible with their skills. For example, the lawyer in the group wants to participate on the marketing committee and the social media person wants to sit on the audit committee. Why not just share your valuable expertise with the group so it will gain from your experience?

The secrets to success for women entrepreneurs, women in business and all women are to focus your times and efforts in doing what you do well. The more you do what you do well the better your chance of being successful at it.

Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers makes a case for practicing 10,000 hours doing just about anything. He states that high achievers become successful because they do nothing else, but focus on what they want to achieve. Can you imagine if you have spent half of your life doing something and have had moderate success what you can expect if you don't give up now?

Success is a process as the above diagram explains. It starts with hard work and improving as you learn how to master the task you are focused on. As you focus you gain passion for what you are doing and that passion allows you to push yourself through to the stage where something of real value is built and and your ideas help you solve problems and allow you to persist through times of failure on to success.

Whether you have a business, what to start a business or work for someone else, the secret to success is to do something you love and that you are good at doing.

Cheers to your success!