Habits, Systems, and SOPs That Work: Wisdom from Women Entrepreneurs Around the World
The Founding Females® Business Hack Series
Welcome to this month's edition of the Founding Females® Global Business Hack Series: a growing collection of practical business wisdom shared by women entrepreneurs from around the world.
At Founding Females®, we believe that some of the most valuable business lessons aren't found in textbooks or business schools. They're discovered in the day-to-day realities of building a business: the habits that keep you focused when life gets busy, the systems that save hours each week, and the processes that create consistency even when you're wearing multiple hats.
That's why we created this series.
Every month, women founders, service providers, creatives, consultants, and CEOs contribute their best insights around one of our annual mastermind themes. Together, these submissions create a powerful library of collective wisdom with real strategies from real women who are actively building successful businesses.
This month's theme, Habits, Systems, and SOPs That Work, explores something many entrepreneurs learn the hard way: freedom and growth rarely come from working harder. They come from creating repeatable processes that reduce decision fatigue, improve consistency, and make success sustainable.
Whether you're a solopreneur looking to reclaim your time, a growing business owner building a team, or a seasoned founder refining your operations, the ideas shared below are designed to help you work smarter, serve clients better, and create more capacity.
Inside the Founding Females® Mastermind, June is dedicated to helping women develop the habits, systems, and standard operating procedures that support long-term growth. Because while motivation comes and goes, strong systems continue working for you, even on the days when you don't feel like it.
Today, you'll hear directly from women entrepreneurs who have discovered simple but impactful ways to streamline their businesses, stay organized, and create more momentum with less overwhelm.
Photo Credit: Always Flourishing Photography
Habits, Systems, and SOPs that Work
“I work daily on identifying and eliminating any type of clutter that gets in my way.”
“I work daily on identifying and eliminating any type of clutter that gets in my way. Whether it’s mental clutter in the form of negative self-talk, physical clutter in my office or home, or allowing people and businesses to waste my time and energy, it all falls under the same category: clutter. Because of this, boundaries is my word of the year for 2026.
The more clutter I identify and remove, the stronger and clearer my boundaries become. That clarity helps me show up more intentionally—both in how I present myself and in what I expect from others when I choose to spend my time with them. I’m more aware of my values, my limits, and what aligns with the life and business I’m building.
As a result, I notice red flags faster and feel more confident walking away when something doesn’t feel right. I’m attracting better clients, forming more meaningful professional connections, and networking with greater purpose. I’m also more productive, less reactive, and far more confident in my decisions. Clearing clutter isn’t just about space—it’s about self-respect.”
Alison Kero, founder of From Clutter to Confidence | @fromcluttertoconfidence | Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
“One shift that helped my business grow was learning to regulate myself before client conversations instead of trying to persuade during them.”
“One shift that helped my business grow was learning to regulate myself before client conversations instead of trying to persuade during them.
Before consultations, speaking engagements, or high-stakes conversations, I pause to ground myself, slowing my breath, releasing urgency, and anchoring into calm authority. When I show up regulated, I communicate more clearly, listen more deeply, and stop over-explaining.
The result? Clients feel safe, seen, and confident in their decision to work with me. Conversations convert faster, boundaries are respected, and the work feels more aligned and sustainable.
This simple habit has improved my close rate, strengthened my leadership presence, and reduced burnout, without adding more scripts, systems, or hustle.”
Hope Firsel, founder of Hope Firsel | @hopefirsel | Boca Raton, FL, USA
“When I get stuck or feel overwhelmed, I have learned the best thing to do is to get up and go for a walk.”
“As a perimenopausal woman, I am having to navigate how my brain works now, which is very different from how it used to function.
When I get stuck or feel overwhelmed, I have learned the best thing to do is to get up and go for a walk.
Fresh air and a change of pace makes all the difference.
When I get back, I am re-energized, re-focused and ready to continue with my day.”
Lisa Boate, founder of Liberated Menopause Consulting and Coaching
“One shift in my business has been treating AI not as a tool, but as a co-founder and my most capable team member.”
“One shift in my business has been treating AI not as a tool, but as a co-founder and my most capable team member. Instead of asking AI to simply “do tasks,” I trained it to think with me, challenge my assumptions, and give feedback on my work.
The real breakthrough came when I stopped using AI reactively and started using it proactively. I built repeatable prompts, workflows, and standards so AI could mirror how I think and work. What used to take me an hour now takes about five minutes with a final human review. That’s 55 minutes returned to my day, every single time.
Time is the only resource we can’t create more of, but AI has effectively expanded my capacity. Those reclaimed hours go back into higher-level thinking, client relationships, and long-term strategy, which are areas where human judgment matters most.
The businesses that will scale most efficiently aren’t replacing themselves with AI. They’re training AI to elevate their leadership, decision-making, and impact.”
Nuzayra Haque-Shah, founder of NH Legal | @nuzayraesq | Los Angeles, CA, USA
“Honoring my own internal compass is more important than following every letter of someone else's system.”
“Realizing that there isn't just one right answer for moving my business forward!
After investing thousands of dollars into trainings on everything from marketing to copy editing to strategies to attract clients, I finally learned that there are a lot of great ideas out there about how to grow a business...and that honoring my own internal compass is more important than following every letter of someone else's system. (even if they are making lots of money "so they must know what they are doing!")
My internal compass helps me take pieces and parts of different trainings and mold it to my unique gifts and talents, creating an opportunity to model the capacity I am guiding my clients into.”
Mandy-Marie Eldredge, founder of Coach Mandy-Marie | @coachmandymarie | Denton, TX, USA
“I start by waking up earlier than the rest of my house for quiet coffee, journaling and/or reading, and taking time to just sit and think.”
My morning routine supports my success all day long. I start by waking up earlier than the rest of my house for quiet coffee, journaling and/or reading, and taking time to just sit and think.
Those 10-15 minutes without a to-do list, social media, or someone needing me gives me the time and space to dream, express gratitude, pray, and let my mind "be still."
Then, after my kids go to school, and before I begin my work day, I take time for a 20-minute walk, which I call my daily "non-negotiable."
That movement (and fresh air) helps me think more clearly, do intellectual work w/o brain fog, and helps me sit behind my computer for hours at a time. These two morning habits truly support the work I do my entire day, and I can feel a difference when I skip one (or both) of them. When we can start our day with wins like this, it also sets the tone for the rest of the day.
Dr. Kristen Strom | Keynote Speaker and Transformational Coach | @dr_kristenstrom | Elmwood, IL, USA
“Create your free meeting account through Calendly.”
“Do not waste time going back and forth for scheduling a meeting. Create your free meeting account through Calendly. When you want to connect with someone, use that link so they can schedule a meeting themselves. You appear professional, efficient, and organized.”
Elektra Yao, founder of yaolawgroup | @yaolawgroup | New York, NY, USA
“Before you spend a single dollar on tools or team, document how you currently do things, even the messy parts.”
I can't tell you how many times I've sat down with a business owner who was ready to invest in new software or bring on their first hire, only to realize they had no idea how to explain what they actually did day to day.
Not because they weren't good at their job, but because it all lived in their head.
Before you spend a single dollar on tools or team, document how you currently do things, even the messy parts. A notes app, a voice memo, screen recordings, a Google Doc with bullet points, it all counts. Write out how you onboard a client, how you deliver your work, and how you follow up when it's done. That's your foundation. Everything else, the software, the systems, the support, gets built on top of it. You can't systematize what you haven't written down.
Bre Henderson, founder of Tended Sprout | @tendedsprout.co | Peoria, IL USA
“Just like having a workout buddy, creating with someone brings accountability and a sense of community, reminding you that you're not alone.”
“One hack that's helped my business grow is creating content with a buddy. As a brand photographer, I know firsthand how important it is to be the face of your brand and build that like-know-trust factor, but it can feel so daunting and scary. Just like having a workout buddy, creating with someone brings accountability and a sense of community, reminding you that you're not alone.
We pick a date, plan what photos or videos we need, and get to work. Having someone to create with makes showing up something you actually look forward to. It's no longer scary or exhausting. It's motivating, energizing, and genuinely fun!
Even having the extra nudge to hit publish, or posting on each other’s behalf, makes a huge difference. Plus, it opens the door for collaborations on reels and content that reach way more people than going it alone!
The best part is that it turns visibility from a chore into a creative, joyful practice that consistently grows your business and connects you with the right clients.”
Emily Lewis, founder of Emily Lewis Creative | @elewiscreative | Carmel, IN USA
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About Founding Females®
At Founding Females®, our mission is simple but bold: to help women build businesses that thrive—and feel good doing it. We create empowering spaces where women can openly share challenges, celebrate wins, and receive the kind of peer support that sparks real momentum.
Led by small business educator and unapologetic dream-chaser Francie Hinrichsen, Founding Females® offers a powerhouse lineup of resources including our signature online mastermind for female entrepreneurs, in-person business events (like our annual women’s conference and local Meet Ups), and the must-have guidebook Dream, Build, Grow: A Female’s Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business.
Francie believes that any woman with a dream on her heart deserves a seat at the table—and she’s here to help you pull up your chair. [Click here to learn more about working with Francie.]
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