Stop Waiting for Permission: A Leadership Lesson for Women Entrepreneurs

I was 27 years old, pregnant with my first daughter, and trying to figure out how to grow in a corporate sales career while also becoming a mom.

I remember buying a book called How to Tell Your Boss You’re Expecting.

That title alone says so much about where my mindset was at the time.

I wasn’t thinking, “How do I advocate for what I need?”

I was thinking, “How do I make sure everyone still sees me as committed?”

When I finally sat down to have the conversation with my boss, I remember reassuring them that I would only take six weeks of maternity leave and that my commitment to work had not changed.

At the time, I thought I was being responsible. Professional. Strong.

Now I look back and think, why did I feel like I had to prove that becoming a mother would not make me less valuable?

But that was the reality many of us were navigating.

I was afraid of letting people down.
Afraid of not performing.
Afraid of what others would think if I advocated for myself.
Afraid that asking for something different would somehow make me seem less serious about my career.

What I wish I had known then is this:

You do not need permission to advocate for the life and business you actually want.

When You Realize the Current Way Is Not Working

Ten months after my daughter was born, I was working full-time in a city where we had no family nearby. My husband traveled for work, and I was trying to hold everything together.

On the outside, I was doing what I thought I was supposed to do.

Keep up.
Perform.
Don’t complain.
Make it work.

But inside, I knew something had to change.

I needed help.

And more importantly, I needed to be honest about what was no longer sustainable.

That is when I started exploring part-time work options. Eventually, I became one of the first women at a major corporation to job-share in sales.

My job share partner and I were making waves before I even had the language for it.

At the time, it felt risky. It felt uncomfortable. It felt like raising my hand and saying, “I need a different way to succeed.”

And honestly, that is what leadership often is.

It is not always bold and polished. Sometimes leadership sounds like a shaky voice saying, “This is not working, and I need to change it.”

What Allyson Felix Reminded Me About Making Waves

Last month, I had the pleasure of meeting Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix, and her story reminded me how powerful it can be when a woman stops waiting for permission.

Allyson has spoken publicly about her maternity experience as a professional athlete. In 2019, she challenged Nike’s treatment of pregnant athletes and called for stronger maternity protections in their sponsorship agreement. Her advocacy helped push important conversations forward around motherhood, sponsorship, and fairness in sports. She later co-founded Saysh, a footwear brand built around women’s feet and needs.

What struck me most was not just that she took a stand.

It was that she took a stand when it could have cost her something.

That is the part we often overlook.

Making waves is not always convenient. It rarely feels perfectly timed. It can feel scary, risky, and deeply uncomfortable.

But sometimes the very thing you are afraid to say is the thing that needs to be said.

And sometimes the decision you are avoiding is the one that could change everything.

Women Entrepreneurs Are Still Waiting for Permission

As a business coach for women, I see this pattern all the time with service-based women entrepreneurs.

You are smart. Capable. Experienced. Committed.

You have built something real.

But somewhere along the way, you may still be waiting for permission.

Permission to raise your prices.
Permission to stop offering services that drain you.
Permission to hire help.
Permission to say no to clients who are no longer a fit.
Permission to lead your business differently than everyone else in your industry.
Permission to build a business that supports your life instead of consuming it.

And here is the truth:

No one is coming to hand you that permission slip.

You get to decide.

That does not mean you make reckless decisions. It does not mean you ignore the numbers, the responsibilities, or the people depending on you.

But it does mean you stop confusing fear with wisdom.

It means you stop shrinking your needs to make everyone else more comfortable.

It means you stop building a business based on what you think you are allowed to ask for.

The Decision You Are Avoiding Is Still a Decision

One of the biggest lessons I have learned in business and leadership is this:

Avoiding a decision is still a decision.

When you avoid raising your prices, you are deciding to absorb the cost.

When you avoid having the hard conversation, you are deciding to let the tension continue.

When you avoid changing an offer that no longer works, you are deciding to keep selling something that drains your capacity.

When you avoid asking for help, you are deciding to carry the weight alone.

That may sound blunt, but it is also freeing.

Because once you realize that inaction is a decision, you can choose differently.

You can pause and ask:

What am I tolerating that no longer fits?
Where am I waiting for someone else to validate what I already know?
What decision am I avoiding because I am afraid of disappointing someone?
Where am I trying to prove I can handle something instead of admitting I need support?
What would change if I stopped asking for permission and started leading?

These are the questions that change businesses.

Not because they are trendy. Not because they fit neatly into a business plan.

But because they force you to tell the truth.

Making Waves Is Not About Being Loud

When I talk about making waves, I am not talking about creating chaos or being difficult for the sake of being difficult.

Making waves is about noticing what needs to change and being willing to act.

It can look like having a conversation you have avoided.
It can look like creating a new boundary.
It can look like admitting the way you have been working is no longer sustainable.
It can look like saying, “I need help.”

For women in business, especially those building service-based businesses, this can be hard. Many of us were taught to be helpful, dependable, agreeable, and easy to work with.

Those qualities are not bad.

But when they keep you undercharging, overdelivering, overworking, and under-advocating, they start costing you.

They cost you profit.

They cost you energy.

They cost you confidence.

And eventually, they cost you the version of the business you actually wanted to build.

What I Wish I Had Known at 27

When I think back to that 27-year-old version of myself, holding a book about how to tell my boss I was pregnant, I want to tell her a few things.

You are allowed to want a career and a family.
You are allowed to ask for support.
You are allowed to challenge the way things have always been done.
You are allowed to want a new business model.
You are allowed to stop performing strength and start practicing leadership.

I also wish I had a mentor then. Someone who could have helped me see that advocating for myself was not a weakness. It was a skill.

That is one of the reasons I do the work I do now.

Because coaching for women in business is not just about strategy, pricing, marketing, or profit.

It is also about helping women trust themselves enough to make the decision, have the conversation, ask for the help, and build the business in a way that actually works for their life.

Stop Waiting for Permission

So here is my question for you:

Where are you waiting for permission?

Where are you holding back because you are afraid of what people will think?

Where are you working around a problem instead of getting help?

Where are you staying quiet because speaking up might create a ripple?

Maybe that ripple is exactly what is needed.

Allyson Felix made waves in her industry.
My job share partner and I made waves in ours.
And now, as women entrepreneurs, we get to keep making waves in the businesses we are building.

Not because it is easy.

Because it matters.

Your business will become stronger when you stop waiting for permission to lead it.

And so will you.

Ready to Make Waves?

My new book, Make Waves, is coming soon. It is for women entrepreneurs who are ready to stop reacting, start profiting, and build a business that lasts.

Add your name to the preorder list and be the first to know when the book is available.

Join the Make Waves preorder list here.

What does it mean to make waves in business?

Making waves in business means being willing to challenge old patterns, advocate for what needs to change, and make decisions that support long-term growth instead of simply keeping everyone comfortable. It doesn’t mean being difficult, it means being bold enough to build a business that lasts.

Why do women entrepreneurs often wait for permission?

Many women entrepreneurs have been conditioned to be dependable, agreeable, and accommodating. While those traits can be strengths, they can also lead to undercharging, overworking, and avoiding hard decisions.

How can women service-based entrepreneurs advocate for themselves?

Women service-based entrepreneurs can advocate for themselves by raising prices when needed, setting clear boundaries, asking for help, making strategic decisions, and building business models that support both profit and sustainability.

What decision might I be avoiding in my business?

You may be avoiding a decision around pricing, hiring, letting go of a client, changing an offer, asking for support, or admitting that your current way of working is no longer sustainable.