You don’t need much to look graceful even when you go haywire running your business all the time. Here is a list of my top tips to look polished as a fempreneur. Chances are you might already be into many of these. None of them require you to go overboard or way over the top to look nice and fresh all the time.
There are 5 parts of this list:
- Part 1: Personal Hygiene
- Part 2: Dressing
- Part 3: Accessories
- Part 4: Personality
- Part 5: Fitness
Part 1: Personal Hygiene
1. Personal Hygiene
Looking good also includes feeling good. If you are not taking good care of your personal hygiene looking good is going to be a difficult task. Even if you don’t consciously feel worn out, you are going to send out some not so good vibes around you.
2. Bath Everyday
Even if you are not keen on washing your hair every day, get into the habit of taking a shower neck down. This will give you that extra bit of freshness. All of yesterday’s dirt and tiredness goes down the drain and you are ready for yet another day.
3. Take care of your Nails
Face, hands and feet, three areas you need to be careful about. As an entrepreneur, you are busy but you do need to take out time for cleaning and filing your nails. Short is easy to handle and easy to manage. Bitten nails say a lot about you as a person and so do very long nails. Remember, moderation is the key. Not only will it save you time but also make you look polished all the time.
4. Well-maintained Hair
Brush your hair and tie them well. If you are having a bad hair day go for your tested hairstyles. Make sure your hair is not a mess. Carry them like a queen carries her crown. It’s not supposed to be going everywhere.
Also, keep the weather in mind. If it’s windy or breezy and your hair tends to get messy in that situation, go for a braid or a nice bun.
5. Invest in good hair removing products
Not only that, have a hair removal schedule as well. If you keep a track of lunar dates and fix your schedule in the latter two weeks the hair growth is slowed down considerably. That is for the waxing folks. Excess body hair is not only unpleasant to the eye but also causes poor hygiene especially in those two areas.
If you are not fond of perfumes or deodorants the only way to avoid bad sweat and smells is to keep your skin clear of all hair.
5. Light Makeup
Apply very basic makeup. Try your best to look as natural as you can. There is no compulsion here but the point is to avoid heavy makeup. This is again to emphasize your business and not yourself.
Do keep in mind that you are the face of your business and if you are going out to communicate and network with other people make sure you represent yourself well. Blazing dresses and extra makeup doesn’t win. Look natural.
Part 2: Dressing
7. Know your style
You don’t have to go with the bandwagon. It is perfectly alright to have your own taste in styling. Just like celebrities have motives behind dressing the way they dress, you entrepreneurs can have one too. We do have the famous grey t-shirts Mark Zuckerberg wears on a regular basis just to make as few decisions as possible.
It’s important to know what type of style you are comfortable with and then make wardrobe and accessory choices as per that style.
8. Go for Neutrals or Monochromatic
Neutrals, pastels, and nudes look good on pretty much everyone. You can wear other colors that pop but being an entrepreneur nothing works better than simplicity and subtlety.
As entrepreneurs, our time is of great value to us. Spending hours on shopping and then setting and resetting our wardrobes comes at a price. Time is money, by the end of the day. Having a few monochromatic pieces in your wardrobe is a wise decision as they are extremely suitable for formal events or client meetings.
9. Pressed clothes that are well-tailored
Anything, even if expensive, won’t look any good if it is creased and untidy. Make sure your clothes are not only well-tailored but pressed as well. Keep an eye for dirt, taint, loose threads, missing buttons, and creases on your clothes.
Make sure you are wearing your own size. Very small or extremely loose clothes don’t give a very finished look. It is not necessary to buy and wear expensive clothes. As long as your clothes are neat and well-pressed, they will look good on you.
10. Avoid loud colors and Prints
Loud colors don’t appeal to everyone. You might need a very sharp eye for balance if you need to look good in prints. Plus, they are more distracting as well. As an entrepreneur, you want people to focus on your face or on what you are saying rather than being distracted by some intricate print on your clothes.
11. Quality over Quantity
Being a woman it is very easy to fall down the rabbit hole of retail therapy. We keep buying outfits after outfits not realizing how many of them are actually good enough to wear as an entrepreneur. Remember, you do need quality pieces in your wardrobe but not many of them. Too many will only occupy you more with maintaining them.
Also, if you do the math and buy wisely you will end up getting the quality clothes for the price of the unworthy quantity of clothes you already buy.
12. Hijab It Well
If you are a hijabi make sure your hijab goes well with your outfit. If you are wearing something in prints go for a solid color. A printed hijab combines well with a monochromatic outfit as well. Style your hijab according to your face type. Select colors that accentuate your face and not colors that blend in with your complexion so well that it’s hard to make where your face ends and your hijab starts.
Also, if you are going for a hijab, pin it well. Some hijabis will let bangs of hair out of their hijab which, over time, become enough messy to make you look clumsy.
Part 3: Accessories
13. Have a signature fragrance
Ever found someone entering the room and a breath of freshness paving its way in as well? I have this thing for sents. Everything has a scent or smell of its own. We all do as well. It could be your shampoo, your body lotion or your favorite perfume.
Sents bring charm to your personality. Having a faint but decent sent as your signature fragrance can polish your look as an entrepreneur.
14. Signature Sunglasses
This is optional but sunglasses look good on you, especially if they are well-fitted for your face type. Have a pair of glasses that suit your face type well. It not only adds a statement to your style but also saves your eyes from squinting.
15. Match Shoes with Bag
A good way to accentuate your look is to match your shoes with your bag. No wonder your shoe shop has bags as well. It’s a good idea to buy less but buy them in pairs so that you are never out of options when styling your look.
Invest in a good bag that will go a long way with you. If you do buy from discounted stores make sure your bag is unbranded on the top even if it is the exact replica of a world-class brand.
Never buy shoes you are not comfortable wearing. I’ve seen plenty of occasions where women are not on the same page as their shoes. What’s the point when your focus is down there all the time. You are an entrepreneur, you need to use your brains in tens of things and doubting the loyalty of your shoes is not one of them.
16. Wear a Watch Gold/Silver
Watch is a necessary accessory. It looks classy and reminds you of the importance of your time. Classic gold or silver watches are timeless and go with almost everything you are wearing. You can go with other trends too but that’s just going to be more choices on the table and ultimately ask for more time of yours. One single choice is all you need.
17. Dainty Jewelry
No heavy jewelry. Delicate and light is always graceful. Have a pair of diamond studs as they suit everyone and give you a very sophisticated and polished look. These small details make a big difference. The same concept goes on for necklaces, rings, and bracelets. Never go overboard with jewelry.
Again, none of this is necessary. It totally depends on your style and affordability. The only point is if you are going to do it, do it nicely.
Part 4: Personality
18. Adopt some manners
Talk polite or talk firm but have set rules of how you are going to carry yourself in public. As an entrepreneur, you are a brand in yourself. It’s very important to sound like your business. If you are a keynote speaker for your business. Your tone not only says a lot about you but it will leave some impact on your business and clients as well.
19. Basic values and etiquette
Act like an entrepreneur. Value time and value money. Value good skills and take an interest in others who are doing great in your area. You can look up for some basic etiquette on the internet and try to get into the habit of instilling them in your life.
20. Make it a Habit
These tips are not just for when on business or going out but you need to make them a part of your lifestyle. Only then will you be able to establish them as your habits. Once they become your habits your job of looking good is done.
No more time on decision making as your brain now knows what’s your style. Buy stuff you can actually wear and looks good. Not just the items you liked in a store or on a friend of yours.
21. Carry your Gadgetry with you
Digital entrepreneurs are incomplete without their gadgets, at least I am. Make sure your phone is neat front back both. Your screen should not be cracked or scratched. If your phone is wearing a cover make sure it is neat and not something over the top.
If you carry your laptop or tablet with you make sure you carry them well in neat covers or pouches. Always coil your charger well, it saves time and looks extremely neat.
These things might make you feel they are taking up a lot of your time but as you develop into the habit they become involuntary.
22. Carry a notebook
I don’t think there is any entrepreneur out there who is not creative. Creative fempreneurs have ideas rolling their minds 24/7. You better note your idea down somewhere before it leaves your dear memory.
Notebooks are a great reminder for me to brainstorm my blog posts on the go whenever I get a few minutes off. Especially if I’m out waiting for food in a restaurant or at the hospital.
23. Keep your Business Cards
As an entrepreneur, you need to network. Business is all about finding clients and customers. You never know where you will find one. The fastest way to share your business details is via a business card.
I remember making NFC business cards as a semester project back in my bachelor’s. Not sure if they are in the market as well. All you had to do was carry a single business card and tap on a phone with NFC enabled. All your business details got copied on their phones on their own.
Part 5 Fitness
24. Exercise 5 to 6 times a Week
Dream to look polished without looking fit health-wise? Hmm. Looking polished is not just about your appearance, it’s what goes inside out.
As a fempreneur, it’s super easy to neglect your health and physical activity just because our minds are almost always occupied with work. Exercise for at least 145 minutes a week to stay healthy and fresh.
25. Meditation
A sound mind in a sound body is key. Meditation is a great way of calming your mind. Another great way of calming your mind is to offer your five daily prayers with mindfulness.
Take into the essence of each word. For that, you need to learn the meaning and message of what you are praying. Believe me; it makes your prayers x5 times better.
26. Smile
Smile is your best accessory. While I’m sure your work demands a lot of seriousness and you might even be handling a ton of things at home as well but keeping a smiling face will not only boost your mental health but also send positive vibes around.
27. Water Bottle
Water keeps you fresh makes your skin glow and gives you 100 other benefits I cannot mention here. In short, to keep a polished look, have a water bottle with you at all times. Remember to drink that water too.
These were my top 27 tips for fempreneurs to stay polished all the time. Remember you are doing all this for yourself and not for others. It’s for your wellness because you are giving in so much to the society as an entrepreneur you deserve to have a little attention and care for yourself as well.
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