Entrepreneurial Fluency: What Building a Business and Learning a Language Have in Common

Usually we hear the word “fluency” in reference to language learning; it can be one of many objectives people work toward. People can be fluent in many other skill sets as well. A few fun examples include: Rosalía for her musical artistry; Frida Kahlo for her symbolic painting; Mia Hamm for her legendary soccer performances. Of course, these are globally known names and experts in their fields, but you don’t need global recognition to be considered knowledgeable.

Every day, women challenge themselves in business, and they develop their own expertise to share with others. Their fluency doesn’t happen overnight, but it starts with consistency.

Since becoming an entrepreneur this year, I keep discovering similarities between business and my experience with learning and teaching languages. Both have required learning, practice, and confidence.

Here are my top four tips for finding your unique entrepreneurial fluency.

Fluency comes from both learning and doing

For language, you can learn vocab and grammar rules from listening and reading, but speaking and writing are where you put those things into action. The same goes for business: You can do all the research you want, but until you start testing out your ideas with your audience, you’ll be in limbo.

When I had too many ideas in my head for where to start with my business, I made a survey to see what my audience was looking for, specifically. This helped me narrow things down and refocus my niche.

You don’t need every word before you start speaking

There’ve been plenty of times when I was speaking with someone in Spanish and forgot or didn’t know a word I needed. Instead of letting this stop me, I try to explain myself using other words that I know, or maybe the person I’m speaking with helps me out. Later, I can study the word I’m missing so I have it ready next time. With entrepreneurship, you need the same persistence.

Every day I learn something new through trial and error, or by looking things up on my own. If I waited to know every single thing there is to know about my business, I’d never be able to start! But just like a person you’re speaking with can help you with a missing word, The Entreprenista League (and networking in general) guides you with the expertise or perspective you were missing. Connecting with these supportive women has been one of the greatest business resources I’ve added to my growing toolbox.

The best method is the one that works in context

A person learning a language for travel will need different resources than someone learning a language for their job. That person might also have a learning preference (visual vs. auditory, for example). Using this context, they can determine which language learning methods will work best for them, and which areas they need extra work in.

When it comes to entrepreneurship, there are so many different tools and resources out there, but you need to determine which ones are the best fit for you, your clients, and your specific business. What works for one company might not be the best fit for yours. Because interactive communication is one key to language fluency, I know I’ll be offering a community space in combination with my courses. Having practice opportunities that include reading, writing, speaking, and listening is essential so that learners have a space they feel drawn to.

Mistakes are information, and fluency is NOT perfection

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made a mistake when speaking Spanish. Even if most of what you say is correct, you'll still make errors because you’re still learning (and learning never truly stops with anything, which is the fun part). That’s where confidence comes in; you have to feel comfortable enough to continue moving forward and trying even after messing something up.

As a new entrepreneur, learning and practice have come much more naturally to me than the confidence part. You might feel like you’re not ready to be in the same room as others who are more experienced or more knowledgeable. But at the end of the day, finding your entrepreneurial fluency doesn’t require perfection; it just requires you to be uniquely who you already are as you grow in your expertise. The difference is whether you continue trying after a misstep.

I challenge you to put yourself out there in ways you haven’t before, so you can FEEL that confidence grow as you continue to learn. It makes all the difference when you start rooting for yourself as much as others do!