Experience Builds Confidence
Jo Rawald • September 22, 2025
Do You Want More Confidence? Stop Waiting & Start Doing!
This morning I was on a Zoom call with a reporter in England. His name’s William, and he was interviewing me for an article on How to Own the Room, the Stage, and the Deal as a Woman Leader.
The very first thing William said when we got on camera was, “Jo, you look so fresh for 5:30AM!” I laughed because the only reason my makeup was done and my hair was brushed is because I thought it was going to be a video interview. Total false alarm.
Full transparency, I get nervous on video. I’m self-critical about the way I look and sound, so I’ve only published… maybe five videos. William smiled and told me, “Once you’ve done a dozen or more, you’ll stop being so hard on yourself.” He’s right. It’s experience.
Preparation Matters, But Reps Transform You
When William asked me about confidence on stage and in business deals, my first instinct was to say preparation. Preparation absolutely matters. But as our conversation went on, something clicked. Confidence doesn’t just come from preparation, it comes from experience.
The more stages I step onto, the more boardrooms I lead, the more cameras I sit in front of, the easier it all gets. Confidence is earned in the doing. Every rep builds muscle. Every rep builds certainty. Every rep builds confidence.
That’s the foundation of leadership confidence. If you’ve been searching for sales confidence training, public speaking tips for women, or ways to show up more powerfully in your business, the answer is simple ➝ experience.
Experience in Action: BNI
I see this every single week in BNI Broward. As a Director Consultant here in South Florida, I manage seven chapters. At every meeting, members deliver a 45-to-60 second presentation, and one member presents a ten-minute feature.
Newer members stumble, fumble, and cling to their notes. Their voices shake, their timing runs long, and you can feel the nerves. But give them weeks, give them reps, and suddenly those same members are flying. Their words flow with ease, their presence fills the room, and they command attention with confidence they didn’t have before.
That’s the power of experience. It shapes leaders. It transforms voices. It builds confidence that preparation alone can’t deliver.
Your Stage, Your Reps
Maybe your stage isn’t a BNI meeting. Maybe your stage is a sales call, a financial review, a client presentation, or leading your team. Wherever your stage is, confidence grows when you step up consistently and do the work.
It’s your battle rhythm. That rhythm of showing up, putting in the reps, and gaining momentum until what once felt intimidating becomes second nature.
Confidence doesn’t arrive in a box tied with a bow. Confidence grows because you did it once, then twice, then twenty times until you owned it. That’s confidence in business at its core.
My Own Turning Point
Years ago, when I owned my martial arts studio, I was terrified the first time I had to lead a full class of parents and kids. I knew the moves, I knew the curriculum, but I didn’t yet have the confidence to stand tall in front of a room packed with people watching me. My voice cracked, my pacing was off, and I walked out feeling like I failed.
But here’s what happened. I showed up the next day, and the next, and the next. I led classes day after day, week after week. Over time, the fear shrank. My voice got stronger. My presence sharpened. Parents started nodding when I spoke. Kids started lining up straighter when I gave commands. Confidence didn’t just “arrive,” it was carved into me through repetition.
That season taught me a lesson I carry into every boardroom, every keynote, and every client session. Confidence isn’t a personality trait. It’s a practice.
Why This Matters for Women Entrepreneurs
Women entrepreneurs are building empires in industries where visibility, voice, and authority matter. When you walk into a room, stand on a stage, or lead your business forward, confidence is the difference between being heard and being remembered.
Experience gives you the power to walk into any space and know, I belong here.
That’s why your focus should be on taking the rep, not waiting for the perfect moment. Do the live, make the pitch, step into the boardroom, launch the workshop. Each time you do it, you’re carving confidence into your DNA.
Five Ways to Build Confidence Through Experience
Want to build unstoppable confidence? Start stacking your reps in small, doable ways:
- Say yes to opportunities faster. When someone asks you to speak, present, or share, grab it. Don’t overthink it, just step in.
- Practice your pitch weekly. Even if you’re alone, practice saying what you do out loud. The more you say it, the sharper it gets.
- Record yourself on video. Watch it back, cringe if you must, then record again. Confidence grows with every playback.
- Lead in smaller rooms first. If the big stage feels intimidating, start with your team, your networking group, or a mastermind circle.
- Stack wins consistently. Celebrate each rep, each improvement, and each brave moment. Every step forward compounds.
Confidence grows like compound interest. Every small deposit of experience builds into a fortune of self-belief.
Building Your Battle Rhythm
Confidence builds faster when you have a strategy. You don’t just show up randomly, you create a rhythm that turns growth into a habit. That’s what I help women entrepreneurs build inside my Empire Strategy Session at Queen Kong Consulting.
We design the systems that free up your time, the messaging that strengthens your voice, and the rhythm that creates unstoppable momentum in your business.
Your confidence comes from experience, and your experience grows when you have the structure to show up consistently, powerfully, and profitably.
Stop Waiting. Start Doing.
If you want more confidence, the fastest path forward is experience. Stop waiting for perfection. Stop waiting for a sign. Your confidence is waiting for you on the other side of action.
Take the stage. Lead the meeting. Host the workshop. Make the call. Experience builds confidence, and your next rep could be the one that changes everything.
My husband, Brett and I have this fun tradition. He’s a pilot for American Airlines, so he’s gone a lot. We leave surprises for each other. I’ll slip notes & little treats into his luggage. He hides little gifts around the house for me to stumble across when he’s traveling. Today, while flipping through my meeting journal, the one I use every single day, I spotted something wedged between the pages. A crisp twenty-dollar bill. Jackpot. I marched into the other room, waving it like I had just won the lottery, and thanked Brett. He looked at me like I was out of my mind. “You’re just now finding that? I hid it almost a month ago!” That twenty had been sitting inches from me for weeks, but I didn’t see it. And that’s when it hit me. Business is the exact same way. Money Is Right in Front of You We’re so busy chasing the next client, the next launch, the next shiny tactic, that we miss what’s already sitting there waiting for us. Revenue hiding in plain sight. I can’t tell you how many women entrepreneurs I’ve coached who had money buried in their business that they simply weren’t looking at. Here’s what I mean. Leads you met at a networking event who never got a follow-up. Past clients who got results but you never invited them back for the next level. A program you created that quietly sits on your hard drive, never promoted after the first launch. Contacts who told you “not right now” and are still waiting for you to circle back. That’s money. It’s not “someday” money. It’s not “maybe” money. It’s money waiting for you to flip the page and find it. The Lazy Way Doesn’t Work Let me call this out directly. Hope marketing doesn’t work. Hoping someone remembers you. Hoping someone comes back around. Hoping someone randomly stumbles on your website. That’s lazy. And lazy doesn’t pay. Business is about rhythm. You follow up. You re-engage. You systemize. You build offers that stack. You keep showing up so the opportunities don’t slip through your fingers. That’s what I call a battle rhythm. A consistent beat in your business that drives sales, builds authority, and keeps your pipeline flowing. Stop Leaving Twenties in Your Notebook Think about it. If someone told you there was a $20 bill taped under your desk chair right now, you’d drop everything and look for it. So why don’t we treat opportunities in business the same way? Why do we leave past clients untouched, leads un-followed, offers un-packaged, and ideas un-pitched? Because we get distracted. We get overwhelmed. We chase shiny strategies instead of focusing on what’s already working. The reality is, you don’t need a brand-new funnel or a fancy platform to make more money. You need to flip the page and see what’s already there. Where Women Entrepreneurs Miss Money Over the years, I’ve spotted the same blind spots again and again. Here are some of the big ones: Old Proposals - You sent a proposal six months ago. The prospect never said yes, but they never said no either. That’s money waiting for you to send a “checking in” message. Past Clients - She loved working with you. She got results. And then you let her slip away without an upsell, a retainer, or a next step. That’s money left on the table. Untapped Expertise - You’ve built tools, templates, and strategies that sit on your hard drive. Package them, brand them, and sell them. That’s money hiding in your laptop. Networking Follow-Ups - How many people have you met at BNI or conferences who got your card but never heard from you again? That’s money you literally shook hands with and then forgot about. Partnerships You Haven’t Leveraged - That friend in a complementary industry? You could co-host a workshop or bundle your services tomorrow. That’s money sitting in your contact list. Every one of these is a twenty-dollar bill sitting in your business. And some of them are more like $20,000 bills if you’d just look for them. The Battle Rhythm That Brings It All In Here’s where it gets fun. Once you start spotting the hidden money, you can build systems that make it impossible to miss again. Automated follow-up sequences that keep you top of mind. A client retention plan that maps out exactly when and how you upsell or cross-sell. A content rhythm that points people back to your offers over and over. A lead tracker that forces you to flip every page until you’ve gotten a yes or a no. That’s what I build with my clients inside my Empire Strategy Session. We don’t just look for the money once, we create the rhythm that makes finding it automatic. Because here’s the secret. Opportunities don’t get lost because they don’t exist. They get lost because you’re not looking. A Lesson From My $20 Bill When I pulled that twenty out of my notebook, I laughed, but I also shook my head. How many opportunities have I missed over the years because I didn’t flip the page fast enough? How many leads have you missed? How many clients could you have re-signed? How much money is waiting for you inside the work you’ve already done? Finding that twenty was a reminder. The money is there. The opportunities are there. You just have to notice them, claim them, and build the systems so they don’t slip past you again. Stop Waiting. Start Flipping the Pages. If you want more revenue, more confidence, and more momentum, you don’t need to reinvent everything. You need to open your notebook and find the twenties hiding between the lines. Look at your past clients. Look at your un-followed leads. Look at the programs you’ve already created. Look at the people already in your world. That’s where the money is. Flip the page. The opportunities are waiting. And if you’re tired of overlooking them and ready to build the battle rhythm that makes your business unstoppable, I’m here to help.
There’s something electric about sitting down with a young entrepreneur who’s ALL IN, eyes bright, and ready to take on the world. I swear, it’s like drinking a double shot of ambition with your latte. This past Saturday, I had coffee at The House on the River with Seth Kirschner, owner of 2 Clean Home Care . His company handles both commercial and residential pressure washing. Now here’s the humbling part… Seth is younger than my two oldest kids, Marlin and David. Cue me sitting there thinking about how time flies and how much I love seeing that kind of determination in the next generation. Ohhhh.... come on! Anyone who knows me, knows the truth - For the rest of the day, I obsessed over how old I've become! I met Seth at BNI Abundance , one of the chapters I manage as a BNI Director Consultant. I had already hired his company to pressure wash my sidewalks and clean up some landscaping bricks. Let me tell you, he did a GREAT job. The work was spotless, the service was professional, and his prices were so reasonable that I almost wanted to tell him to charge more. During our 1:1 coffee meetup, we talked about his goals, what’s working, and where he wants to grow. That’s when I thought of another young business owner who is just as driven - Johnny De Jesus, owner of De Jesus Media , whom I know through another BNI Chapter I manage, BNI Wealth Builders . Johnny runs a social media and content agency, and like Seth, he’s under 30, big on vision, and relentless when it comes to taking action. I made the introduction right there at the table because I knew they could help each other. Seth could use stronger social media & content marketing to showcase his work, and Johnny could connect with a reliable, service-based entrepreneur who delivers on what he promises. Watching them start brainstorming was like matchmaking for ambition. It was two business owners meeting for the first time but already speaking the same language => growth, opportunity, and possibility. While Seth’s energy pulled me straight back to my own early days of building a business from scratch, I could also see where my years of experience could shorten his learning curve. I shared two big lessons that I wish someone had drilled into me earlier. First, look at your business through your customer’s eyes. If you’re going after more commercial contracts, having “Home Care” in your business and URL’s name might make people assume you only do residential work. That small perception can cost you some huge opportunities, and the fix is often as simple as rethinking how you position yourself. Second, think bigger than your current projects. Explore RFPs, grants, and larger contracts. Those opportunities are out there, and they’re not reserved for just giant companies. They’re open to prepared, capable businesses that know how to show up, bid confidently, and deliver with excellence. Sometimes the leap isn’t about working harder but working smarter in the right arenas. Our coffee turned into a two-way mentorship. Seth left with new strategies and fresh connections. And I left reminded that when someone is both bold and hungry for growth, the energy is contagious, and definitely worth catching. If you’re under 40, drop a question about business, sales growth, or life in the social media comments. If you’re over 40, scroll through the comments and answer at least one. You can join the conversation here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QueenKongBiz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xojorawald X: https://x.com/queenkongbiz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xojorawald Let’s see what happens when hunger meets experience.
Some of us were born with silver spoons. I was handed chopsticks….literally. My mom was a Chinese warrior in sneakers. She worked two jobs, barely spoke the language, and still managed to raise daughters who believed they could conquer the world. My dad, a Spanish-born U.S. Army veteran, served three tours in Vietnam and came home battling things no one saw, so Mom carried it all. The bills, the stress, the dreams. She taught me how to keep going, no matter what. And when life hit hard, and oh, it did, I remembered that. I’ve rebuilt my life after loss, trauma, and a head-on collision that nearly took me out. I've grown a business through grief, strokes, heart failure, and hard-won lessons. And through it all, one thing has always stayed the same: I believe women are built to rise. Not to struggle endlessly, but to build empires that outlast and outshine. That’s why I do what I do. And why I’m sharing this today. Because right now, there’s a golden opportunity hiding in your business, and less than 1% of owners are using it. Let’s change that.
Let’s be crystal clear - I’m not what you’d call "outdoorsy." My idea of roughing it? Spotty Wi-Fi at a four-star hotel. So, how exactly did I end up camping and rafting for four days in a remote canyon with no running water, electricity, cell service - or actual bathrooms? Glad you asked.
You ever walk into Costco for one thing, and leave wondering what the heck just happened to your life? That was me last night. All I needed was paper towels. Just one 12-pack brick of industrial absorbency, thank you very much. But the moment I stepped through those magical warehouse doors, it all unraveled. First, I saw a velvet chaise lounge I definitely don’t need. Then - it was a six-tier spice rack. A kayak. A weighted blanket. A 5-lb tub of Gummy Bears I haven’t stopped thinking about. By the time I made it to checkout, I was $312 deep in, “Maybe I’ll use this someday ” purchases. And that’s when it hit me. This is exactly what shiny object syndrome looks like. Not just in Costco. In business. You start with a clear goal - launch a course, a new service or a new product, finish your website, close three new clients. But somewhere along the way, you get distracted by someone else’s launch, a new app, a Canva template you’ll definitely use one day. You buy a course. Download a funnel template. Rebrand your business at midnight. Before you know it, you’re carting around half-baked ideas and unopened tools you never actually needed, and your real revenue-generating work is buried under distractions. It’s a costly habit. Not just in money but, in time, clarity, confidence, and momentum. Here’s your wake-up call => If it doesn’t drive sales, systems, or sanity - put it back on the shelf. You don’t need more stuff. You need a strategy that works. One that moves your business forward with intention and impact. So if you’re tired of carting around the chaos, and ready to focus on what actually gets results - I got you. Check out the free resources on my site or book a quick call. No pressure. Just clarity, next steps, and a bold plan that keeps your eyes on the prize. Download your free Focus to Profit Blueprint so, the next time distraction shows up dressed as a business breakthrough, you’ll know the difference. With Grace & Grit, Jo Jo Rawald Growth Architect for Women Entrepreneurs | Lean Six Sigma Black Belt 📞 (305) 934-0006 | ✉️ jo@jorawald.com www.JoRawald.com | @xojorawald www.QueenKongBiz.com | @queenkongbiz
Have you ever had one of your childhood memories come crashing back at ya with full volume and suddenly you're 14 again... but this time, with 40 more years of hindsight and a whole lot more humility? Yeah. That happened to me last weekend.I had the honor of being a keynote speaker at one of the best women’s business events I’ve ever attended - the WFS Female Founders Forum 2025 , hosted by the phenomenal nonprofit Women for Success . The room was filled with powerful, purpose-driven women who weren’t there to play small. They came to scale, get certified, and secure the kind of legacy their Moms would brag about at church.
Imagine losing money every time you make a sale… and choosing to do it anyway. That’s exactly what Costco has done - for 40 years straight - with their $1.50 hot dog + soda combo. Yep. One dollar. Fifty cents. No inflation. No markup. No apology. And when someone on the leadership team had the nerve to suggest raising the price? Costco co-founder Jim Sinegal flat-out said, "If you raise the price of the hot dog, I will kill you." Savage? Maybe. Strategic? 1000%. Because he got something most business owners miss entirely… => Not everything you sell is about profit. Some things are about perception. That hot dog isn’t just a cheap meal. It’s a statement: “We’re not here to nickel-and-dime you. We’re here to treat you right.” And guess what? That tiny loss leader earns them billions in customer loyalty, trust, and recurring revenue. I call this the Hot Dog Method: 🌭 Sacrifice something small. 🌭 Earn something massive. 🌭 Make it memorable. Every business can have a $1.50 hot dog moment: 🌭 A bonus your clients didn’t see coming 🌭 A “damn, no one else does that” type of policy 🌭 A ridiculously over-delivered offer that makes them tell 3 friends The key? Don’t hide it. Flaunt it. Repeat it. Build a reputation around it. Make it so obvious your clients can point and say, “That’s why I work with her. No one else shows up like that.” So here’s your million-dollar reflection: What’s YOUR $1.50 hot dog? Find it. Double down on it. Then sit back and watch your referrals multiply like Costco memberships in January.
I went to a networking event yesterday at Rosie’s Bar & Grill in Wilton Manors. Tropical-chic to the max. You know the kind of place - upscale casual, strong cocktails, mandatory valet. Now usually, I’m all about valet. But not yesterday. I wasn’t there to sip martinis or hang around all night. I could only stay for 20-minutes. That means - I was on a serious 20-minute mission: say hi, shake hands, peace out. Then, get back in my car to jump on a Zoom meeting! I certainly wasn’t about to drop $20 just to park my car for 20 minutes. No way! I pulled into the valet area, looked the guy dead in the eye, and said, “I’ll be in and out faster than your last relationship. Can I just park it right here?” And bless his heart - he said yes. Honestly, that should’ve been my win for the night. But then I met Sean Gac-Guerrier. Sean’s the Marketing Director at Excel Title, Inc. We started talking about dogs - and **cue the angels singing. We clicked instantly. Not two strangers meeting, more like two childhood friends who hadn’t seen each other in a decade! Sean showed me a photo of his dog, Dottie. I pulled out pics of my girl, Adelaide. Then he pulled out a photo of Dottie that stopped me in my tracks. Sean had a photo of what Dottie would look like as a human. Not a cartoon. Not a filter. I’m talking AI-generated, fully humanized, real-world, cardigan-wearing, intelligent-and-intimidating Dottie. I was mesmerized! It was as if Pixar and the FBI teamed up to design her. I looked at Adelaide’s pic… then looked back at Sean… and blurted out, “I need to humanize my dog!!” And I did. I went home, found the exact AI prompt, uploaded Adelaide’s photo, answered a few fun questions about her personality, and style - then… BOOM. Human Adelaide was born. Tall, lean, cozy-chic, with that unmistakable “don’t-mess-with-me-but-I’ll-still-hug-you” vibe. She looked like she ran Homeland Security and still had time for tacos and espresso martinis on a rooftop. Honestly? I stared at the image for like five minutes. Because it wasn’t just about making something cute. It was about seeing something familiar - something you know - come to life in a new way. Here’s the AI Prompt if you want to try it yourself:
Your business is not a side dish. It’s the main course—and it deserves to be treated like one. In this no-BS blog, I’m calling out “leftover” business strategies that leave women entrepreneurs stuck, stressed, and scaling in all the wrong ways. Discover how to build a business that’s bold, sustainable, and built to outlast trends using my BAMBOO Framework.
Too many women are stuck in the hustle—working nonstop, solving the same problems, and barely seeing the return.
You didn’t start your business to burn out. You started it to break free.
If you’re ready to ditch the stress and build a business that actually pays you back, this is your moment.
Join me LIVE in South Florida at Brains, Brilliance & Bold Moves—where I’ll show you how to scale smart, simplify your systems, and make way more money doing less.
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