Running a business in the UK is rewarding, but it can also feel relentless. One day you are winning a new client; the next you are chasing invoices, fixing a website glitch or simply trying to find the motivation to start. When the buck stops with you, self-awareness is not a luxury; it is a leadership skill. Developing self-awareness for women in business means understanding what drives you, drains you and helps you perform, so you can make better decisions and build a sustainable company.
Women-led businesses are a growing force in the UK economy. According to the 2024 progress report from the Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, women-led businesses now contribute an estimated £105 billion annually, up from £85 billion in 2018. The same report found that the number of women-led businesses increased by 23% between 2018 and 2024. Yet many women business owners still report feeling they must “do it all,” which makes understanding your own strengths, limits and working style even more important. For the latest figures, see our Women in Business: Key UK Facts page.
The ancient Greeks carved “Know Yourself” above the temple door, and the advice still holds. The better you understand your own patterns, the easier it is to lead a team, negotiate with confidence and avoid burnout.
Self-awareness for women in business: why it matters now
Self-awareness is not about overthinking. It is about recognising how you respond under pressure, where your energy comes from and which tasks you should delegate. This matters because the demands on women business owners are intensifying. FSB research from 2024 found that poor mental health, including stress, anxiety and burnout, is one of the most common challenges facing small business owners. At the same time, the British Business Bank’s 2024 Small Business Finance Markets report found that all-female founder teams received just 2% of UK equity investment, which means many women founders bootstrap and manage multiple roles at once. Many are also juggling caring responsibilities and other commitments alongside their company.
Without self-awareness, it is easy to say yes to every opportunity, hire people who mirror your weaknesses rather than complement them, or ignore the early signs of exhaustion. With it, you can design a working day that plays to your strengths and build a business that works for you, not just the other way around.
Building self-awareness into your routine
Self-awareness does not require hours of navel-gazing. Small habits can reveal useful patterns. Try listening more than you speak in meetings, keeping a short reflective journal at the end of each day, or using a few minutes of mindfulness to notice your reactions under pressure.
These habits are especially valuable if you are juggling business with caring responsibilities or other commitments. They help you spot when you are heading towards burnout, rather than realising only when you are already exhausted. If you suspect your working style is linked to neurodiversity, our guide on ADHD and Female Entrepreneurs explores how to turn different ways of thinking into business strengths.
Tools for getting to know yourself better
Psychometric inventories can give you a structured picture of your preferences. They are not fortune-telling, but they can start useful conversations about how you work best and where you might need support.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Based on Jung’s theory of psychological types, MBTI looks at four pairs of preferences and describes 16 broad personality types. It is widely used in UK corporate training and coaching. MBTI was developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother Katharine Cook Briggs and has since been used by organisations worldwide. To access the full, professionally administered MBTI questionnaire and feedback, you need a qualified practitioner, such as those registered with the British Psychological Society or a licensed UK provider. This route can be expensive, so many business owners start with free online alternatives based on the same Jungian ideas. Treat these as a starting point rather than a definitive label.
You can get a quick sense of your preferences by considering the four MBTI dichotomies below. Take one letter from each pair to produce a four-letter type, such as ISFJ or ENFP.
| Where do you get energy? | How do you take in information? | How do you make decisions? | How do you approach life? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extraversion (E) – people and action | Sensing (S) – facts and details | Thinking (T) – logic and objective analysis | Judging (J) – planned and organised |
| Introversion (I) – quiet and reflection | Intuition (N) – patterns and possibilities | Feeling (F) – values and impact on people | Perceiving (P) – flexible and spontaneous |
Belbin Team Roles
This model identifies nine team roles, such as “Implementer,” “Coordinator” and “Completer Finisher.” It is helpful for understanding the mix of skills a business needs and why someone who annoys you may actually be doing work you dislike.
Learning styles and reflective practice
Models such as Honey and Mumford’s learning styles encourage you to notice whether you prefer to learn by doing, reflecting, theorising or experimenting. This can shape how you develop new business skills, from financial management to marketing.
Understanding your comfort zone
MBTI measures preferences, not ability. Think of it as being right-handed or left-handed: you can use the other hand, but it takes more effort. The stronger your preference, the more draining the opposite style can feel if you have to use it for long periods.
A successful business needs a balance of all these preferences. If you have strong Intuition (N), you may excel at vision and strategy but struggle with routine admin. If you are a relaxed Perceiver (P), you may spot opportunities quickly but dislike the detailed planning needed to deliver them. Recognising this lets you design your working day around your strengths and delegate or partner around your weaknesses.
For women business owners, this can be liberating. You do not have to be brilliant at everything. In fact, trying to be is one of the fastest routes to burnout.
Getting the best out of others
Self-awareness becomes even more powerful when you use it to understand the people around you. Whether you manage employees, freelancers or collaborators, a balanced team will almost always outperform a group of people who all think the same way.
If you work alone or in a very small team, MBTI or Belbin can help you identify what is missing. For example, an ENTP profile is often described as entrepreneurial and inventive, but can be weak on follow-through. If that sounds familiar, your options include hiring a detail-oriented assistant, partnering with someone who loves systems and schedules, or simply changing your environment to add more structure.
Personality frameworks can also improve communication with customers and suppliers. If you know you prefer direct, logical language but your client values relationship-building, you can adapt your approach. Motivation, management and customer relationships all become easier when you take the time to understand and respect different working styles.
Putting self-awareness into practice
Start with one habit and one assessment. Spend a week journaling about when you feel energised and when you feel depleted. Then try a free MBTI-style questionnaire or discuss Belbin roles with your team.
Look for UK-based support if you want to go further. Organisations such as Prowess, The Women’s Organisation, Forward Ladies and the Federation of Small Businesses offer training, mentoring and networks specifically for women business owners. You can also connect with peers through Women in Business Networks UK. Working with a coach or mentor can help you translate insights into action and hold you accountable as you build a business that plays to your strengths.
Practical action steps to build self-awareness
- Track your energy for one week. Note which tasks energise you and which drain you.
- Complete one free psychometric questionnaire, such as an MBTI-style or Belbin-style assessment.
- Identify one task you currently do that sits outside your strengths, and plan how to delegate, automate or stop doing it.
- Book one conversation with a mentor, coach or peer network to discuss your findings.
- Review your working style every quarter, not just once a year.
Self-awareness for women in business is not a one-off test. It is an ongoing practice. The more you understand yourself, the better you can lead, adapt and grow a business that works for you.
