Whilst there’s been questions over the validity of the statement, since entering the business world, I’ve personally noticed a trend that mirrors the study. True in part when it comes to but we perceive our knowledge to be as female founders.

When I first started out in business, I’ll be honest – I didn’t have all the answers. Scratch that – I didn’t even know all the questions I was supposed to be asking. There were moments when I felt like I was fumbling in the dark, trying to figure out everything from financial projections to marketing strategies. Sound familiar?

The truth is, no one starts their business knowing everything. Even today, as someone who mentors other women in business, I’m still learning. And that, my friend, is one of the most beautiful parts of this journey.

The knowledge gap isn’t a flaw in your plan or a sign that you’re not good enough. It’s an invitation to grow, to upskill, and to lean into the incredible support that’s out there waiting for you. Let’s explore how we, as female founders, can tackle the gaps in our knowledge and turn them into stepping stones for success. There’s no one born with a skill, it’s something we learn along the way!

Step 1: embrace the beauty of the unknown

First things first, let’s stop pretending that we need to have all the answers. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that being a founder isn’t about knowing everything – it’s about being resourceful. It’s about having the courage to say, “I don’t know this yet, but I’m willing to learn.”

When I launched my first business, there were countless things I didn’t understand. How do you calculate a profit margin? What’s a brand voice? Do I really need a CRM system, or can I just wing it with Excel? (Spoiler alert: you can, but I wouldn’t recommend it – although it would be nice right?)

Instead of beating myself up for not having all the answers, I started to see every gap in my knowledge as an opportunity to learn something new. I read books, signed up for webinars, and spent way too many late nights Googling business plans, marketing strategies, and a million acronyms that I’d seen time and time again but never knew what they stood for (ok maybe not an actual million but you get what I mean). And slowly but surely, I started to close those gaps. And the beauty of it, was the feeling that I got when I learnt something new, almost like a burst of energy, that sense of satisfaction that comes along with feeling like you’re actually “sitting at the table” so to speak.

Step 2: position yourself as the expert

Here’s a secret: you don’t need to know everything about everything to position yourself as an expert. You just need to know more than your audience in the areas that matter. I’ve heard this a lot in my journey so far, and women are often so fearful of not only positioning themselves as the expert, quite the opposite, our skills are often downplayed by none other than ourselves. But what about seeing this through a different lens? If you walked into a room, I can guarantee you that you would know more about the intricate ins and outs of your own business than anyone else in there, doesn’t that make you an expert? When we start to look at all the things that we do know, we can spend less time worrying about the stuff that we don’t know.

When I started mentoring other women in business, I was pretty fearful that someone would “call me out” for not being an expert in, say, tax law or SEO optimisation. But here’s the thing – my expertise wasn’t in tax law. It was in helping women find clarity, confidence, and direction in their businesses.

So instead of trying to be a jack-of-all-trades, I focused on owning my lane. I doubled down on what I did know, and I wasn’t afraid to say, “That’s not my area of expertise, but let me point you to someone who can help.” Just because we don’t know it all, it doesn’t mean we can’t move forward, learn or be successful in our own right.

This is something that women in business can struggle to focus on, as like we’ve learnt in previous studies, we feel like we have to tick every box in order to be successful. Truth of the matter is, we have to concentrate on building our authenticity, this is the thing that sets us apart from other businesses, our unique perspective, way of working, and what makes our businesses stand out above the others.

This mindset shift was a game-changer. It freed me from the pressure of needing to “know it all” and reminded me that my value lies in my unique strengths.

Step 3: lean on others for support

Speaking of pointing people in the right direction – let’s talk about the power of leaning on others.

In the early days of my business, I thought I had to do everything myself. I wore all the hats – accountant, social media manager, website designer, marketer, customer service, product maker, wholesaler, the list was endless. It wasn’t sustainable, and honestly, it wasn’t good business as I soon found out when the stress began to take its toll.

Eventually, I realised that trying to do it all alone was holding me back. So, I started reaching out to people who did know what I didn’t. I hired an accountant to sort out my finances, joined a mastermind group to learn from other female founders, and booked a call with a marketing consultant who helped me refine my strategy.

Leaning on others doesn’t make you less capable – quite the opposite – it makes you smart. It frees up your time and mental energy so you can focus on what you’re great at.

Step 4: upskill for personal growth as well as professional

While it’s important to lean on others, there’s also immense value in upskilling yourself. As a founder, the learning never stops.

One of the most transformative investments I made was signing up for a course on public speaking. I used to dread speaking in front of an audience, you know the drill- sweaty palms, seeing stars, engulfed in panic. But I knew that if I wanted to grow my business and position myself as a thought leader, I needed to get comfortable on stage.

Fast forward to today, and I’ve launched my own podcast, hosted workshops, and even delivered keynote speeches. That one course not only helped me close a knowledge gap – it opened doors I didn’t even know existed. That’s the beauty of learning a new skill, not only does it help your confidence, it pushes you outside your comfort zone whilst also giving you that buzz of learning something that can help propel your business.

Often the things that we are most fearful of can be the most transformational. Again, we sometimes stay in the shadows for fear of being exposed as not having enough knowledge or skills to be taken seriously. I see this so often in my work, women not having that belief in themselves to take a leap, keeping small and what happens in turn is that they aren’t able to move forward. The saddest part? These women are FULL of skills, full of knowledge and full of expertise, but this fear is the one thing that holds them back.

What’s one skill you’ve been avoiding because it feels intimidating? That might be the exact thing you need to learn to level up…

Step 5: keep asking questions

The most successful founders I know are the ones who never stop asking questions.

“What can I do better?”

“Who can I learn from?”

“How can I improve this process?”

"What do I want to take forward with me?"

Curiosity is your greatest asset as a founder. It keeps you moving forward, even when the road gets bumpy.

Whenever I feel stuck, I remind myself that there’s always someone who’s been in my shoes. Whether it’s a mentor, a book, or a podcast, the answers are out there – you just have to be willing to look for them. Not only that, remember you can just ask people! There will be so many other women out there that have been exactly where you are now, struggling to find that knowledge, they will help you out. Gaining this experience, upskilling yourself, levelling up your knowledge is what you will use to help others during your journey, to help others at the beginning of theirs!

Entrepreneurship is a continual learning curve (and an exciting one to boot!) embrace the epic journey that you are on, these are times you will look back on fondly, and you will see how far you’ve come.

The knowledge gap isn’t something to fear or hide from. It’s part of the journey. It’s what pushes us to grow, to connect with others, and to build businesses that truly reflect who we are.

 So, the next time you catch yourself thinking, “I don’t know enough,” I want you to flip the script. Instead of focusing on what you don’t know, focus on what you’re learning and what you do already know. You know what else? Sometimes we don’t actually realise the number of skills we do already have that we can bring with us on our founder’s journey. Whether that be from previous roles, or even life experience to date, most of them are so easily transferable, you’ve just got to remember what you can do, instead of just what you can’t. And remember – you don’t have to do it alone.

If I’ve learned anything from my own journey, it’s this: every gap is an opportunity to create your own blueprint. And trust me, you’ve got this.

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