Lots of businesses make a million or more in revenue annually. But very few of them are owned by women. Valerie Riley owns one, though, and LifeSquire also happens to be the largest personal assistant resource firm in the country. Last week she sat down for a coffee chat with our members and we learned so much.

The top three reminders Valerie shared:

• It’s good to say “no”

• It’s important to spend time with the people you want to be more like

• It’s okay not to share your ideas with everyone.

Scroll to read more of what we learned from Valerie.

How do you think you've been able to achieve your level of success?

Ideas will crash and burn. We don't have to get to perfection without the failure. I spend time getting to know other entrepreneurs who have achieved a lot and through that I learned their successes are really only a result of their failures. It's really healthy to see other people make mistakes.

Do you have any tips on hiring?

There was a season where I was doing everything myself just out of necessity. Delegation is so essential, though. We tell our clients if you don't have an assistant, you are an assistant. I strongly believe that. Don't look at handing off tasks as a bad thing. Delegate to elevate. Give other people more ownership in the company processes.

LifeSquire specializes in making clients feel super special. How do you do that?

When you want to provide five-star service to your clients, think about the experiences that made you feel special as a consumer. Then try to implement some of those.

You run a service-based business so surely there are upset customers from time to time. Have you learned to handle negative feedback?

Our policy is to lead with humility. We always say sorry, even if it's not our fault. And we always follow up with action. How can we actually show we are sorry and committed to doing a better job?

You're very competitive. What's a hack you've learned to be stay ahead of the game?

I always want to do everything better. It's a blessing and a curse. Early on, I put a Google alert on the key words we're trying to be an industry leader with. What news reports relate to our business? What technology might be used by others in our space? We stay one step ahead of others that way and are always doing more than anyone else to serve our clients.

Advice for other small business owners?

Stop calling yourself a small business owner. You'e a business owner.

If you’d like to learn more from Valerie, she’s offering a valuable consulting opportunity to a select group of business owners. Email valerie@lifesquire.com for more information.