Your Hottest Investment: You

When it comes to investing in entrepreneurial self-care and development, do you freeze in your tracks? Are you paralyzed by the cost of investing in yourself--and justifying that expense?

Self-development is a hard concept for many women to buy into when they're footing the bill. Many also don't know what kind of return to expect from these investments.

Here's a list of five essential self-investments that women entrepreneurs need to drive business success.

1. Make time to think. Investing in structured time away from the office--in addition to vacations--can help you develop your business. Time away allows you to brainstorm and create, which is essential for grappling with pressing business challenges and finding breakthrough solutions.

Prior to each "think break," select one opportunity and one challenge you're facing in your business and assign it a value on a 1-10 scale. This gives focus and value to each creative furlough. Slowing down to think can be one of the best ways to speed up business growth.

2. Acquire or create certification. Depending on your industry, acquiring additional certifications enhances your ability to attract customers, reduce attrition and raise prices. Certifications are a great way to grow your credentials and position your company as a leader to prospective clients.

You can also create your own certification by assembling a set of best practices and building a training program around them. Industries such as fitness, for example, encourage and invite top professionals to create new certifications. Other industries, such as accounting and law, give leading professionals an opportunity to create and teach courses that satisfy requirements for continuing education credits. Becoming a source for education, ongoing certification and advancement of your colleagues quickly positions you as an expert in your profession.

3. Formalize a peer support system. Of all the support mechanisms available, established women business owners would appear to benefit most from peer-to-peer networking that plans participant composition, develops meeting agendas and monitors goal attainment (Survey by: National Women's Business Council).

Looking across the table at a peer who struggles with the same issues as you do allows you to release fears and replace them with measurable action. A strong peer support group can more than pay for your time and membership within the first six months.

4. Adopt a CEO-quality self-care system. Your health affects critical thinking and performance within your company every day. Make health a priority by emphasizing the importance of regular medical checkups, balanced nutrition, frequent exercise and a regimen for stress management.

5. Go private. A psychologist, high-powered personal mentor or coach can help you overcome personal limitations that stunt your company's growth potential. A good coach should be able to quantify how and when your investment will pay for itself during the first 90 days.

You're your company’s greatest asset, so self-investment needs to be a requirement instead of a reward. Investing in yourself is not indulgent--it's simply asset protection and smart business growth.