1. Giving up before you start. Women don't apply for financing often enough. "I give speeches all around the country, am active in business associations, host a radio program and encourage entrepreneurs to contact me if they are interested in exploring their options for growth financing," says Aldonna Ambler, a business consultant based in Hammonton, N.J. "Here I am an advocate for women business owners, and still, the people who contact me about growth financing are men, 10 to 1."

2. Giving up too early. Bank officers, angel investors, venture capitalists and the like turn down the vast majority of proposals they see. But no business owner can afford to stop trying or assume that rejections are a final judgment.In New York, Lara Kisielewska founded Optimum Design & Consulting, a graphics technology production and services firm, in 1992, when she was only 20. "I never had formal business training. I had no idea what 'working capital' meant," she says. As a result, she piled up mistakes, including running through an $85,000 startup loan from her parents before signing even one client. But she kept going, eventually attracting blue-chip clients such as HBO and Conde Nast.Lara KisielewskaKisielewska, who became the youngest-ever president of NAWBO's New York City chapter, says her motto is "Failure is not an option." Currently, she's building a $200,000 loan growth package by tapping a few alternative sources, including micro-lender Acción. She credits NAWBO as providing her with both role models and clients. "The biggest mistake women entrepreneurs make," she says, "is to try to do it all themselves."

3. Taking the first offer. Women are too quickly satisfied by the deal on the table. Carnegie Mellon economist Linda Babcock, co-author of "Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide," found in a recent study that eight times as many men as women negotiated increases in starting salaries. On average, the men who negotiated bumped up their pay by 7.4%, or $4,000 more than the women. "Be prepared to negotiate and negotiate firmly," advises Alan Weiss at Summit Consulting in East Greenwich, Conn., author of "Million Dollar Consulting."

4. Thinking too small. Women are frequently risk-adverse. They tend to request less money than they want or need, anticipating negative responses. And they're often timid about tooting their own horn, underselling their accomplishments and credentials. Don't. "I've learned not to ask for too little because then bankers don't take me seriously," Kisielewska says.

5. Fear of joining male-dominated networks. Much of the reason women don't receive their fair share of private equity is because they're not part of male-dominated social networks, according to a five-year research project that was summed up, along with advice about what to do about it, in a book called "Clearing the Hurdles: Women Building High-Growth Businesses." "You need to link yourself to the right resources, networks and people to get over the funding hurdles," says the book's co-author, Patricia Greene, dean of the undergraduate school at Babson College.

6. Fear of losing authority or control. Women are often concerned that outside equity or investors will dictate priorities and goals or interfere with the way women prefer to do business. Finding the right fit and the appropriate financial partner is key, of course. But too many women decide it's easier not to try.

7. Fear of performance benchmarks. It's all about return on investment. You must quantify your performance no matter how stellar your service or smart your product. "Focus on defining important business model milestones," says Beth Polish, adviser for the Women's Leadership Exchange and, formerly, founding chief financial officer for iVillage. That way, you can highlight both past performance and future potential. "Achieving significant milestones increases your company's value and decreases its risks in the eyes of a funding source," Polish says.