This post is inspired by one of my favorite clients who is queen of teaching others about personal development, purpose and finding their version of success in life.
Today I want to talk about something that might make you a little uncomfortable. I’m not going to apologize for it. Instead I’m going to ask for you to really examine those feelings and figure out why it’s making you feel that way. What you discover could be just the catalyst you need to finally really move the needle in your business.
This past spring, I did something huge for my business – I hired a business coach! It was a 6-month program that came with a significant price tag. Even though I knew this what my business needed, I felt I couldn’t justify the cost to my husband because I felt I needed his permission to make that kind of investment in my business. But ‘lo and behold, since my husband is my greatest supporter, he gave me the confidence I needed to pull the trigger and hire the support I felt I needed. While this decision was one of the best I made for my business to-date, I almost didn’t follow-through with it because I felt I needed someone else’s permission that wouldn’t see the value in it. See where I am going with this?
As business owners, why do we doubt ourselves? I will tell you. It’s fear – because we are afraid. If you’ve never owned another business before, then every new leap or change you make in your business is something you’ve never experienced. People don’t like change. Instinctually, we are risk averse. So when it comes to making a big decision in our business we start looking for permission from someone else to do the thing, or hire the help or make the investment. But it’s so, so critical to be able to push past this fear of change in order to grow our business.
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Tell me: who knows your business better than you do? I’m going to out on a limb here and say emphatically that no one does! So, WHY THE HECK are you looking for permission from someone else who doesn’t know your business as well as you, to do what you need to take your business forward?! BOOM
Let that marinate for a second.
Now think about what areas of your business you’ve holding yourself back on. Maybe it’s a new product line. Maybe it’s hiring extra support. Maybe it’s simply raising your prices. Got it in your mind? Ok – Now I want you to go out and do it! Right this second, I want you right down the thing you want to do and 3 steps that will help you accomplish it. If you’re doubting yourself thinking, well it’s just not that easy, STOP! You’re sabotaging yourself before you even get started and those kind of limiting beliefs are going to paralyze your business growth.
Is starting and growing a business hard? Yes, duh! But isn’t it totally 150% worth it. Of course! There will be plenty of hard things about reaching that next milestone in your business, heck will probably even be some mis-steps and failures on your journey, but that will make your success even sweeter.
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As entrepreneurs, we have to accept the failures and mistakes are in some capacity are in inevitable. Say it with me, “Failure is inevitable.” Accept it and embrace it! If you’re thinking you didn’t sign up to fail then you are on the wrong ride, sister! The good news is that failure isn’t and shouldn’t be the end of the road though. It’s just a stepping stone. Your failure helps you learn what not to do. It guides your next step and the next one, and the one after that.
So what’s going to be your next step? Are you going to make a bold move or you going to sit back and watch others from the sidelines achieve their big dreams?
Let me know what you think in the comments.
I help female entrepreneurs and business owners create brands that command the spotlight. I love working with women to help them create beautiful, one-of-a-kind brands that give them the confidence to take their business to the next level and get them seriously noticed. I’ve worked with coaches, authors, influencers… you name it, and I bet I can help you too.
