If you’re reading this, probably at some point, you’ve thought about starting a business or taking yours to the next level. Well…what’s holding you back? What are you scared of? From my years of coaching entrepreneurs and CEOs, I’ve noticed that often times, it’s fear…fear originating from self-doubt, uncertainty, and the unknown. I’m here to show you how to overcome your fear and gain the strength to finally take action, create change, and move forward in that business you’ve always dreamed of.
And if at the end of this post, you’re still holding onto your fears, please…please…let me help you. I believe there’s something special in you and if fear is preventing you from taking great actions, then let me know. Call me at (210) 784-7537 for a free intro strategy session. You have nothing to lose but the fear itself.
“Be the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment, own it.”
~Oprah Winfrey
So again…what are you afraid of? Perhaps it’s a lack of belief in yourself, doubt in your expertise, abilities, skills, and maybe even your business idea.
Fear out of self-doubt
First off, let me ask you this. What does Simon Cowell, Richard Branson, Wolfgang Puck, Jessica Simpson, Vidal Sassoon, David Karp, Olivia Newton-John, Peter Jennings, Gisele Bundchen, and Jay-Z all have in common? Well…besides all being successful entrepreneurs and millionaires…they’re all high school dropouts. That’s right, Simon Cowell and Richard Branson, with all their success, were both high school dropouts.
So if you think you need a fancy degree to start your business or move forward, let me be the first to tell you…your audience, your customers…they’re not going to ask to see your resume. What they want to know is, “what’s in it for them”? Can your business somehow create a benefit for them? Perhaps you can improve their health, help them lose weight, save them time, improve their financial state, strengthen their relationships, maybe make them happier. Whatever this benefit is, that’s the key to your expertise. If you can solve their problem, then you’re an expert. If you can create results, then you’re a credible expert. If you can have your customers pay to receive this benefit and you’re generating profits, then you’re a successful business.
Warning, if you still have doubt in your “expertise,” don’t allow it to stop you from moving forward. Many, many people fall into the trap of spending all their time researching, taking classes, and just reading up on their business’ subject matter instead of actually taking action. As they say…there are the “doers” and there are the “planners.” Don’t get stuck in the planning stage. It’s fine to read up on your subject matter, but you have to take action.
“The longer you’re not taking action, the more money you’re losing.”
~Carrie Wilkerson
Believe in yourself…you can be an expert in anything. Think back, remember all those reports you had to write in school? You may have pulled an all-nighter, but after all the research and possible interviews, I bet at the end, you were quite knowledgeable about your subject matter. What does that tell you? You don’t need to wait till you have a doctorate to have enough knowledge and skills to move forward. Heck…you could have been in the 7th grade when you wrote the report. If you put in the work, you’ll know you’re stuff. If you take action, you’ll create the results.
In this wonderful age, you have the opportunity and access to find answers to almost all your questions. You can research the internet, read articles, books, ask other experts, watch videos…use your resources. The trick isn’t to become an expert, because you probably already are one. The trick is to be recognized as one by others. And you can be recognized as long as you share your message and process on how you can solve their problem, showing them step-by-step, a system, from point A to point B, teaching them how to solve their problem.
“Stop selling. Start helping.” ~Zig Ziglar
Now, let’s tackle the fear of uncertainty. Do you fear about your future? Maybe what people would say? Or, perhaps the fear that you can’t meet expectations?
“The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers.”
~Erich Fromm
Fear out of uncertainty
Don’t let uncertainty control you. We will never have all the answers and it is natural to worry a little about what the outcomes may be. But, at some point you need to take control so that it doesn’t take control of you.
Life doesn’t always go according to expectations. Know that ahead of time to prevent disappointments. Rather than setting expectations, create a plan. Set goals. Focus on each step and how it’s moving you closer to the “big picture.” And prepare yourself for other outcomes. If things don’t go as planned, then know ahead of time what you’re going to do.
Ask yourself, “what’s the worst that can happen?” Unless it’s death…you’ll be fine. If you hit financial problems, then you can use your reserves. If you don’t have reserves, then you can take a part-time job. If you think you need a large sum to start your business, well…there are many ways to start a business with little or no money. If you fail, then you can see what went wrong and learn from it. Whatever it may be…it’s the way you approach it that matters. Let’s say you take a part-time job…who knows, perhaps you’ll find a bunch of new customers out of your new network. Let’s say you fail, then you’ll use your failure as a learning opportunity. If you don’t know where you’ll find the time, just tell yourself that you have the same 24 hours in a day as everyone else. It’s all up to you how you use that time. Start training your mind to look for the benefit out of every situation as opposed to the challenge and fear.
“How many people are completely successful in every department of life? Not one. The most successful people are the ones who learn from their mistakes and turn their failures into opportunities.”
~Zig Ziglar
Fear out of the unknown
Now, let’s discuss the fear of the unknown. Maybe you don’t know where to start…what to focus on…how to proceed. The fear of the unknown can confuse you due to the lack of clarity and vision. It can make you overwhelmed since you know you have to proceed but you just don’t know from where. It can be a real challenge, but it can be overcame.
You already took the first step, you’re here. Now, the second step is to call me. As mentioned above, an intro session is free. This one call can give you the clarity to make the changes and create the results you’ve always wanted.
Third, identify three things:
- Who’s your target market?
- What problem does your audience have?
- How can you solve it?
Once you have established these, then you’re way on your way to building a business around them. All your actions, your marketing tactics, and planning should go towards solving a problem for your target audience.
As far as where to start, there are many different routes. We can figure out what’s best for you on a strategy call. But one idea is this…
Step 1) Create a website that will work for you. It should include:
- How you create a benefit?
- How you’re different from your competitors?
- An email capture form where you offer your audience something of value for free (i.e. A how-to guide or a gift) in exchange for their name and email address.
- A blog with informative content to not only present your expertise but to increase your credibility and build rapport with your audience.
- A call to action.
- An eCommerce setup where your site visitors can make a purchase right there on your site.
Step 2) Pull people to your site. I’ve listed a few ideas below, but don’t think you have to do them all at once. Focus on one tactic at a time:
- Share on social media channels and partake in discussions.
- Write and submit articles to such websites as Ezine, Article Base, Buzzle, GO Article, and Idea Marketers.
- Write and submit something newsworthy about your business via a press release.
- Expand your audience reach by cross-promoting with other businesses.
- Send out an email campaign.
Step 3) Increase your revenue source via creating. Once again, you don’t have to tackle all of them. Start with one. Create…
- A book and self-publish it
- An eBook
- Workbook
- Audio Material (CD, MP3s, one-on-one calls, or set-up conference calls)
- DVDs
- Webinar
- Live Event (Classes, seminars, workshops, retreats, expos)
Whatever you choose to create, it should guide your audience from beginning to end on how to accomplish/solve something.
As you can see, there are many things you can do…but if you look at all of it at once, it can get overwhelming. So create a game plan and tackle it one by one.
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”
~Mark Twain
It’s time to stand up and look fear in the eye. Don’t allow self-doubt, uncertainty and a lack of clarity/vision slow or hold you back.
“When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone. Refuse to throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested from failure.”
~Mary Kay Ash
