Running a business is probably the scariest thing I’ve ever done. Especially the part of relying on my business more and more financially, and scaling down from my 9-to-5 (where I have a permanent position).
Fears and doubts often surface in my work with small business owners, freelancers and creatives too. In this post, I share three frequent ones—and offer encouragement if you’re feeling them too. And, I created a workshop for paid subscribers to encourage you, reframe the stories and take gentle steps forward.
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“I can’t run my own business”
Whether fear tells you that you’re not good enough, or whether it tells you that you simply don’t know how to run your own business, or that people like you don’t run successful businesses—you’re not alone. We’ve all had and have these phrases running through our mind at one point or another.
The thing is, there is really no reason why you can’t run your own business. You might have limitations that mean you’re building or running it slower than you assume other people do. You might have never done this whole business-thing before. You might feel disheartened about sales, or feel like what used to work no longer works.
But you can figure this out—like you’ve figured out so many other things before.
How often in your life have you had to learn something new or do something for the first time? Starting, building and running a business might seem hugely daunting, but there are so many free and paid resources out there to support you (like the ones I offer). There are fellow business owners out there that you can reach out to for a virtual cup of tea, and mentors and coaches to work with.
There is a slower, gentler and more profitable way of running your business.
Discover your way of doing your business with my 1:1 mentoring support.
No hacks, no hustle.
Instead: marketing and launching that is slow, gentle and gets results. Clear boundaries and priorities that encourage you to live a life next to your business. Accountability and support to help you create the live and business you crave.
Mostly, though, running a business is a series of small steps. It may feel huge, especially if you’re just starting out or pivoting, but you can divide everything up into small steps and take one step at a time. You don’t need to know yet how you’ll file for taxes if you’ve not made a sale yet. You can figure it out. You don’t need to know what you’ll do in six months or a year. You’ll get there.
Running a business is a series of small steps
Mostly, though, running a business is a series of small steps. It may feel huge, especially if you’re just starting out or pivoting, but you can divide everything up into small steps and take one step at a time. You don’t need to know yet how you’ll file for taxes if you’ve not made a sale yet. You can figure it out. You don’t need to know what you’ll do in six months or a year. You’ll get there.
“What I want to sell is sold by so many other people”
The internet is a loud and big place that can make you feel like your idea is worthless. Or that so many other people are offering just what you are offering. Or that no one will want your product or service.
If you’re feeling this way, I’d urge you to take a step back (from the internet or whatever is triggering your feelings of comparison). Yes, it might seem like the world is full of ceramists, jewellery designers, writers, yoga teachers, mentors and coaches.
But here’s what I’ve learned: no one is going to be exactly like you.
Even if you make mugs just like ten, twenty or a hundred other ceramists, your mugs will be different. The design will be different. The feel will be different. And mostly, your story will be different.
We are what makes our products and services unique.
It probably sounds much more woo than I usually am, but I’ve seen time and time again (with myself and with my clients), that we are what makes our products and services unique. And if you can’t stop thinking about the product or service that you want to offer, if you feel like it’s worthwhile, it needs to be seen in the world.
“Running my own business is too risky”
I have felt this one deeply, and it will still sometimes crop up. Raised to value stability over much else, I find it ironic that I’ve chosen the path of self-employment. But of course as we all know, there really is no such thing as finding 100% safety in any kind of employment.
Rather, I encourage myself and clients like you to find safety in ourselves. You are so incredibly resourceful. You have figured out so many things over the course of your life, that you can figure this out too.
Business is a wild ride, and you might feel like you’ll never sell anything if you’re starting out—or like you’ll never sell enough, or sell again. You may be experiencing a slow season, which can be so scary. But the only thing to do here, is to ride it out if you can. Clients and customers will show up out of nowhere. And the only thing you can keep doing, is to keep sharing about your magic with the world.
I’ve absolutely had my own share of fears and uncertainties about business. They’ve gotten less as my business started to grow, but certainly still show up from time to time. What I’ve learned is that fears and uncertainty will never go away—but we can put together a toolkit of resources and encouragements to help us when fear strikes. This is the kind of work I also do with clients, because the fear you might feel is felt by so many small business owners, freelancers and creatives too.
I’ve created a 20-minute workshop for paid subscribers that’ll encourage you when you feel fear and uncertainty, will help you challenge the stories and support you to take gentle steps forward. The workshop is available to paid subscribers of my Substack newsletter.
At the end of this workshop, you will feel encouraged and calmer about your business, and will be ready to take some really gentle steps to move forward.
Take a look at the workshop 📽️
I’d love to know what resonates with you from this post.
Please feel free to share this post it with business friends, in your newsletter or elsewhere. 💛
I’d love to support you in all phases of your business. Providing clarity, focus and next steps is something that my clients tell me I’m really good at. If you’re curious about how we can work together through 1:1 mentoring, check out what I offer or send me an email–no strings attached. I have payment plans available, and flexible options for mentoring calls.
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Sign up with your email address to receive strategies, experiments and tips to create a slow, gentle and profitable business–no hustle, no hacks.