Overcoming Insecurities as a Small Business Owner: Practical Steps to Boost Confidence
Running a small business comes with its fair share of challenges. I often compare it to a rollercoaster with lots of ups and downs. It’s exhilarating, but equally daunting. As small business owners, we understand the excitement and fear that comes with bringing something new into the world. To succeed we must be willing to push past our own insecurities and keep going even when the going gets tough. In this blog, I want to share some practical strategies that have helped me in my own business, helping me overcome my insecurities and elevate my confidence as a small business owner and ultimately helping me to press on and grow my business.
Stop Overanalyzing.
In the world of social media where everything is online, I think it can be easy to overanalyze everything and get distracted by what everyone else is doing. Instead, I’ve tried to embrace the “stay in your own lane” mentality with my business and do what feels right for me, not what everyone else is doing. Another mentality that I think is helpful to embrace here is “done is better than perfect.” Overthinking each piece of content you put out or job you are working on can really hinder progress, but putting your head down and doing the work is how you can move the needle forward in your business!
Embrace Failure.
Failure is an inevitable part of the entrepreneurial journey, and instead of letting it deter you, embrace it as a valuable learning opportunity. Recognize that setbacks and mistakes are stepping stones to growth and improvement. When you encounter failures, analyze them objectively, identify the lessons learned, and adjust your strategies accordingly. By reframing failure as a natural and necessary part of the process, you'll develop resilience and the confidence to navigate challenges with a growth mindset. Remember, every successful business owner has experienced failures along the way, and it's how you bounce back that truly defines your entrepreneurial spirit.
Keep Learning.
When I was just getting started I remember taking a course from business guru, Jenna Kutcher on how to market my business on Social Media and believe it or not, it transformed my business. It’s not that what she taught was so revolutionary, but rather that taking the course gave me the confidence and motivation to actually do the work! Even if you think you might know it all, online courses can be a great tool for boosting your confidence in a certain aspect of your business, and you’ll probably learn more than you realize through the experience.
Find Community.
Building a supportive network of like-minded individuals can significantly boost your confidence as a small business owner. Attending small business meet-ups and talking with other business owners has helped me to learn from those who are a step or two ahead of me in their entrepreneurial journey in addition to encouraging me in my skill set and simply giving me the camaraderie to keep going.
Invest in Professional Brand Photos.
It's probably no surprise coming from me that I highly recommend investing in professional brand photos, but they truly are transformative for your business. High-quality photos not only convey professionalism to your audience but also have a significant impact on how you feel about your own brand. Even as a brand photographer myself, having someone else capture photos of me showcasing my expertise gave me a huge confidence boost in my business. It empowered me to confidently share about my business on social media, send engaging marketing emails, and more. Trust me when I say, it's an investment worth making (and see the button below if you’re ready to make that investment for your brand)!
Succeeding in the world of small business certainly take a lot of confidence and willingness to push past your insecurities, but in my opinion, it’s a journey worth taking! These 5 things have been helpful tools in my own business to that end. I hope they can help you just as much as you continue on your small business journey!
