Is fear standing between you and the business you deserve?
Whether I'm coaching business leaders or mums returning to work, I see one thing standing in people's way time and time again and that's FEAR.
It can very often be disguised as something else but it doesn't take much digging to find out what's at the root of it. Take indecision for example, what tends to be driving that is a need to ensure that we've chosen the right answer. Look at it the other way, and it's fear of choosing the wrong one. When you're running a small business (or a big one) your decisions matter exponentially, and it's quite likely that you'll have bitter experience of getting it wrong. As your business starts to grow the risks become greater and so does the fear.
For every time it's hidden there's an example of it being more blatant - public speaking or video marketing tend to be two that people visibly shudder at. From personal experience I think it's probably something that's stood in the way of me driving my business forward at the speed I could have done.
When it comes to moving your business model from start up to grown up, fear can be a huge barrier to success. Fear of changing a winning formula, fear of losing control, fear of becoming too corporate, fear of things changing. And each and every one stands between you and the business and lifestyle that you crave. The problem is, if we let those thoughts win, they also prevent us from reaching past that to achieve the thing we most want. Especially when there’s a previous experience lurking there to prove those fears were right all along.
So how do you overcome this and still go on to achieve big things? The key is to minimise the perceived risk. Here is my five point plan for facing your fears:
Remember the why - The key to ensuring your business stays true to your vision as you start to grow up is being 100% clear on your purpose. Why does your business exist, what it is there for? This will be your number one filter as you move forward - if something doesn't fit with your core purpose, then it shouldn't be part of what you do.
And also the how - Nailing your business values and the question of 'how we do things round here' will mean that no matter what you change you will have a way of doing things that feels authentic and natural. It will also make decisions about hiring much easier.
Work out the knowns and unknowns – Something I get all my clients when they're struggling to move forward is work out the knowns and unknowns of the situation. You'd be very surprised (or maybe not!) to find out that people are very often scared of something they've assumed will happen. Think about how many unknowns you can change into knowns - can you test your idea? Can you get feedback? Can you have a conversation and find out the answers?
Never implement process for process sake – I find that fear of becoming too corporate stands in a lot of small business owners' way when it comes to creating process and growing their business up. My focus is ALWAYS execution and getting things done. Never implement process for process sake, and NEVER to fix a one off issue.
Think long term - It's no secret that there is a short term productivity drop when you bring a new member of the team on board. It's the same when you implement large scale change. It's easy to feel disheartened but the secret is to anticipate it, manage it, and play the long game. Any change you make is for the good of your long term business health,
If you're feeling stuck or unsure how to move forward, take a minute to ask yourself if fear is standing in your way. If it is, give yourself permission to feel it, it's a powerful instinct that's there to protect you. But don't let it stand in your way, and certainly don't let it stall your business success. I'd love to support you to move past it and move to the next phase of your business growth story - why not book a call: https://rebeccamorley.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?appointmentType=1939183
