How to Overcome Fear and Succeed in Business

If you feel that you’re not succeeding in your business in the way that you want, you may have to look internally. Yes, there are many external factors that can affect your business. A global pandemic, not having access to funding, and changes in circumstances can wreak havoc on your business. At the same time, many business owners admit that they’re not further along their business journey because of fear. Here are some ways you can overcome fear, excuses and succeed in your business. 

“Behind every excuse IS FEAR. Disappear any excuse and address any fear with action.”

-Mel Robbins

Excuses Entrepreneurs Make  

First of all, let’s look at what an excuse is.

Tracking Happiness says, “An excuse is an explanation offered as grounds for failing to do something. It intends to bring us justification for our lacking performance.”

According to Podia and Entrepreneur, here are some of the top excuses that entrepreneurs make: 

• I don’t have enough time
• I don’t have enough money
• What if I fail?
• Maybe I’m not good at business
• My product isn’t good
• It will take too long to become profitable.
• I’ll make mistakes.
• I don’t know anyone who can help me
• Entrepreneurship is like playing the lottery.
• Starting a business requires a ton of money

How to Overcome Fear

As Mel Robbins put it, behind every excuse is fear. Therefore the reason you’re making all of these excuses is because you’re afraid. The great news is, there are ways for you to overcome your fears and succeed in your business. Here are some of the best ways. 

1. Change Your Mindset

This is the most effective yet most challenging way to succeed in your business. If you want to be successful, in anything, you have to believe you can be. You’ll have to turn your negative mindset into a positive mindset.

Here are some ways that you can get a positive mindset:

• Be careful of the media you consume. If you realize that social media is making you feel inadequate, limit your time there. You can also opt to follow more positive content.
• Try daily affirmations such as “I am powerful”, “I am confident” and “I am getting better and better every day.”
• Surround yourself with more positive people
• Put a positive spin on your negative thoughts 
• See a counselor or therapist if your negative thoughts are 

Whatever setbacks or challenges you may have remember to always practice self-love and keep going!

2. Get Educated 

Knowledge really is power. If you’re sufficiently educated in any area, you’ll feel so much more confident in that area. 

We’re not necessarily telling you to enroll in your local college to get a business degree, although you totally could if you wanted.  

There are so many more ways you gain knowledge in whatever area of business you’re struggling with without getting a formal education. You can check out:

• Masterclasses
• Podcasts 
• Courses
• Blogs
• Books
• Newsletters

For example, if you’re having difficulty with getting sales, you can buy a book that outlines steps you can take. If you’re not winning grants, you can download our masterclass and strengthen your application. Whatever problem you have, there is material out there that you can access to help you overcome it. 

3. Find a Mentor

Every successful business mogul will tell you that they had a mentor.

We are huge advocates for mentorship. You don’t have to and should not do your business journey alone. 

In addition to helping you overcome fear and helping you succeed in business, mentors are there to help you:

• Get opportunities
• Get connections
• Build a solid career
• Gain knowledge
• Overcome challenges and setbacks in your business
• Learn tips and tricks

If you need more convincing you can check out 9 Things Your Business Peers Wish You Knew About Mentorship. 

If you’re ready to get a mentor and succeed in business, we recommend:

• Joining She Boss Tribe 
• Try SCORE
• Look within your network
• Widen your network
• Search social media platforms like LinkedIn

4. Tackle Each Excuse 

What excuses do you find yourself making frequently? It’s time to tackle each of them head-on. By tackling each excuse, you can overcome them and succeed in business.

Let’s say an excuse you typically have is, “I don’t have enough time to work on my business.”

Maybe you really are busy. However, all hope is not lost. It’s time that you really sit down and take account of what you’re doing with your time. 

Find out how many hours per day you spend on your phone. Your phone actually records the time you spend on it in general as well as each app. If you find yourself spending a lot of time on your phone, you can silence notifications, put a time limit on the apps you spend the most time on, or practice better discipline.

Maybe your phone is not the problem. Are you spending your time doing things that don’t benefit you? Are you always agreeing to plans you don’t want to make? Identify what is using up your time.

Finally, delegate tasks that take you a lot of time. For example, if you’re at home with kids, consider hiring a babysitter for a couple of hours while you get some work done. If creating social media posts is taking up too much of your time, consider hiring a freelancer. 

Conclusion 

So, how can you overcome fear and succeed in business? The first step is working on your mindset. Then you need to get knowledgeable, find a mentor, and start tackling each of your excuses. We believe in you!