The doubting solopreneur
There is nothing that tests your
13-minute read
Running a business takes an awful amount of self belief .
You need to believe:
- in yourself, your skills and your judgement;
- that your mission is worth all the hard work, late nights and tears;
- that your clients actually do need you, and that you can do a good job for them;
- that you will be able to cope with anything that comes your way;
- that when you don’t know how to do something, you will work it out;
- that saying no to the wrong type of work, will make space for the right type;
- that it is all going to be worth it in the end.
But nothing tests your self belief quite like running a business.
Particularly when you are running a small business. And you aren’t just the person that thinks up the ideas, but who executes them as well. Recently my
I expected too much of myself too
“Why am I doing this?” “Who am I to attempt this?” “Why should anyone listen to me?”
In the
Three things that restored my
1. A clear and strong brand.
It sounds terribly wanky to say that when I feel down I go and visit my own website. But I do.
Because both my personal and business websites are things I am proud of. They took a lot of work to create, not because building websites
I created them so others might better understand who I am, and what I stand for. But when I’m feeling completely down on myself, they are a way to remind myself of who I am and what I’ve accomplished.
And it is not just the ‘good’ bits that help me feel better about myself.
Because on both my websites it is often the very honest and vulnerable stuff that gets the best response. It is when I share my doubts, fears and frustrations that people take the time to actually stop and comment.
They don’t stop and comment to tell me to get my act together. They stop and comment to thank me for sharing. And to tell me that they also share the same doubts, fears and frustrations.
That in itself is extremely liberating. Because it helps me believe that I’m not alone. And that I will get through whatever it is that I am going through.
2. An amazing team
The only
But by having a brand with a clear and compelling purpose, I have actually managed to attract some awesome people who want to be aligned with my cause.
So true story…
In the last few
She argued that what we were creating was
If it wasn’t for her belief in me and our shared purpose, who knows if I would have made any progress this month. Or if I would have spent even more time in indecision and
3. F reaking awesome clients
There is nothing that fills you with confidence more than having people demonstrate their belief in you with cold hard cash.
There is no hard sell anywhere in
And from coaches and consultants, to social enterprises and small charities, the clients we are working with at the moment inspire me every day to get out of bed and create something amazing.
Their vision for the world is so compelling
Recently, when I had to apologise to a client for sending something over later than promised, her response was…
“I like you even better for knowing you are a normal person.”
Here I was freaking out because I was late, and she thought it was cool.
Seriously. You can’t make that shit up!
Tell me I’m not the only one that wobbles from time to time.
Do you ever suffer from self doubt or analysis paralysis? What does it take to get you going again? Leave a comment below.
Could you do with a brand (and team!) behind you, that reminds you and the world just how amazing you are? If so, let’s have a chat.
Cat Townsend
FOUNDER OF THE GOOD ALLIANCE
After more than a decade spent helping big brands sell more stuff, to people that didn’t need it; Cat set a simple intention: To do more work that made a positive difference in the world. And so The Good Alliance was born…
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Thank you Cat, nicely timed. I am trying to write an ‘About me’ piece and finding all those doubts climbing over themselves to grab my attention!
Nothing brings out the imposter syndrome more than writing or talking about yourself! 😉
You might find this article useful:
https://thegoodalliance.org/articles/write-an-amazing-about-page/
You are definitely not alone in this. I’m wobbling this week. And I also go and look at my – beautifully designed by YOU – website to reassure myself! The other thing that helps is feedback from my clients. So I read that; reach out to a friend; have a mini rest and then everything feels manageable again. And besides: we are CHANGING THE WORLD so there’s that incentive to crack on too 🙂
Oh yeah. There is that whole CHANGING THE WORLD bit. Small incentive! 😉
I think that you are amazing, Cat, and all that you do. I can’t wait to be in a position to work with you to bring my business to life. The only reason I’m not there yet is that I’ve been through one of those massive wobbles you talk about, when Impostor Syndrome and burnout took over completely, and I’m kinda starting from scratch again. This time I have the vision and the energy though, and the inspiration from looking at you and what you’re doing in the world. Can’t wait for what the future brings, and I’m certainly enjoying the ride!!