By Leonard H. Grape
As a creative entrepreneur, agency founder, or freelancer, you've likely experienced the daunting feeling of doubting your ability to succeed.
Am I progressing enough with my business? How can I learn the necessary knowledge and skills to grow my revenues? Can I build a thriving business that earns decent money for myself and my family?
Self-doubt has stopped many from pursuing their dreams. Thinking they can’t do it has robbed them of their potential to build a thriving and profitable business.
So, how can you battle self-doubt? How can you improve your thinking and shift from having self-limiting beliefs to winning with a growth mindset?
As an agency founder, I've had many moments of self-doubt and even thought of quitting at least twice. However, following these three simple steps has allowed me to expand my view of my entrepreneurial journey and uncover the real possibilities for growth for my business.
Let’s dive in.
Step 1: Celebrate your Small Wins
This is the most straightforward advice that I can give you. Often, we become so engrossed with our day-to-day operations that we forget to pause and celebrate small wins.
You will always feel lacking if you only look at what lies ahead.
But if you appreciate your hard work and the progress you're making, no matter how small, you will feel more satisfied with your growth and more confident that you're on the right track.
When I say celebrate your small wins, I want you to be specific about it. Here’s what I recommend you to do:
Every Monday, set a 30-minute time in your calendar.
Tag it as “Small Wins Celebration”
List down 3 to 5 wins from the previous week
I implemented this practice in my branding company. Whether you have a team or are a solopreneur, it can significantly impact your growth mindset.
Some examples of small wins would be starting to post on LinkedIn (even if it didn't get a lot of engagement), receiving a compliment from your client, or reading one business article that gave you additional insight.
It can also be a personal activity, such as exercising thrice the previous week or improving your sleep.
You may overlook these small progress shifts if you do not take the time to recognize them. But these little things are the ones that will propel you to more enormous changes and growth for your business.
I’m a big believer in growing 1% each day. Those tiny but consistent shifts lead us to movements that drive momentum for ourselves and our businesses.
What small wins are you celebrating today?
Step 2: Install a Business Review System
I’ve coached agency founders and freelancers who do not have a business review system.
It is a business exercise I learned from my 10-year corporate career where you dive deeper into the stature of your business.
Ideally, you end the previous year with strategic planning to help your business grow in the coming year. If you have that strategic plan, you should be beginning your year with a kick-off of those plans.
As you progress, you can do monthly or quarterly business reviews.
If you do not have a business review system, installing one in your business will give you an objective assessment of your roadblocks, accomplishments, challenges, and growth opportunities.
You do not need an MBA or a finance background to do this.
You can start by following this business review outline:
I. Business Summary
a. Revenues to date
b. Client Pipeline report
c. Key business initiatives
II. Quarterly Report
a. Revenues QTD
b. Total Signed Contract Value
c. Cash Flow (income less expenses)
III. Sales
a. Pipeline report
b. # of leads generated
c. # of clients closed
IV. Marketing
a. Platform review
b. Topline analytics
V. Reflection
a. 5 things you did right
b. 5 things you did wrong
Business reviews can be much more expanded and comprehensive than this. But for now, I encourage you to install this system in your business.
This will allow you to better appreciate your progress and help you feel more confident about your ability to work for your success.
Step 3: Find an Accountability Partner
I’ve battled many moments of self-doubts throughout the years of building my agency.
I usually feel doubtful about myself if I am unable to voice my thoughts and reflect on my progress.
As a founder and CEO, I lead and guide the team. The challenge for me then is finding an "accountability partner" or someone who can listen to me as I recollect my journey, assess my hurdles, and envision my future.
In my case, I’ve engaged with coaches. I had a life coach, a business coach, a sales coach, and even a culture coach.
They served either as mentors or as conversation guides to help me navigate my impostor syndrome. While there is a lot of value to gain from having someone who's been in your position, the simple fact of having a platform to discuss your thoughts became impactful for me.
I learned more about myself, such as how I react as an entrepreneur amid uncertainties. It also reminded me of the giant leaps I've taken that yielded high rewards. It helps me function optimally so I can better run my business.
Now, you can hire a coach or assign an accountability partner from your circle. If you have a co-founder or a senior management team, that's a great place to start.
It can also be a function of performance review where you do not only gauge your company and staff’s performance, but also ask them to provide you inputs on how you can improve.
If you become more accountable for your progress, take time to understand yourself better, and celebrate your growth, you will feel so much better about your journey.
To recap, here are the three simple steps that you can take to overcome self-doubts:
Celebrate your wins no matter how small
Review the progress of your business regularly
Find an accountability partner to understand yourself better
Self-doubt will always be a part of our journey. And it's not a matter of experiencing it that makes you lose; it's about how you battle it that makes you win.
If you need someone in your corner who can coach you to gain more progress and whose primary role is to help you win, schedule a discovery call with me.
To end this, here's my coaching action point for you today: list your small wins and celebrate them.
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