So much relies on having confidence in yourself and your business to make a success of it.
This contributor post shares 4 things you can do to make a big difference.
Having the confidence to run a business
There are many things about running your own business or offering services that can prove to be incredibly intimidating. You need to have that right impression that makes it look like you deliver what you promise, whether it’s a professional-looking blog or offering the right services, but there’s one key component that underpins everything: your confidence.
Having the confidence to run a business is the one thing that invariably throws people off the scent. Many individuals believe they just don’t have what it takes. But developing any form of entrepreneurial confidence is not necessarily about knowing everything, but about ensuring that you understand the level of risk and also recognise what you don’t know. What does it really take to develop this type of confidence?
Recognising What You Can and Cannot Do
There are two sides to this coin. When you recognise what you can bring to the table, you can steer the ship in the right direction, but you also need to understand what it is that you cannot do. One of the common misconceptions entrepreneurs have is thinking that they should have an innate understanding of everything. However, this is where extra support is invaluable.
For example, something like marketing can be best left to the professionals, rather than you thinking you need to cover all the bases. Marketing agencies like the Aperitif Agency will always deliver when it comes to the aspects of SEO and the ongoing updates to the Google algorithm.
You do not have time to learn about these things, and when you recognise what you cannot do, you have enough courage to pass this on to others who you trust will make a significant difference.
Taking Risks
Risk-taking is actively discouraged in many sectors, but you are in charge of your own business and therefore your own destiny. If you want to build confidence in any part of your life you’ve got to go beyond your comfort zone. Take note, there is a big difference between taking risks and being reckless.
Rather than actively avoiding failure we’ve got to understand that if failure comes, and it will, we should understand how we can bounce back. Failure is not about knocking you down a peg or two, but about realising that every time you experience some external stressors, you are the only person that has control over your reactions to them. A crisis is always an opportunity.
Keeping Your Stress In Check
To be confident in yourself you’ve got to ensure that during tough times you have the resilience to press on. Stress is one of those things that can wear away at us. But the reality is that being an entrepreneur means you can either feel this ongoing pressure that can erode every aspect of your being, or you can learn how to keep stress under control. When we feel stressed and we notice our heart is beating louder than the thoughts in our heads and everything around us, this is when we’ve got to understand how we can control our stress.
There are many different tools; while many resources online talk about deep breathing and relaxation techniques, one of the most effective for any entrepreneur or someone working for themselves is to visualise. Visualisation, where you are picturing yourself solving specific problems in great detail means that you are rehearsing. It’s not about replaying negative situations in your mind, it’s about understanding that problem-solving can easily be undertaken when you prepare effectively. Visualising yourself being calm, in control, and categorically solving problems in great detail will help you dampen down the negative effects of stress.
Find a Mentor
A mentor is one of the most effective tools any entrepreneur can have. When you have a mentor that you can reach out to if it all feels a bit too much, they can give you that support but they can also be a sounding board.
We can all feel a lack of motivation if we are experiencing problem after problem and a mentor that’s been where you are can give you that reassurance that you are never alone. A mentor can give you business support, but they can also help you to find your own sense of resilience.
We think about confidence as something that we either have or we don’t, but the reality is that confidence is something that can be learnt. When we believe we can do something, this is when the relevant hormones start to flood our brains with the right messages. Confidence is not who you were and not necessarily who you are, but it’s what you can be.