When most entrepreneurs start their business, they don’t really think much about their self-doubt. They begin thinking about what types of products or services they want to offer, how they’ll offer them, and how they’ll start marketing what they’re going to offer.
But, if I am being 100% honest, the amount of self-doubt you have when starting out, directly contributes to how well you will do. You need to believe in yourself, the way you are RIGHT NOW. It is completely unnecessary to change who or what you are at any point in business.
Remember, you are not alone. Everyone has doubts, even the most successful of business owners.
Being Yourself Makes All the Difference
A recent guest on Success Unfiltered, Tiffany Krumins, shared how much she struggled to truly believe in herself and her product in the very beginning. She knew she had an incredible product that would help so many parents and caregivers, but when meeting with investors, she’d feel the pull of having to settle because she was concerned another investor would never come along.
You never have to be someone you’re not to get what you want in business. Be yourself.
She quickly realized that there would always be more investors, more retailers and more TV shows. That she did not have to let others dictate or try to change the way she ran her business or the way she behaved in business.
It’s tough, you are often surrounded by entrepreneurs who have more experience, possibly more money, and definitely more influence than you do. It is likely to leave you feeling like you need to change who you are, simply because you want them to take an interest in you and your product. But, if you really think about it, if you are having to turn away from the values that you truly believe in, in order to work with someone of influence, are they really someone you want to work with?
In my opinion, your answer should be NO. It is never worth changing yourself for someone else. You are enough.
Let me be clear, though– I am NOT saying that you should stop learning or stop growing. Changing in those areas is absolutely okay and should happen, I am referring to a value that you hold deep down. Don’t change those for anything!
So many people think that once they get a business deal or or step into the business world they need to dress or speak a certain way, but you know what? You were a solid business-person before you tried to change yourself. Believe in yourself where you are right now.
Tiffany shared that the biggest piece of advice that she’d tell her younger self, “You don’t need to fit in.” This applies to anyone who thinks that they must act, be or say things in a certain way. Be true to what you feel and your business will actually go further because you’ll be happier and more involved.
Once a Dreamer Always a Dreamer
Are you a dreamer? Or are you more strategy based when it comes to business? Either choice is okay, and either one will get you far in business. You just have to be willing to hire assistance to help in the areas where you are not as skilled.
Tiffany considers herself a dreamer, and says that it can hurt to be a dreamer because you’re always coming up with new and exciting ideas, ones that may seem far-fetched to others and get immediately shot down.
In order to compensate for the area in which you are not the strongest, you hire people to help you. For Tiffany that would be someone who handles the strategy of the business. You hire the people who ARE skilled in the areas you struggle with so that you can remain focused on your zone of genius versus hopping all over to parts where you get stuck because you just don’t excel at it.
Hiring people to help you can also help you see the big picture, the parts of business that you may not have thought of. Why some things will work and why others won’t. They will help you to remove your blinders to see certain parts of the business.
It’s really easy in the beginning, to have an investor offer you a large sum of money, and for you to jump at the chance. That money could mean so much, but if you’re feeling off about it and you consult with your team and you feel as though it isn’t a good fit, no sum of money is worth accepting if the investor doesn’t truly believe in your product like you do. This may be one of the hardest parts of business. Trust your gut.
Your Why
As mentioned above, you work hard for every single investment you try to earn for your business. You are continuously meeting and networking, looking for just the right fit for you and your business. When you find an investment that you believe is perfect, and it falls through, it can be completely devastating.
When something like this occurs, what typically happens is that entrepreneurs will fall down the rabbit hole of sadness and despair, and possibly even blame. They believe that it is something they did that caused the deal not to work out. This is when YOUR WHY becomes very important.
You must know the most important reason that you went into business in the first place. If you haven’t taken the time to lay this out for yourself, it’s time to do it now. It is important to keep this in the forefront of your mind, so that any time a difficult situation comes up, you can return to your why and remind yourself why you got started in the first place.
It could make the difference between you quitting your business and your drive to continue going.
Tiffany believes that business is bipolar, happy one minute, depressing the next. She had been asked to be on the show The Doctors to share Ava The Elephant. She was ecstatic and couldn’t believe that it was happening, but quickly realized that she had just sent their only prototype off to China to be begin production, meaning she had nothing to go on the show with. She had to turn down the opportunity, and was completely heartbroken.
However, what lifted her up, was reminding herself of her WHY. She had created Ava for children with special needs, who needed an easy way to take medicine. And, originally Ava was made for a little boy whom she loves very much. This was all going to come true once production was completed.
In Conclusion
Be yourself. What you are, how you run your business and what you believe in are exactly as they should be.
There will be some big struggles along the way, many that will cause you to challenge your beliefs, or leaving you doubting yourself– But, you are enough. Always.
