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If you are starting a small business but don’t feel 100% confident that you can do it, this piece is for you.
In general, running a small business may put a lot of pressure on you. After all, the success of your business solely depends on you, and everything you do can make or break your venture.
Because of this, for a small business’ CEO, having enough confidence and assertiveness is a must. In this case, lacking confidence in yourself and your capabilities will reflect on your company. After all, how can you expect your clients to trust you when you don’t even trust yourself?
While some people are lucky to be born with natural confidence, that’s not the case with everyone. So, if you’re one of those who are not naturally endowed with confidence, the question is, can you teach yourself to be more confident?
The good news is, confidence can actually be learned and developed. In fact, you don’t have to be born confident actually to drive a small business to success.
So, how do you develop confidence?
Focus on small wins.
Small wins build confidence. So, if the bigger picture intimidates you, it might be best to focus on small wins. In this case, you can focus on getting one task done and achieving one small goal at a time.
After all, one small win can spark that feeling within you, driving you to do more. In fact, it will even likely start a snowball of small winnings.
Know who is fighting with you.
In one of his speeches, Theodore Roosevelt once said, “know who is in the arena with you.” In our context, this means that you should identify the people who will have your back no matter what and will put you back on track if you lose the will to keep going.
For this, you can list down three to five people you know will always “fight with you” on your journey. Their opinions should be the ones that matter the most when it comes to your success.
So, if the criticism and doubts you are getting don’t come from them, they shouldn’t matter as much.
Know your focus.
Avoid focusing on yourself and your shortcomings. Instead, it might be better to focus on what you can offer to your clients. After all, this is not about you; this is about them.
In this case, once you focus on your goals and how you can help your clients, your confidence in your business will grow.
Be authentic.
To achieve more confidence, don’t forget to stick to your core values. After all, you will likely achieve more if you act according to your values. In this case, it’s best to remember what made you start the business and stick to it.
In general, your core values will serve as your compass and guide you in the right direction. Knowing that you are heading in the right direction will build up your confidence, too.
One of the secrets to small business success is you need to learn to ‘fake it till you make it’. Don’t let the world know that you don’t have the confidence in what you’re doing. So, fake confidence until it will naturally grow in you.
Overall, there’s no better time to start building your confidence than today. After all, time is money, especially when you’re running a small business. Therefore, the sooner you become confident in yourself and your business, the better.
