Have you ever talked yourself out of something you thought was really great because that voice in your head told you it wasn’t? Have you ever held back from moving forward with something because someone else is doing something similar? Chances are you’re guilty of holding back in some way, at some time, in business and in life. It’s ok, we all are. Yours truly especially.
But when it comes to running your business there are a few limiting beliefs that we need to put to bed, once and for all. You ready to be done with these?
1. Waiting for someone to give you permission/tell you it’s a great idea/qualify your idea: You can spend your entire life seeking the approval of others, or you can spend your life living the way YOU want to. Yes, it’s really that easy. I used to have great ideas and be so excited to share them with my friends and family, only to be disappointed (in myself!) by their lukewarm reactions. I thought my ideas must not be very great because their reactions weren’t very great. So I held back. A LOT.
It wasn’t until my husband reminded me that people get a voice (if that), but NOT a vote. No one out there gets to determine the worth of your ideas or the validity of your dreams.
2. People don’t want to spend a lot of money on fitness/nutrition/health and wellness/skincare/ photography/insert your creative field. Nothing makes me cringe like Groupon, coupons, discounts and trades. But we’re so afraid of charing our worth, and we’re so eager to attract and retain clients, that we lower our prices hoping to land that client. I hate to break it you guys - but people aren’t hiring you as their trainer, aesthetician or nutritionist because you’re the cheapest game in town. In fact, they’re probably NOT hiring you because of it. So take a second, remind yourself your worth, OWN IT when quoting your rates and the right clients will come. Promise.
3. There’s too much competition out there. Repeat after me: there’s room at the top for ALL of us. Every. Single. One. Your competition isn’t the reason your business isn’t thriving - it your lack of focus, you not listening to your client’s needs, you not having a clear idea of your business model and purpose. Is it nice find a hole in the market to open your space and provide a service to a needing neighborhood? Of course! But can you also open shop in a saturated market and crush it by being you and letting yourself shine? One thousand percent.
4. You have to work their hours. One of the hardest part of being in a service based industry is working ‘off-hours’ - early in the mornings, after work, and evenings. Definitely weekends. While you’re in a building phase of your business you might need to work all of those hours. But once you establish a solid client base, and a stellar reputation, you can start to steer your hours towards the ones YOU want to work while still maintaining a full book of business from (full-paying) clients.
One of my clients is a brilliant aesthetician and she chooses to work 4 days a week, from lunch to early evening. She takes weekends off, and doesn’t accommodate off-hour calls. She has created this boundary because it is when she performs best, and her craft is so amazing that clients are willing to come in at 3p on a Tuesday just to get a facial with her. Moral of the story is - she created her schedule and her clients fill what’s available to the them. The money comes. The client stay. It’s OK to create your boundary.
There are SO many more limiting beliefs out there, but these are some of my favorite. I’d love to hear some of the beliefs weighing on you - either in the comments below or email me HERE.
Authorize yourself to create the business you want, on your terms, without anyone’s permission.
That’s what #doingsuccessboldly means to me.
Xx, D