Why you ARE good enough to be an entrepreneur

Business

Are you letting self-doubt hold you back from your business dreams? Find out why you ARE good enough to be an entrepreneur – and plough ahead with confidence!

What’s the difference between a wannabe entrepreneur who starts a successful business, and one who sticks to their dreams? You may be surprised by the answer. Because it’s not more talent, resources, time or even a better idea. It’s much simpler than that – confidence.

Cheryl Clarke from City Calm shares her own entrepreneurial journey (and doubts) and explains why you ARE good enough to start a business, even if you don’t feel like it.

Lack of confidence is holding entrepreneurs back

When 50 start-up solo entrepreneurs were asked the question “What is the one thing that holds you back from moving forward?”, a huge third of them said it was feeling they were not good enough.

And as sad as that statistic may be, it’s probably one that most of us can relate to. I know I certainly can. As a new entrepreneur there are so many mindset issues I’ve had to deal with.

I moved from my corporate job into mindfulness and wellness because I wanted to do something with meaning; something that aligned with what I believed to be my purpose. However, like many others, I found moving from a career in a specific field to something entirely different tough.

I have six years of self practise in yoga and mindfulness, and have experienced immense transformation in some areas (I still have a way to go in others!). But, there is no doubt about it – I am entering into a totally new field, and I am a beginner.

It’s hard being a beginner

And it’s tough being a beginner – especially when you come from a position of knowledge and some level of authority. You are used to managing and leading, and all of a sudden you become a beginner at everything, and not just in the new field you enter.

Suddenly you’re a beginner at lots of things. A beginner at setting up and starting a business. A beginner at accounting. A beginner at recruiting. A beginner at writing business plans. A beginner at basically anything you haven’t already done in your previous career (which, when you start your first business, is pretty much everything).

This was even tougher to take for me: I was setting up an online business after coming from a marketing background. I thought I had the skills I needed – six plus years SEO technical and campaign experience with Google Analytics, split testing and site optimisation.

There is no doubt that I do have a head start compared to some small business owners with no marketing experience (I don’t know how they do it, and they have my full respect!).

There are so many disciplines to master

But despite all my experience, I found that I was still a beginner in many fields of marketing. There are so many different disciplines to master – from setting up sales funnels and webinars, to working out how to use paid social media and making sales calls and pitching. It’s endless!

The other thing is that other people don’t care that you are a beginner. And why should they? The people visiting your website don’t care that you are a beginner, they just want to read something that is going to solve the problem they have.

Your teammates don’t care that you are a beginner they just want to be part of something they believe in and take home some money at the end of the month. And your clients don’t care that you are a beginner because they just want a good service.

You need to accept you’re a beginner – and that’s fine

So, it’s down to us to get over this feeling of not being enough and accept it with humility – “I am a beginner and that’s fine”.

This isn’t about thinking small or taking baby steps. It is possible to take massive action and still be a beginner. But accepting the stage you are at as a first time entrepreneur is so important. Practising being humble is the real key to success; you are more open to learning, less judgemental and a lot more forgiving of yourself if you do fail.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint

This journey is a long one. Setting up a business, especially one that is aligned with your passion and purpose, is not a sprint but a marathon. So allowing yourself to settle into the rhythm and enjoy each stage of the journey is so important if you are to finish.

So let’s make a pact. A pact to accept that we are a beginner in many things – and that is okay. Wherever you are in your journey as an entrepreneur you ARE enough.

So now, with that knowledge, go out and do it… with confidence!

Need more business motivation?

You’ll read more advice on how to get out of your own way and build a business you love in these articles:

Cheryl is a meditation teacher and entrepreneur with several startups. She set up City Calm to help entrepreneurs interested in the benefits to begin a practise of mindfulness. If you are interested in learning more about mindfulness for better time management, visit Cheryl’s website.