When I started my first business, I have to tell you, content that focused solely on ‘mindset’ when it came to success drove me CRAZY!
“Give me strategies!” I thought. “Show me HOW to grow my business and make sales. Enough of this fluffy-duffy stuff.”
But what I didn't realize at the time, was that all the strategies in the world wouldn't help me if I didn't get past a few mindset hurdles along the way.
Now that I am (finally!) running a successful business, I see these mindset issues come up all the time for business owners who are seeking advice and help in order to grow. And I can usually tell within a few minutes whether a business owner will ultimately be successful or not.
How?
If I see any of the red flags below, I know they're going to stand in the way and prevent that business owner from growing and succeeding.
If you're feeling frustrated at your lack of progress in your business, take a look at these three issues below, consider if they’re true of you, and resolve to push past them with everything you've got! I think you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish once you do.
Remember, these are the surefire ways to FAIL at business… make sure you read each point so you can do the exact opposite 🙂
1. Over-analyze Every Business Decision
Some of the smartest people I know fall prey to this mindset. They want to make the perfect choice every time. They refuse to take a step forward in their business until they've assembled a detailed spreadsheet and spent hours mulling over every possible tool, strategy, and next move they could make.
Their intentions are good. They want to make wise choices. They don't want to spend money where they don't need to. And they don't want to regret their decision and feel like they have to take a few steps back to undo it later.
Here's the problem with over-analyzing: It keeps you from taking action.
All the spreadsheets in the world aren't going to tell you exactly what's going to happen once you make your next move.
Maybe that fancy business tool you thought was perfect will go out of business in a few months.
Maybe that strategy that you just KNEW was the best way to grow your business this year completely flopped despite all of your best-laid plans.
No one has a crystal ball, and you will never know what's going to work in your business until you just try something and see what happens.
Promise.
Business owners come to me often asking for advice on which direction to go. And while I can give a few thoughts based on my experience, I always end by saying, “Listen, you will never know for sure until you try. Give this idea a test and see what happens. Maybe you have to pivot later, but maybe it will work out great!”
The most successful business owners understand that you learn the most by TAKING ACTION.
And sadly there are a lot of smart, talented business owners (and their spreadsheets!) who get left in the dust because they continue to sit on the sidelines instead of getting into the ring.
Make your spreadsheets if that’s how your brain works, but pretty please set a firm due date to make a decision and take action.
2. Need Someone to Do the Work for You
Here at Brilliant Business Moms, we LOVE to help and encourage you, but we think it’s important for each business owner to take the reins in her own business.
‘if we're sensing that one person is sending us multiple emails about tiny decisions, red flags are flying'?
A person who needs this kind of permission for every tiny decision is someone who lacks the internal drive to figure things out and take action. And as a business owner, there will constantly be problems and issues that arise that no one knows the answer to. It's your job as the CEO to figure out the solution. It may require making some phone calls or becoming BFFs with Google. That's ok!
It’s going to be difficult to get far in business if you desperately need someone to hold your hand through all of it.
Don't get me wrong, I love courses and learning from those who have gone before me. To this day I invest in new business trainings every single month. But you won't find me emailing my teachers with every little question. I'm able to take what I learn and run with it. All those little details and tech hurdles? I exhaust my own troubleshooting skills first. And I have to say, it feels SO GOOD to figure things out for myself! There’s a sense of accomplishment that comes from solving your own problems… and it makes that next problem feel so much easier to tackle.
It's wonderful to have cheerleaders and business friends who will keep you going when things get tough. We all need those people in our lives. But if you're counting on someone else to do things for you or pull you along every step of the way, that's not going to happen. You'll be waiting on the sidelines just like our friend, the over-analyzer.
The only person who can ensure that your business is successful is you!
3. Be Afraid to Fail
This may sound completely counter-intuitive, but one of the surefire ways to fail at business is…. to be AFRAID to fail!
Here's the deal: You WILL fail. All sorts of things will not go as you planned. You'll have setbacks and stresses.
I find that this third mindset is at the very root of all the reasons why you struggle with growing your business. A fear of failure will cause you to procrastinate. You'll want to do everything perfectly so you'll over-analyze for days.
A fear of failure will cause you to wait until you have permission from someone else before you take the first step. You're too scared to mess up so you're desperate for someone to do things for you.
A fear of failure tends to be a self-fulfilling mindset. You're so afraid of failing that you hardly even get started in the first place. And so you fail by default.
And here's a little secret: No matter how successful your business becomes, you'll continue to fail at things.
I've now built a six-figure business with a great team, but I still fail all the time!
I try new advertising strategies that don't work out and cost me money. My team and I spend all of our time on a new content marketing idea and… it doesn't resonate with anyone.
But because we're not afraid of failing, we're constantly testing new ideas, and a few of those ideas turn out to be total winners. Those winners propel the business forward. And the losers? Welp, we just chuck them aside and keep on going.
Every single step you take in your business is a fabulous learning opportunity. And the more learning opportunities you create for yourself, the more successful you'll become.
It's time to chuck these 3 Deadly Mindsets aside and start taking some serious action, friend!
You got this!
-Beth Anne