While there are many “treats” to being an independent entrepreneur, there are also a few hidden tricks.
The most insidious “trick” in owning a business is often fear. In my book Fearless Living: 8 Life-Changing Values for Breakthrough Success, I help entrepreneurs face down fears and walk straight into the future they deserve.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” But what exactly is fear? According to the dictionary definition, fear is “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil or pain, whether the threat is real or imagined. Note the idea that threats that cause fear can be imagined. Sometimes, home business owners imagine threats and let their fears become paralyzing, instead of finding ways to overcome them. Of course, fear can be an ally when it helps us avoid danger, and entrepreneurs must always be vigilant against taking unnecessary risks. But learning to discern between real risk and imagined threats is an important business skill that any entrepreneur needs.
The best way to face fear as an entrepreneur is to understand what is really behind it. Here are five ways to look at common business fears and turn them into positive action to achieve home business success:
- Embrace Accountability: Think about this popular piece of advice for a moment: “Don’t be upset with the results you didn’t get from the work you didn’t do.” Being accountable means getting the work done and accepting responsibility for what did not get done. Never let the fear of being responsible for your actions make you vulnerable to avoiding accountability. When you understand your responsibilities, you can embrace them and do the work that needs to be done.
- Free Yourself from Fear of Failure: Fear of failure is natural, but avoidable if you use it as motivation to achieve results. Goalsetting will give you a step-by-step blueprint for achieving results that will make the total list of tasks less daunting. Visualizing success, its celebrations and the perks that come with positive results are an excellent tactic to keep fear of failure at bay. Preparing mentally when going into a presentation or on an important sales call is also helpful: practice in a mirror or even videotape yourself to gain confidence in your ability to close the deal.
- Work Well with Others: Some independent businesspeople don’t see the value of collaboration, in fact they fear it as competition. However, even as a home business owner, collaborating with others is important in leveraging their knowledge and expertise. Think of collaboration like a sports team. Individual effort on the field and always striving for top personal performance can’t be underestimated. But what’s more important is the team effort. In fact, what would any player be without their team and coaches alongside them? Collaboration and teamwork makes everyone work smarter, more creatively and most successfully.
- Be Exposed: Home business owners may have all the tools they need on hand, but they also need to get out-of-the-house. As part of the effort to gain exposure for your business, it’s important to develop a mindset that allows you to accept the differences of others and gain the attention of the widest possible audience. Expanding professional networks, being more active in the community and developing new relationships wherever you find them will go a long way to getting recognized and promoting word-of-mouth recommendations. Above all, get rid of the fear of putting yourself “out there,” because the more you do, the more opportunities will present themselves.
- Have a Passion for Compassion: As human beings, the deepest, most core conflict we face is whether or not to feel and the fear of how it may be perceived. But, compassion for others has a positive effect on all of us. It feels good to do good deeds and studies have shown that being compassionate can even lead to longer lives. Many entrepreneurs fear that being compassionate is a soft skill that doesn’t translate to the hard realities of a competitive marketplace. This is totally untrue. In fact, home business owners who get out and do charitable work in their community – or provide counsel to friends and associates – find that being compassionate has a positive halo effect on the business as well. Doing good also enhances communication skills, promotes collaboration and breeds respect.
Even after all the Halloween candy is consumed, home business owners can continue to strive to overcome the tricks that derail businesses and enjoy the treats of being an independent businessperson.
