Growing your business to a point where you’re bringing in the revenue and lifestyle freedom you want requires something far greater than a business strategy (even though I’m obsessed with a good step-by-step plan, too).

There’s one critical element that underpins every decision you make and determines, in every moment, whether or not your business sinks or swims → Belief.

Belief that you’ll succeed gets you up in the morning.

Belief tells you that everything is figure-out-able.

And when things get difficult (‘cause they do sometimes), belief tells you to keep going.

Or

It doesn’t, and this whole adventure comes to an end. 

That’s why, to thrive and survive in this journey, you have to dive in headfirst knowing that things will work out, and leave no room for Plan B pessimism.

Because like it or not, pessimism is the killer of dreams.

So ask yourself:

Is there something waiting for you if this doesn’t work out? Is it stopping you from going all-in?

That might be a tough question to confront and answer because it’s not always something you’re conscious of. To answer it, you’ll need to reflect honestly on the actions you’re taking, and whether or not they’re moving you in the direction you want. 

So to help you out, here are 5 things to look out for that may be holding you back from going all-in and reaching your goals:

1. You’re not putting yourself out there

In order to succeed, you need confidence – not only in your products or services but in yourself. Even if you don’t know all of the answers yet, you need to go out there with unshakeable trust in yourself that you’ll be able to figure it out.

When you show up with confidence as the go-to resource or service provider who WILL deliver on their skillset and strategy, you are 100% communicating that strength and confidence to your ideal client.

Whether that’s in your marketing, pitching, or working directly with someone – it’s going to be evident to the receiver.

Because who’s going to bet on the person who won’t even bet on themselves?

2. You’re waiting for the answer

The typical corporate structure has conditioned us to feel like employees, to wait for the go-ahead, to be selected by someone else for the next promotion. 

As a business owner, you no longer have to wait for approval. You call the shots on what you’re doing when and how you’d like to execute, opening you up to so many more opportunities. 

Want to raise your rates? Go for it.

Want to launch a new offer? Let’s do it.

Want to pitch yourself for brand collaborations? Now’s the time.

When there’s no one to provide the answers or tell you what to do, the only way to overcome this is by taking action – Creating, Implementing, Learning, and Adapting. 

In fact, this is the most common trait I’ve seen amongst my high-achieving coaching clients. They use self-belief to fuel ambitious goal-setting and then go after them with determined,  immediate action.

They’re willing to fail, learn from every outcome, and use it to their advantage.

3. You have a lack of clarity

If you don’t know who you serve and how you serve them, how will you be able to step out and speak confidently to the transformation you offer with your products or service? Likewise, how will your dream client know, like, and trust you enough to become your next fangirl? 

In order to stand up as the go-to expert, you need to know who you’re serving and why you want to serve them.

This especially comes into play if you feel like you’re attracting leads, just not the right ones. If this still feels foggy, you can do some journaling on your Bigger Vision. 

• Why do you do what you do?
• Who are you excited to wake up and support each day?
• How do you do it differently from others? What’s your unique perspective? 

Everything in my own business changed when I really honed in on my specific goals: not just how much money I made or how many clients I booked, but what kind of life I wanted to live. 

As soon as I got clear on the individual pieces, everything shifted and I was able to adopt unbridled confidence in myself and what I was doing. 

Once you have that clarity, it becomes so much easier to establish yourself as THE go-to resource for your ideal client and scale with brand authority.

4. You’re comforted by an alternative

Our brains are hardwired to keep us in a space where we feel safe. Entrepreneurship is scary, uncertain, and intimidating – and while the rewards are high, our brains focus on keeping us comfortable and safe. So we tell ourselves stories like, “If this doesn’t work out, that’s okay because I’ll do XYZ instead.”

But as soon as we start entertaining the idea of backups, that’s when we make excuses for not going all-in on our Big Vision. It means you’ve got one foot in the door, and one foot in the other direction ready to run when things go wrong.

Ultimately, that belief is what causes so many businesses to fail, or never even get off the ground in the first place.

One of the things I told myself when I quit teaching and started my business was, “I’m never going back to the classroom.” (You can find out why here and the path I forged to get out of there.) 

I learned to make my brain comfortable with being uncomfortable, which helped me focus on the path ahead with certainty that I’d find a way to make it work. (Spoiler: There’s a happy ending to this story.)

5. Your actions don’t match your goals

If you want to build a successful business, you have to literally embody the mindset of a successful business owner. This means making choices as next-level you. Given the same resources, what would 7-figure YOU do right now to get to the next step? 

She’d make dedicated, all-in decisions without ever looking back.

***

My advice to you as you navigate through your business: have 100% confidence in what you’re doing. Be so dedicated to what you’re doing that Plan B is not an option. Because even just 2% of doubt can stop you from moving forward and finding business success in the way you truly want. 

Listen to more about this topic on Episode 18 of the Freedom Found Podcast, where I talk through my own business journey and why ditching Plan B is vital to a business’ bigger vision.

And if you’re truly wanting to build something better than your old 9-5 and are looking for high-touch business mentorship from someone who’s been through it – check out my specialized programs.

Whether you’re just starting out or are ready to scale to 10 – 20k months and beyond, I’m here to help you step into your next wave-making moves with ease.