That word can be so scary. So how do you overcome that fear of failure and not let it hold you back?

When I started my first online business, I was almost paralyzed by my fear of failure, especially of putting myself out there and having everyone SEE me fail.

Despite all of that, I was able to overcome my fear and build that business to over 6-figures BEFORE I left my job.

Lean in, because I’m about to share 3 powerful tips to help you eliminate that fear so that you can successfully achieve your business goals.

Tip #1: Stop seeing failure as an end point

When I was starting my first online business, every little failure and rejection felt like a physical blow.

I remember one time, I submitted an article idea to a very popular website that you might have heard of – Lifehacker – and I was so certain I was going to get accepted.

Every morning for weeks, I’d check my email and obsessively hit refresh, waiting for the reply I knew was coming.

It never came.

And I remember thinking…I’m never going to succeed. Because of this ONE rejection.

Thank goodness I didn’t give up, though. Because after that, I had about 50 more failures, including 2 months where I spoke with almost 30 people and had all of them tell me that they couldn’t afford me.

However, because I didn’t let those failures get to me and I didn’t give up, I got a yes at person #31, and I was back in business.

I’m making a bit light of it now, but at the time, it was the most painful thing in the world to face all of those failures and rejections.

I’m sharing this though because I want you to see that for every success, there are many failures that had to first happen to pave the way for that success.

So shift your thinking from seeing each failure as a confirmation that you can’t succeed. And stop thinking that if you fail, it’s game over.

Instead, accept that failure is simply part of the process.

Tip #2: Ask yourself – what’s the worst thing that could happen?

Whenever I feel fear creeping up, this is the question I always go back to.

Really, what’s the worst thing that can happen?

When I first started posting content on social media and sharing my knowledge with the world, I was so scared. I’m a huge introvert and super sensitive, so nothing about my personality helped.

But, here’s how I thought about it…

What’s the worst thing that can happen?

If I write something and no one responds, I’ll still be OK. I’ll have my job and a roof over my head. Maybe people will laugh at me and think I’m dumb, but if that’s the worst case scenario, that’s not so bad.

I did the same thing when I thought about failing in my business. What if no one wanted to buy from me? Ever?

Well, I remember thinking very clearly to myself even though at the time I really wanted to leave my 9-5…

You know what? Even if I can’t make this work, I have a job. Or I can get another one.

Or…

OK getting really honest…

I did think to myself: If things get really bad, at least my parents will always have a place for me. I never told them that, and I definitely wasn’t hoping that would happen.

But I knew that ultimately, even if I failed in the worst way I could imagine, I’d still have my life, health, and the people I cared about.

When you think about it that way, that fear isn’t so scary anymore, right?

Tip #3: Overcome your fear of failure by removing the emotion

I remember reading a story about the billionaire founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely.

When she was growing up, her dad would ask her and her siblings at dinner every night…

What did you fail at today?

And she credited that question with helping her develop an attitude of embracing failure and seeing it as a learning opportunity.

That story really stuck with me, and that attitude has made all the difference in my own business.

In fact, in my Employee to Entrepreneur course, it’s an attitude that I try to instill in every single student.

And when something doesn’t go as well as hoped, I have epic spreadsheets to track everything and scientifically figure out what went wrong so that it can be fixed.

I’ve seen embracing this final tip as one of the key differentiators of my most successful students who are able to build the business and life of their dreams.

And I’m sharing this with you in the hope that you’ll be able to do the same for yourself.

The business and life that you want are waiting for you…if you’re willing to overcome your fear of failure.

Because ultimately, when you weigh your dreams against your fears, I know that your dreams are so much bigger and more powerful than your fears. (Once you embrace that, you can even USE your fear to help you reach your dreams that much faster.)

Once you’re ready, I’ve got a tutorial for you on how to get your first paying clients.

Before you knock out that fear though, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Let me know: Which tip did you find the most helpful? And why?

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The post 3 GREAT Tips to Overcome Your Fear of Failure in 2023 appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

(Or if you prefer, you can watch the video.)

Tip #1: Use a good ol’ pros and cons list

There’s a reason these lists never go out of style. Because they WORK.

Here’s what you do…

Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half. Now instead of calling the two columns “pros” and ‘cons” instead call them “Why I’m NOT qualified” and “Why I AM qualified.”

Then, in the why I’m NOT qualified column, write out your first thought. Afterwards, go over to the why I AM qualified column and write out your “arguments” against that for why that thought is actually not true.

For example, the first time I did this exercise, one of my top fears that I put into the NOT qualified column was that I wasn’t as qualified as so-and-so in my industry at the time.

That was a very real fear. Do you relate to that? (According to Harvard Business Review, most people do.)

However, once I thought about it, I realized, you know what?

I’m not as well known as so-and-so, and I don’t have an audience as big as so-and-so’s (I didn’t have an audience at all at the time), BUT here’s what I did have that would make me a better choice for my clients than so-and-so…

First I was closer to where my clients were.

At the time, I was doing digital advertising consulting. And I was on top of all the latest trends and strategies.

But I knew that the top people in my industry weren’t. Because they had teams to manage that stuff for them, they didn’t need to be as up to date themselves.

And that made me an infinitely better choice for what my clients needed at the time.

The same is true for you.

Second, I also knew that I would work my butt off for every client, whether that meant putting in overtime, answering more emails, hopping on extra calls, whatever it took. Because I was out to prove myself to the world.

I also knew that it was something the more established players in my industry were no longer willing to do or able to do because they were already established, and had other responsibilities. Like running their teams and businesses.

So basically, using this exercise, I argued out both sides of whether or not I was qualified and created a deep belief within myself that my imposter syndrome was just fear.

This exercise is so powerful. I can’t wait to hear YOUR results after doing it.

Tip #2: Understand WHERE your imposter syndrome is really coming from

Take a second and think about WHY you’re feeling this way.

The truth is, most of the time the reason you’re really feeling this way is because you’re afraid that you won’t be able to help people get results.

Right?

If you have that fear, that’s a GOOD thing, because it means that you actually care about the work you’re doing and about helping people.

Once you realize the real reason, you can deal with this fear much more easily.

Why wouldn’t someone working with you get the results they want?

Is it because your coaching and guidance won’t be good enough? Probably not. Because if you’re helping someone with something you have experience in, why wouldn’t you be able to help someone get similar results to what you’ve been able to do for yourself or others?

Why else do you think someone working with you wouldn’t get the results they want? List out your reasons and address each of them the same way I just did.

That’s how you can again, create that deep confidence within yourself in your ability to help your clients. (Want more help with this? I’ve got another article on “What if you can’t get your clients results?”)

Which leads us to the final tip…

Tip #3: Listen to your intuition

The first two tips were very logical, which is needed so each time this fear comes up, you can think through exactly what we just talked about.

HOWEVER, we can’t overlook the fact that as human beings, we aren’t that logical when it comes to our fears and feelings.

One of my students, who is a phenomenal career coach asked me about how to deal with imposter syndrome. And she said…

“I know it’s not logical, but…”

And I stopped her right there.

Then I her asked the same question I’m about to ask you.

Put aside the logic and what you think you should be thinking, and FEEL into your answer for this question…

What is your intuition telling you about how good of a coach or service provider you’ll be?

What is it saying about how you compare to whoever that person is in your industry that is making you feel like an imposter?

Really take a second and listen.

Because deep down, you know, you’ve got this.

Now every time that imposter syndrome pops up, you’ll know how to deal with it, both logically, and emotionally.

Don’t let imposter syndrome stop you.

We all have to deal with imposter syndrome!

Even famed poet Maya Angelou once said, “I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘Uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody and they’re going to find me out.’”

So just because you’re feeling it doesn’t mean that it’s real, and you definitely should not let it hold you back. (I know how tempting it can feel sometimes to give up!)

I hope you’ve found these exercises helpful and are feeling more confident about your ability to help your clients get the best results possible.

Let me know in the comments below which exercise you’re going to try first!

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The post Imposter Syndrome: Here’s How to Deal With it appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

Let me let you in on a secret: It’s because they’ve overcome their limiting beliefs.

The good news is, you can too. (After all, the definition of a belief is an opinion or a conviction that we hold.)

The first step to doing so starts with identifying what those beliefs even are.

In this video, I share the top 3 limiting beliefs that hold most aspiring entrepreneurs back from successfully building their dream business and life.

Say goodbye to limiting belief #1…

Limiting Belief #1: Is it really possible?

Growing up, I didn’t have any entrepreneurs in my family or even know of any!

So I get it. I’ve been in that place where maybe your friends and family are telling you that your dream of building your own business is crazy. Not to mention that you should just be grateful for your job.

But you know what you’re doing when you keep on thinking this thought?

You’re placing yourself in a position where you’re looking BOTH for proof that it’s possible AND proof that it’s not.

And guess what? Because you’re looking for it, you’re going to find proof of both.

Here’s what happens at this point for many new entrepreneurs…

Maybe you ignore the proof that it’s not possible for a while and work on your business. However, after a month or two, you still struggle to get results.

And that’s when that doubt starts creeping in.

You thoughts starting turning to the proof that it’s not possible, and you start thinking more and more often that maybe it’s really not possible.

That’s a path you don’t want to go down, right?

So think about this instead:

When in your life have you accomplished something even though you had no proof it was possible?

For example, maybe you were the first person in your family to get into a good college. Even though you had no proof that it was possible

Maybe your family even told you not to aim so high, but you believed it was possible, which is how you were able to MAKE it possible for yourself.

The “trick” to overcome limiting beliefs, including this one, is that you have to first believe something before you can make it happen.

So if you REALLY want to build your own business, you’ve got to choose to believe wholeheartedly in the fact that it’s going to happen for you.

Then, focus only on the proof that supports that belief, and put the blinders on to any proof that doesn’t support it.

You can take those blinders off AFTER you’ve built your business.

Limiting Belief #2: Money is hard to make

The second belief you have to release is that money is hard to make.

This is a really tough one and a super sensitive subject too (money is an emotional topic!).

I grew up in a household where money WAS hard to make. We never went on vacation, and never even went out to the movies or to dinner.

And when I got my first salary of $60,000 per year, guess what my dad said?

“You’re not worth that much.”

That’s what I was taught growing up too. So I get it.

But you know what thinking this way does to you?

It makes you feel guilty about getting paid your worth for the work that you do for your clients.

And it also makes you feel guilty for even getting paid in your business.

There’s no easy fix to changing this belief, as unfortunately, you can’t say “Bye, Felicia” to a belief you’ve spent the past few decades of your life believing to be true.

However, you can re-program that belief. Here’s how I did it…

First, I researched wealthy people.

I researched the way they think about money. And every day, I worked on shifting my thoughts about money to the way they thought.

Plus I figured, if someone out there can make $100 million a year, why can’t I make $1 million?

Second, I constantly worked on my mindset so that my beliefs became more and more abundant.

I came up with my own limiting beliefs list  and slowly (and painfully!) worked through each one to overcome my decades-long programming about money being scarce and hard to make.

And finally, I read every book I could get my hands on about training your mind to believe in wealth.

Self help books like Think and Grow Rich, The Science of Getting Rich, Psycho-Cybernetics, and Tapping into Wealth.

To this day, I still go back over them frequently, and I highly recommend them to everyone.

Limiting Belief #3: Once I get —, I’ll finally have proven —

Last but definitely not least…

Trying to achieve a certain revenue goal in your business or to get a specific number of clients in order to prove something is one of the most limiting beliefs you can possibly think.

I’ve been there too.

I used to think…

“Once I get 20 clients, I’ll be set.”

Or…

“Once I make 6-figures in my business, I’ll be a success.”

Or even…

“Once I get my first client, THEN I’ll have shown people that I’m worthy of getting clients.”

The problem is, when you have this “hidden agenda” mindset of wanting a goal to PROVE something instead of wanting the goal for the sake of the goal itself, it sets you up for a vicious cycle of failure.

For example, back when I used to think that I’d be “worthy” after I got my first client, each rejection deeply shook me and my confidence.

Each time I got a “no” or had someone tell me, “I can’t afford you,” it reinforced my limiting belief that I actually wasn’t worthy of getting clients or building a business or achieving my dreams.

Can you imagine what that does to your self confidence and your ability to achieve your goals?

Ugh.

Thankfully, I was able to turn this thought around. I did that by first identifying my imposter syndrome and doing these three exercises to overcome it.

As a result, I was able to truly believe first in my own worth and let go of the need to prove my worth based on my results. Doing so allowed me to completely shift the way I thought about getting clients in my business.

Even better?

That freed me up emotionally, creatively, and mentally to get my next paying client a LOT faster.

Limiting beliefs are just that — beliefs.

Once you identify your limiting beliefs, you have the power to overcome them and create new beliefs that support you in achieving your goals.

The first step starts with simply identifying what your limiting beliefs are right now.

Which of these listed limiting beliefs have been holding you back? One, two, or all three?

Let me know in the comments below!

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The post 3 Limiting Beliefs that are Holding You Back as an Entrepreneur appeared first on Luisa Zhou.

And one of the most challenging things about starting a business is working through and overcoming the fear of starting a business.

If you’ve found yourself afraid of taking the next step in making your dreams a reality, know you’re not alone.

I see a lot of my students struggling with fears of things like rejection, success, and not being good enough.

Whatever your fear is, you can overcome it and build a successful business, and I’ll show you how.

Ready? Let’s dive in.

How do you overcome your fear of starting a business?

You may think:

“Is it normal to be scared to start a business?”

And the answer is yes.

Maybe you feel embarrassed of starting a business because you think people will judge you…

Or crippled by anxiety because you don’t know if your business will work or not.

It’s normal to feel those things. Overcoming fear is about soothing your “caveman brain”; the parts of the brain that kept us safe when we fought tigers and lived in caves.

But what is entrepreneurial fear, exactly?

There are many forms of it and they all relate back to the fears and insecurities we feel every day.

Ultimately, our fears can be really powerful barriers to starting a business. Yet, those who start businesses find a way to overcome them.

I’ve listed the top ones here below – as well as steps to overcome them.

Let’s start with the fear of failing.

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Fear of failure

Feel scared to start a business?

The fear of failure is one of the most common reasons people don’t start their businesses.

All too often, entrepreneurs who are just starting out think of failure as the end of their journey. Even Bill Gates was afraid of failing!

But failing doesn’t mean you have to give up.

In reality, failure is actually one of the most important parts of the entrepreneurial journey.

Trust me, I used to be afraid of failure, too.

Before I launched my first online business, I used to believe that if I failed, it meant that I had made the wrong choice.

That I should have been focusing solely on my full-time job, which was a sure thing, instead of something I was taking a chance on.

I had to learn to reframe that fear. So, I started by asking myself if it was more important not to fail at all or to try and fail.

The truth is that not failing at all was more important for a while. But as time passed, I started to realize that I’d regret not trying a lot more than I’d regret trying and failing.

Here’s the thing: You will fail. It’s just part of life.

The question is what you’ll do when it happens.

Instead of wallowing in it and allowing it to drag you down, prepare yourself for it.

You can hear me talk more about the fear of failure and how to overcome it in this video:

Keep reading to learn about what’s on the other end of the spectrum: The fear of success.

Fear of success

Even some of the most successful people are afraid of finding success.

Why?

Because finding success means having to sustain it.

I’ve seen several of my students worry about having too many clients to handle or how success might change them down the road.

The reality is that you can only focus on what’s ahead of you right now.

If you find that you have these types of fears in yourself, write them down as a question and come up with an answer.

For example, let’s pretend that you’re worried about getting too many clients too quickly.

Instead of worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet, ask yourself: “How many clients can I handle at one time?”

Don’t just say a random number – take your unique situation into consideration. Are you still working a full-time job? Will you be working alone?

With that number in mind, try to focus only on the first step of getting one client.

Don’t worry about other clients until they come. When they do, you’ll be prepared!

Plus, you’ll have options, like leaving your job or not taking more clients.

But there’s always the fear that clients won’t come. That’s called the fear of rejection.

Let’s talk about what it is and how to overcome it.

Fear of rejection

What if your product isn’t received well? What if you can’t get anyone to work with you or can’t find a client? Or, worse, what if you lose one?

These are normal worries!

A fear of rejection is one of the most common fears among entrepreneurs.

The truth is, you will get rejected. Just like failure, rejection is just part of the entrepreneurial journey.

But it’s important to remember that rejection isn’t about you. The other person could have a thousand reasons for rejecting you.

Regardless of the reason, you need to be prepared for rejection.

When I launched my first online business and was trying to find a podcast to guest star on, I got told no over and over again.

People even said I looked too young to be taken seriously.

But instead of sitting with that failure and letting it define me and derail my progress, I found ways to improve.

Soon, I had my first “yes” and was on my way to running a six-figure business.

I learned quickly that you need to have a thick skin to be an entrepreneur.

Part of that means being able to detach yourself from rejection, taking responsibility for your company, and finding ways to turn a no into a yes.

But part of getting a ‘yes’ is having the right product or service. And that starts with having an idea.

If you’re having trouble finding an idea or are afraid you won’t find one at all, keep reading.

Fear of not having an idea

Believe it or not, it’s completely natural to want to start a business, even if you don’t have an idea yet.

Truth be told, coming up with a business idea is one of the hardest parts of the process!

The good news is that you don’t need to create the Next Big Thing. You can start a far simpler business and still find success.

You’ll need to ask yourself a few questions to come up with your million-dollar idea.

1. Who are you? Think about everything – your likes, dislikes, favorite foods, and even quirks.
2. What means the most to you? What stands out when you think about the list you’ve just made?
3. What problems do you want to solve? Look at the second list and figure out what seems like a problem.

Then, do some research into what’s missing in the market. What are your potential customers willing to pay for?

Boom – a business idea.

If you’re not sure where to start, check out my guide with the best business ideas.

Another common fear I see is that of being judged, whether it’s by friends and family or potential customers. Read on to learn about how to overcome it.

Fear of being judged

I get it. The thought of being judged while you embark on this adventure is scary.

But what’s even scarier is that it will happen. You’ll be judged by friends, family, coworkers, and even total strangers.

After all, most people don’t have entrepreneurs in their support system. Because of that, it’s easy for them to judge you and assume you’ll fail.

But instead of letting their judgment creep into your mind and cause you to doubt yourself, drown it out. Remind yourself that you’re coming from a place of integrity – and that their own negativity is on them.

Even with a multi-six-figure business, I still get judged!

If you look at my comments across social media, you’ll see that people aren’t always kind. But I remember that I’m doing my best and keep going.

Finally, one of the fears that’s hardest to get over: Financial insecurity. Let’s talk about it.

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Fear of financial insecurity

When people have a fear of financial insecurity, they’re afraid that they won’t have enough money to cover the costs associated with their business.

That’s a totally natural fear to have when starting a business! After all, if your business fails, you’re at risk of losing money and, potentially, any savings that you’ve dipped into.

The good news is that there’s no rush when you’re building your business. The only timeline you’re on is your own.

One of the most common misconceptions about the entrepreneurial journey is that new business owners go all in at once.

Most people believe that founders quit their jobs and immediately focus solely on their business venture with a massive business loan.

But I find that to be really risky, and unnecessarily so. If you take that route, chances are that you’ll have to go back to your 9-5 sooner rather than later.

That’s why I always recommend to my clients that they wait to quit their full-time jobs until they’ve made at least double their yearly salary to achieve financial stability.

I was working a 9-5 when I started thinking about launching a business. I knew that if I quit, my employer wouldn’t take me back if I failed as an entrepreneur.

So, I stayed at my job and worked to build my business on the side.

And thank goodness I did! In the first four months alone, I made mistakes that cost me $18,000. If I didn’t have my “sure thing” – my full-time job – I might not have made it.

But four months in, I made $106,000, which was enough for me to hand in my notice and not have to worry about how I was going to pay my bills.

I didn’t start there, of course – I had realistic goals that I worked towards every step of the way. The thing is…with a solid business plan (figuring out a way to acquire new clients), you can start your business despite your fears.

Now, we’ve covered the most common fears people have when starting their own business.

But you might still be thinking, “That’s great, but how do I get over my fear of starting my own business?”

Keep reading to find out.

How do you get the courage to start your own business?

There are two simple ways to get over your fear, and I’m going to share them with you now.

1.  Tell yourself that no one is paying attention

This is actually the same mind trick I use when I’m having a bad skin or hair day, and it works equally well for both.

Just like the way that a majority of people you speak with will only spend a few seconds looking at you, most of the people who come across your business will only casually peruse it.

For example, even spending just a few seconds on your website is more than enough to get an idea of who you are and what you have to offer. (Just like looking at you for a few seconds is enough to remember what you look like).

But it’s not enough to catch those slight imperfections that you’re spending way too much time agonizing over.

2. Stop (over-)thinking

If you’re anything like me, you randomly get great ideas that you know are brilliant….and yet you somehow manage to talk yourself out of acting on them because a few days (or a few hours) later, you’ve convinced yourself that they’re just plain stupid.

The solution? Don’t give yourself a chance to talk yourself out of it.

Instead, take action the moment that inspiration strikes, and don’t second-guess it. Give yourself the gift of trusting your intuition.

Remember, you already have everything and know everything that you need. You’re more than capable of creating the life and business that you want.

So the next time you get that random amazing idea, don’t let that momentum go. Go all in before you can stop yourself!

I’m willing to bet you won’t be disappointed with the results.

Next steps

So, there you have it: Everything you’ll ever need to know about the fear of starting a business – and how to overcome it.

It doesn’t matter if you’re afraid of failure, success, rejection, not having an idea, judgment, or financial insecurity. You can do it.

I’ve had to work through at least one of those same fears of starting a business, and so have most of my students. All successful entrepreneurs have.

Yet we’ve all overcome them and gone on to create successful businesses without having to work every minute of every day.

If you believe in yourself, face your fears, and figure out your own journey, I promise you can create the business of your dreams, too.

Want to learn how to start a business?

I’ll show you exactly how, step-by-step, in my blueprint. Grab it below:

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Read more:

The Top Mindset Habits of Entrepreneurs

How to Go From Employee to Entrepreneur

How to Start a 6-Figure Business While Working Full-Time

The post How to Overcome the 6 Biggest Fears of Starting a Business appeared first on Luisa Zhou.