I’ve been thinking a lot about overcoming fear in business lately---partly because I’m in the midst of relaunching the Goodbye 9 to 5 masterclass (fear is one of the BIGGEST things holding people back from quitting their day jobs!), and partly because I’ve been going through a lot of fear related to business lately, myself. 
It’s been just two weeks since I started a small business podcast with my biz bestie, and last week we started serious conversations about launching a full business together as a partnership. Exciting but scary big projects in the works. That’s a lot of fear to overcome!
I was thinking about fear again this morning when I was listening to an interview with the sistertraveller on national radio, talking about her experiences as a technical analyst tracking down weapons in conflict zones (oh, did I not mention that’s what my sister does for a living? Yep). She was talking about having a healthy level of fear in her line of work. But she doesn’t let the fear stop her from going forth and doing it.
And that’s what it really comes down to: we can’t let fear hold us back from doing what feels RIGHT for us! This is especially true when it comes to starting your own business.
So… how do you go about overcoming fear in business? It’s one thing to know that you shouldn’t let fear hold you back; but it’s a whole other thing to actually deal with that fear.
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With that in mind, I have 5 tips for you today on overcoming fear in business...
Tip #1 for overcoming fear in business: Acknowledge and honour your feelings.
Fear is a legitimate feeling. It’s not something to be downplayed! Don’t just brush it off. Instead, honour how you feel. Acknowledge that fear is a very real limitation holding you back. Until you acknowledge your feelings and recognize it as fear, you won’t be able to move past it and get over that fear.
Tip #2 for overcoming fear in business: Walk yourself through the fear.
What *precisely* are you afraid of? Now would be a great time to make a list! It can also be helpful to just talk about it with someone (like a business best friend).
Try to get to the bottom of your fear, because when you understand all of the intricacies of it, you can address each aspect of your fear.
Tip #3 for overcoming fear in business: Ask yourself what’s the best and the worst that can happen.
I’m pretty sure it was Carla who blogged years ago about asking, “what’s the BEST that can happen?”
I love this concept! It’s so important to really look at things from both extremes: what’s the best that can happen? What’s the worst that can happen? Your reality is probably going to be somewhere in the middle. It doesn’t seem quite so scary now, does it?
Plus, the more that you ask yourself about the best and worst that can happen, the better prepared you can be to put contingency plans in place for your business (which, by the way, we get into in detail inside the Goodbye 9 to 5 masterclass).
Get the checklist to start working from home full-time:
Want to quit your day job and work from home full-time as a freelancer? Grab this checklist!
Tip #4 for overcoming fear in business: Listen to your gut.
Going with your gut is one of the best things you can do in life and in business. I always aim to listen to my gut. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn't right. If something feels awesome, then that’s a sign to go for it!
The trick is identifying when your gut is telling you to do something, vs. when fear is holding you back. If you don’t distinguish between the two, then you might hold off on acting on your business. Just because something feels scary, doesn’t mean your gut isn’t telling you to go for it! In fact, some of the scariest decisions I’ve made in life have been when I most strongly felt my gut telling me to do it. And you know what? I’ve NEVER regretted listening to my gut instinct.
Of course, just because you’re listening to your gut, doesn’t mean you should dive right into something without a plan. And that brings us to Tip #5...
Tip #5 for overcoming fear in business: Create a strategic plan of action.
I know, I know---I say this all the time. But the best thing you can do for moving your small business forward is to create a strategic plan of action!
Doing this will ensure you have practical action steps you can take which all contribute to you actually achieving your small business goals. See why it’s so important? 
If one of the things you’re afraid of right now is taking the leap to quit your day job and start working from home full-time, then I encourage you to enroll in the Goodbye 9 to 5 masterclass. With this (affordable!) online program, I teach you exactly how to create a strategic plan of action for transitioning out of your day job and into working from home full-time, within the space of just three months.
You could let fear hold you back, and be stuck at your 9 to 5 job for the next three (or 30!) years… or you could address and overcome your fear, create a strategic plan of action, and walk away from your 9 to 5 job just three months from now. Let me show you how we can make that happen—together—inside the Goodbye 9 to 5 masterclass:
Great tips! Fear is one of our greatest struggles as humans. Many times our ideas have so much potential, but we’re held down by fear. I like what you said about asking ourselves what is the best and worst thing that could happen. This can be invigorating and enlightening, and many times the worst case scenarios is not as bad as we might have thought. Nice one!!
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🙂 Thanks for stopping by!