Stuck in your own way? Here’s how others got out of it.
Ever feel like you’re holding yourself back? Like there’s not enough time in the day and you can’t prioritize? Us too.
When it came to running my own small business, I was my own worst enemy. I’d wake up in the morning motivated for the day, but when it came time to leave my office, I felt bad about the things I hadn’t accomplished.
Trust me-- we all have self-limiting beliefs that prevent us from moving ahead.
Instead of letting negative ideas about yourself dictate how you run your business, take some advice from these QB Community members, who’ve all found ways to overcome their self-limiting beliefs:
Sarah Harrison creates regularity and routine
If you don’t have a routine, you have to make new decisions each day. It can be exhausting.
That’s why QB Community member Sarah Harrison reserves two hours each day — from 6am to 8am — for herself. Sarah has a strict policy that nothing — not even a pesky client or a looming deadline — is allowed to get in the way of that time.
"As a self-employed professional and someone who's also starting a new business, every day can bring something totally different. This one bit of regularity is my anchor," said Sarah.
Maxie McCoy found her tribe
It’s hard to build a small business completely on your own. You need a tribe who understands what you’re going through.
This tribe can offer support and advice when times get tough, listen to you vent, and celebrate your successes." On the most fundamentally human level, a like-minded tribe is going to get you through the hard days as a business owner," said business coach Maxie McCoy.
Not only does a tribe get you through the hard days, but it can also open doors to new opportunities. "Every opportunity I've ever had was because someone stuck their neck out for me," said Maxie.
Glen Parmenter and John Townsend see failure as a learning experience
The word “failure” doesn’t have a lot of positive connotations. Thing is, we all need to fail in order to improve. Failure is a natural part of creating, growing, and running a business.
“To overcome the fear of failure you need to first recognize that failure is a learning process,” said Glen Parmenter, an entrepreneur and QB Community member. “You need to internalize failures and turn them into stepping stones to success.”
John Townsend, another business owner, echoed similar sentiments. “When I don’t succeed with something, I try to learn from the experience and do things better the next time,” he said.
Michelle Moore finds ways to let go of negative feedback
Negative feedback is an inevitable part of doing business. No matter how hard you try, not everyone is going to love everything you do.
If you can let go of negative feedback and try to see it as advice or constructive criticism, you’ll be better positioned to use this feedback to improve your business.
“I receive negative feedback on my baked goods from people who bake all the time. I smile, thank them, and tell them that I appreciate their feedback,” said Michelle Moore, a baker and QB Community member.
When Michelle responds in this way, she finds that people often change the tone of their feedback to make it advice or constructive criticism. She reminded us that feedback can help make a business better — it's usually the way it is delivered that makes it negative instead of constructive.