Why You’re Struggling to Launch Your Business (And What You Can Do To Move Forward)
You’ve got a fantastic idea for a business you feel so called to bring into the world.
But you haven’t launched it yet.
Here’s what might be going on in your head…
(But first, why am I qualified to talk about this? Because I’m a business coach who helps solopreneurs launch their businesses and figure out their marketing. I also launched my own business four years ago after seven years of wanting to do so.)
I know how hard it is to step out of your comfort zone. And I’ve been there, too.
Okay, let’s get into it.
You lack clarity on what you want to build.
When you’re unsure of what you want to do, this causes confusion and overwhelm. It keeps you stuck in a start-stop pattern where you constantly take one step forward and one step back. You have so many ideas but don’t know which one to pursue first, so even if you make some progress, you’re just spinning your wheels.
If you fall into this camp, you might be stuck deciding on your business model, what offers you should create, and who you want to work with.
To overcome this obstacle, you should weigh the pros and cons of each option but then trust your intuition and your decisions. The truth is, even a “bad” decision can still lead you in the right direction. If you choose to work with one group of people and end up hating it, you’ve learned what you don’t want. So you can pivot to something else.
This is also true for offers and business models. So don’t be afraid to make a decision and move forward. You won’t know until you try!
Another great thing to do is talk to someone and use them as your sounding board. Be it a coach, a mentor, or another business owner.
Sometimes, you lack clarity because you have too much going on in your head, and talking it through with someone helps you process your thoughts out loud and get a clearer sense of what you really want.
You have a great idea but lack the confidence to move forward.
Building a business takes a lot of guts. You have to go after your dream day in and day out, even when there are many potential obstacles in your way.
If you lack confidence, you will easily throw in the towel when facing an issue, not to mention that you will have to stop caring what your friends, family, and the rest of the world think about you. Or at least not let their opinions stop you from taking action in your business.
This is sometimes easier said than done, especially if you are a people-pleaser or perfectionist. Many times, when you start a business, everything is new, and you don’t have a ton of expertise in whatever you’re selling or marketing yourself. So you feel like an imposter, and that makes it difficult to find clients.
To move through this one, you must keep reminding yourself that it’s okay to be a beginner in both the service you’re selling and your business. The more you practice, the better at it you’ll become.
You’ll always feel inadequate if you compare yourself to role models several years ahead. So start comparing yourself to a previous version of yourself — the person who wanted something but never dared to do it. At least you’ve started moving towards the direction of your dreams. And the more you take action, the more momentum you’ll build.
One final note: Many times, women come to me thinking they need to be more experienced to help clients. I remind them that if they have an idea for a service business, they likely already have more expertise than they think. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be starting a business around this area. And as long as you’re a few steps ahead of your ideal customer, you can help them get to where they want to be.
You think you need X, Y or Z to start signing clients.
This group is stuck believing they need a fully functional website, business cards, or pretty graphics to serve others. You don’t need these things. Will they help you sign clients? Of course, but only once you know what you’re doing.
So, if you’re stuck here, ask yourself:
Do my people really need me to build a website to help them?
Or is that just my ego wanting to feel better about itself?
It’s a huge waste of time to spend months building a site when you don’t even know what you’re selling and haven’t worked with anyone yet. Build your foundation first, then build a website to show the world.
If you’re still questioning this, can you think of other things that might suffice? For example, you could create a simple PDF with your offering details. Or you could build out your social media profile to act as a mini-website so people can get to know you and the work you do.
You haven’t yet given yourself full permission to go after your dream.
I will be honest; this one can be challenging to overcome. We’re very conditioned to believe that we need to do certain things in our lives to be successful.
Depending on how you were raised and your social influences, you may not think you can make a big change, like becoming an entrepreneur. If you’ve only ever known the corporate world, you may not believe it’s possible to build a business, even if you want to.
I’ve also talked to women who want to build a business but are afraid to invest time and money in it. They’re struggling to launch on their own, but they still think they can do it alone and get somewhere.
Sadly, most of these women will stay where they are now, dreaming of owning a business but not moving forward.
When you’re new in business, you don’t think of hiring a business coach because you look at it as an expense and have yet to make any money, so you think it’s unjustified.
But once you’ve been in business for a while, you realize that working with someone to help you move forward is an investment, and you’ll most likely get a return on that investment — whether it’s more clarity, confidence, the ability to get more clients, etc. So, it pays for itself in the long run.
If this one resonates with you, ask yourself these questions:
Why haven’t I given myself permission to go after this dream?
What is holding me back?
See what comes up for you, and go from there.
In closing
I’m going to end by saying this: All of the women I work with are smart, talented, and more than capable. They just need a little bit of support to get to where they want to be.
Instead of going at it alone, you can absolutely reach out to someone to help you move through whatever is blocking you from moving forward!
If you want support moving your business from dream to reality, then you’re in the right place. In my 1:1 coaching program, I help you launch your business and get the clarity you need to start attracting clients.
You’ll follow a step-by-step process that helps you understand what you’re building, what milestones you need to hit, and how to market yourself. This removes the overwhelm you feel and keeps you moving towards your goals.
