Small Business Owner’s Most Toxic Ailments

If you own a small business perhaps you can relate to what I am about to write. Have you ever wondered why you can’t achieve the success you’d like with your small business? (If this doesn’t apply to you then maybe you know someone who could benefit from this article.)

You desperately want to grow your business. You have your life savings fully committed to your business. Maybe you’re doing pretty well since the economic meltdown. Maybe not.

Either way, you work your butt off every day to make it all work. You’ve likely read plenty of books to compliment your street smarts. Maybe you even have an MBA. And it’s likely you’ve invested some money attending seminars, hiring gurus, experts and consultants.

The truth is the vast majority of small business owners suffer from what I am about to share with you. Here are the three most toxic ailments that hold most business owners back.

1. Fear. Fear of trying new strategies and tactics.

2. Fear. Fear of the economy and other things beyond our control.

3. Fear. Fear of failure.

Yes. I wrote the word, fear, three times. Fear manifests in many ways. And in my humble opinion, it’s true because I see it all the time and I experience it. I, too have fear. But I’ve learned how to deal with the fear better so as not to let it hold me back as much as it used to. And I’ve worked hard to develop my business coaching skills to help my clients "face their fear."

Here’s Some Head Trash That Holds Small Business Owners Back

I met a young man last week to talk about his business. He reads these articles most weeks so I won’t reveal his name. In talking about the growth of his business and what he might do to take it to the next level, I asked him about thirty key questions related to planning, marketing and sales. I wanted to know what he felt he was doing that was working well and not working well.

He is super-disciplined about selling. He blocks time. He makes a lot of sales calls. His assistant and two others on his team work in tandem to keep him focused and productive. All this is great. Except he can’t break through his production plateau.

Then we got to discussing online marketing, email marketing, lead generation, lead magnets, list building, CRM, etc. When I asked him, "Do you like to write and would you have an interest in learning how to be effective with email marketing and blogging?"

He said, "I can’t write. There’s no way I’d have time to do that."

Then I asked him, "What about your website, driving qualified traffic to it and building your list with a proper lead magnet?"

He said, "Prove to me that it works. Then I might consider it." OUCH.

Ladies and gentlemen. This is fear-based thinking. If you ever catch yourself saying, "I can’t, don’t, won’t, etc.," you are living in fear and doubt. And this will hold anyone back.

I agree that a healthy amount of skepticism makes sense at times. But fear must be dealt with.

The truth is success is all about how we think, what we say, and what we DO. If our thought process is fear-based, your business is likely to be stuck. Your income is likely to remain flat. Or worse, go backwards.

7 Steps for Small Business Owners to Deal with Fear

Here are my suggestions for dealing with fear as a business owner, father, husband, author, and overall human being trying to live a life of significance.

1. Accept fear as a normal human emotion. Don’t resist it. What we resist persists.

2. Let the fear go after you observe it. "This too shall pass…"

3. Focus on programming your thinking and way of being completely on the positive. Use a descriptive statement (another form of affirmation) to reprogram negative thinking and behavior.

4. Assuming you have a burning desire to succeed and a deep connection to your purpose in business, never lose site of your vision and goals. Never give up.

5. Commit to constant action. The doing is where we learn the most. Think. Do. Learn. Repeat.

6. Work with your mentor, business coach, etc. to improve your life and business. You don’t have a coach? Get one.

7. Pray. A lot. You don’t have to be into religion to benefit from the power of prayer.

So how do you deal with fear? What does your business coach, mentor or others you respect have to say about this?

Please share your thoughts, comments and experience by leaving a comment on the WealthNet Partners blog.

To your success.