Hi Demi!

Let me first congratulate you on your bravery! There’s a reason why everyone doesn’t do it, it’s super scary!! So give yourself a break.

Being a business owner is one of the most anxiety inducing occupations on the planet, but it’s also one of the most rewarding. You get to set your own standards and live your truth, and most importantly, you can offer something beautiful to the world.  In my experience, being a business owner requires that I take ownership of my anxiety and fears of inadequacy, and start to imagine that amazing things can and do happen to people that take the leap.

Being self-employed asks me for faith in myself and my industry, and it reminds me that even when I worked for other people, those businesses all have business owners, and they’re probably stressed out too. As secure as I may have felt working an hourly for a paycheck, at the end of the day we are all at the whims of the market, society, the world at large.

My business is 3 years old. At the beginning I didn’t have any start-up capital or a business loan, and things were hard. Now it pays my bills and then some. Here are my thoughts on keeping a balance, based on what I do.

1. Being proactive about finding solutions has been one of the best strategies for managing my anxiety. Make sure you have a good strategy/business model and if you’re not sure, do some research. Even if you do, always stay flexible and work towards improving it. Don’t fear failure, instead, learn to be an objective observer about what works and what doesn’t, and don’t be afraid to modify your plan. You’ll need to be realistic about habits you have that aren’t serving you, both in life and at work.

2. Just as you would when you worked for someone else, make sure that you’re clocking in and out on time each day you schedule yourself to work whether or not you have clients. Every day will be different, but always try to be fully present and put your best forward. On slow days you can always spend time marketing, posting to social media, or developing promotions. At clock-out time, you get to go home with the satisfaction of a good day’s work, because you’ve offered your best.

3. This one might go without saying, but have respect for your clients by being punctual and transparent in your business practices and offer next-level customer service. You’ll feel better at the end of the day by making your clients’ day better but also word of mouth is everything for small businesses. You would be amazed what going that extra mile for others can do for your reputation but also your own sense of self-worth.

4. Just as importantly as respecting your clients, respect your own ambitions as much as you respected your old employers, because they are your boss now. Show up for yourself, have your own back, and know that you’re worth it. If you don’t know it, tell yourself you are every day until you do. You, Demi, deserve to be happy and successful. Trust that you’re going to be okay no matter what.

5. Remember that rest and relaxation is a part of the hustle too, so clock out and leave work at work (even if work is at home, you get what I mean!) You may feel a level of martyrdom working 10 hours a day, 7 days a week but it’s not sustainable and you will not succeed. Be honest with yourself about your limitations and schedule your chill time just as you schedule your working time. This is especially true if you have a family with young kids. Be present when you’re at work but present when you’re at home too.

6. Get help! You might consider apprenticing or bringing on an intern if you can’t afford employees. If you have any nieces or nephews, teenagers can always use work history to add to their resumes and they might even bring you more clients. Don’t be too proud to lean on friends and family when things get tough. You don’t have to go it alone.

7. Yoga and meditation have changed my life. Develop a good practice, this will help you get your sleep back. Both sleep and meditation will help you to hone your instincts and unlock your creativity. You can try a practice centered around gratitude. Remind yourself that you live in a supportive world (even if you don’t believe it right now) and feel grateful that you can offer it your abilities or something special with your business. Find stillness so you can be with your fears, but try not to feed that anxious voice.

8. Finally, be honest about your struggle with yourself and others and try not to judge yourself for it. It can be tempting to judge yourself for not being stronger, more talented, more lucky, or not being able to make as much time for your family/friends as you did when you were working for someone else. Trust that this is temporary.

As business owners, we’re going to need heaps of honesty and loads of faith, but good news, these things are free! Don’t let the setbacks kill your flow. Trust me, it’s all a part of the process..

I hope any part of this helps! You got this!!!

Verdee