So you’ve started your online business…
You’re excited, a little bit nervous, but you KNOW this is what you’re destined to be doing with your life. You’ve found that thing that you’re naturally gifted at and you can’t wait to start sharing it with others.
But then you see all your competitors in your industry going live on Facebook, sharing videos (OF THEIR ACTUAL FACES) on their LinkedIn. They’re posting to their Instagram stories daily like they’re just chatting with their friends… ‘How does she look so comfortable?’ ‘Gosh her hair looks perfect… is that a blowdry?’
But you brush it off. You tell yourself you’re totally different, and those platforms are not for you… and if they are, then you’re going to continue writing blog posts, using pictures from stock images, and you know your clients will resonate with you.
But you’re not getting ANY traction… like NONE. And the traction that you are getting is either yourself, your nan, or your mum. Not really your ideal clients (as much as you appreciate the support… and also know it’s purely out of curiosity so that they can quiz you at the next family lunch).
It’s just the thought of going live and being totally unedited or sharing pictures of yourself and your ‘flaws’ makes your skin crawl. ‘What if I mess up and say the wrong thing?’, ‘What if someone judges and ridicules me in the comments?’, ‘OMG what if I go blank?? I’ll be so embarrassed’.
This is just your fears way of keeping you stuck… keeping you in the known, the safety net. You and I both know that nothing ever grows within your comfort zone. So how can you bust through this fear and finally shake off this paralyzing fear? Because ultimately, it’s the best way of attracting your ideal clients and creating a profitable and life-changing online business.
1.Remind yourself of the crazy benefits that facing this fear will provide you with. There is a reason as to why all the fellow entrepreneurs that you look up to in your field are super visible and show up consistently. And that’s because by being visible, you allow yourself to be seen. You allow your ideal clients to resonate and connect with you. You allow them to get a sense of who you are and what you’re about. There is something to say for seeing someone’s body language, face, hearing their voice, sensing their energy that is far more powerful than pretty stock images and articles. And if they can do it, then you so can you! As well as this, once you face your fears over and over again, your self-esteem will skyrocket, you’ll feel more comfortable in your own skin, and you’ll be riding on a constant high!
2.Quieten that inner critic. You know that little voice in your head that tells you that ‘you can’t do it‘, ‘you’re going to fail and mess up’… well her main role is to keep you safe. She’s trying to keep you protected and in the realm of the known but it’s a little unnecessary in certain situations. Whenever she pipes up, say to yourself ‘thank you for sharing. But I act in spite of fear.‘ Get curious about the same phrases you tend to tell yourself over and over again. Write them all down. These are your self-limiting beliefs. Once you’ve identified your main ones I want you to then cross them out with a big fat marker, and write the complete opposite phrase that’s empowering, positive and something you can repeat to yourself to move through this fear. This is going to be the powerful and positive mantra that every time you find yourself slipping back into old negative thinking patterns, you can stop yourself mid-sentence and replace it with your powerful version
3.Give yourself the best chance of success. So now you know what your self-limiting beliefs are and have some powerful mantras you can use instead, you need to work out what is going to stop you from applying the tools. What is the self-sabotaging behavior you’re repeating? I could tell you everything you needed to know about how to grow your confidence, increase your visibility and attract your ideal clients, but if you don’t implement any of it nothing will change. So get curious about what behaviors are resulting from having to face this fear? What can you look out for? What can you plan for? How can you give yourself the best chance of success? Perhaps it’s starting off on a small scale like recording a video and then posting it so that it cancels out the fear of being live and unedited? Or could you take some gorgeous new brand photos where you get to spoil yourself get your makeup & hair done and get awesome shots to use online as a bonus? Set yourself up for success by understanding yourself and your habits.
Being visible online is really about believing in yourself enough to put yourself out there. Try and reframe being visible from a scary experience to, if you don’t do this you could be stopping someone from receiving a message they needed to hear that day.
Never allow yourself to believe that you’re not good enough, experienced enough, qualified enough, or that your industry is too saturated because you are totally and utterly unique. There are people in this world who will ONLY resonate with you and your message, and it’s as simple as that.
Share your message with the world because what’s the worst thing that could happen? Someone disagree? Cool. They’re not your ideal client and aren’t going to pay your bills either. Move on to the next one!
You’ve got this! Now go out there and be SEEN! x