Lucy - BQ Magazine EditorWe all feel a little inexperienced from time to time. As a business owner, you’re going to feel like this more than most! After all, not feeling up to the task of running a business, or feeling like you’re out of your depth when you’re in a business situation, is a common anxiety when there’s so much on your shoulders. And in these moments, it’s important to know what to do next. The more you can fight back the feeling, and take productive action, the less you’ll feel inexperienced in the future!
Cast Your Mind Back
Think about what your business looked like when you first started. How much work have you done from that point to the here and now? Every so often you should cast your mind back and measure your progress.
You’ve come a long way, you’ve made a lot of decisions (both right and wrong!), and you shouldn’t discount all of this progress thanks to some temporary worry. Keep it in mind and heart and keep working with it – a simple reminder could be just what you need right now.
Work On Yourself
Of course, part of your feelings of inexperience might simply be because you haven’t invested the time in developing the skills that you need to use. While a mentor can be a great guide, you should look to train those skills that you haven’t had the opportunity to work on yet.
This includes more than just hard, technical skills. Skills dealing with confidence and communication, like negotiation training, can help you feel a lot more capable as a business owner. We can all do a little more work on ourselves. Identify your weaknesses and look for the training that targets them specifically.
Find a Mentor
Mentoring is a wonderful part of the business world. When you’re feeling inexperienced and like you’ve not got much to offer, listening to someone in the know will get you back on your feet. However, finding a mentor can be hard work.
Unless you already know a person who has more business experience than you, reaching out to ask for help can be intimidating. But don’t let this set you back too far. You’re allowed to pose a couple of questions to whoever you feel can answer them! If they answer, this can then lead to a mentor relationship.
Hire the Skills You Don’t Have
Outsourcing is a good idea every once in a while. You can bring in skilled work on a short-term basis and get things done without worrying about the quality. Just contact a freelancer, get a quote, sign a contract, and voila! In certain situations, you can even use some tech to help out. Issues like bookkeeping and balancing both sides for tax season can be prevented using accounting automation. Download a program and any awkwardness you have with this task doesn’t have to plague you anymore!
Network with Fellow Small Business Owners
They know what you’re going through, and vice versa. As a result, you can lift each other in times of a confidence crisis. You can talk and understand what each other is saying, and that should never be underestimated. So at a time like this, try to network. Post on LinkedIn about your struggles and see who your words appeal to. The more you put your worries out there, the more they’re going to be addressed, and that can be a big confidence boost.
When you’re nervous about your business know-how, don’t let yourself crumble under the pressure. You’ve worked hard – don’t forget about that fact!
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