Can you move forward?

I watch the TV show Men in Trees. I have to admit that I love when Marin Frist asks questions on her radio show that pertain to what is going on in the show and her advice at the end of each show.

Her latest piece of advice was "Sometimes in order to move forward you have to stop looking back. It is always tempting to stick with what is safe, what is comfortable... You might never feel ready to ... move on, but you have to because that is how we grow and growing is what it is all about."

I talk with clients on a weekly basis who are still stuck at first base. They tell me that they have all of their forms ready, they have received their business license, they have their marketing materials in place, and all of their other ducks in a row, yet they haven’t started their business yet. They are frozen to their seat and unable to get up and take the first step. I always ask them what is holding them back. Their answer? Fear.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, fear means an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation. It implies anxiety and usually loss of courage, such as fear of the unknown. Of course it is scary to get out there and start your own business. I was so scared when I first was starting that I kept dragging my feet about. Finally someone told me “Just get out there or your business will never be a success.” I had my own anxieties. “What if no one wants my services?” “What if everyone says I am charging too much?” “What if I don’t do it right?” So many What If’s and no actual movement on my part.

I decided to finally take the plunge. Every time I would go out to talk to someone about my business my hands would get clammy and I would start to breathe a little harder, but as I kept talking to people and got my speech down, things got easier. I was able to talk to people with a genuine smile without that feeling of anxiety. I got my first client and then the anxiety started back up. Once I was able to get through a few errands for him, my anxiety level started to come down a little bit.

I have learned many lessons along the way. Some I have liked and others I didn’t. But that is what built me up to be a stronger person. Sure I have had people reject my services along the way, but I realized that it wasn’t me personally that they were rejecting, but my business at that point in time. Even after all of the years I have been in business, I still have twinges of anxiety when meeting a new corporate client or launching a new product or service, but if I didn’t get a little anxious it would make life boring for me.

It takes a lot of work to make a go of a business, regardless of the industry someone is in. Find support that will help you move forward. It could be books, seminars, classes at the local college, a friend’s shoulder to cry on, a mentor program, or a group of business owners that you can set up to cheer you on.

As humans we grow physically from infants to adults. As business owners we need to grow mentally and expand outside of the safe, comfortable box we have created for ourselves. This is the only way we can succeed.