Letting Go of the Fear and Going for Gold
In 2010, I was working for a company providing outpatient therapy for adolescents. This was a job that I cherished because I was working with a group of people I wanted to help, I could set my own schedule, and honestly, I knew I was a good therapist. One day, I was speaking with the owner about my thoughts of wanting to having my own agency. The conversation was going well as she told me that I was a great therapist and really knew my stuff, but she said that owning a business is something that I would not be able to do and be successful at. Now I have to say, l do understand, no one wants to lose a good employee and she probably was not the person to be speaking to, but the conversation did stir up some feelings that I had deep down inside. It stirred up all the fear I had about possibly failing. I let those fears take over for a while before I finally decided to face the fear and go for my dreams. Here, I will outline how to let go of your fear and go for your gold.
research
Spend time thinking about what your fears are. What are you worried about and how can you prepare for it? For example, if you are worried about being able to cover your bills during the start up, work on a budget to assist during the financially challenging times. Research small business loans or grants to help offset step up cost. Enroll in business planning courses/sessions that can help you to learn about financial needs when starting the business. There are numerous free resources that will give you an abundance of information. Your search can simply begin with an internet search.
Spend some time thinking about what it is you want to do and what you want from your business. What services are you going to offer? Who are you targeting? What does it take to get started? What will you need to get started? Start writing out your plan and ideas.
surround yourself with supporters
Talk to people who are doing what you want to do and those who have started their own business. Ask them to tell you about what you should be aware of — what are the good and bad things about owning a business. What are the challenges? What are the rewards? What tips/suggestions do they have? What are some of the sacrifices they made? Many business owners are willing to tell you about their journey with their business. Most people will be happy to help you avoid the mistakes they made. Talk with them about their fears in starting their business — they may have had similar fears as you have now and are able to quelch them.
Now, I did not suggest that you talk to your friends or family. Friends and family are great to talk with but they are going to be biased and will probably tell you what you want to hear. In starting out, you need objective, skilled support.
get a mentor/coach
Connect with professional organizations, groups, and even a business coach. This person or group of people will have a wealth of education and knowledge to help you develop your business and business plan. They will be able to lead you resources and help educate you about how to start a business. A coach can assist in quieting your fears, enabling you to power forward with the business. They can also help you avoid pitfalls.
embrace the fear
The fear will be there because this is a new venture, something that you haven’t done before. Realize that you have had feared things in the past, but think about the outcome. Did they work out well? Sometimes, our fears can be real and warranted. Sometimes we can learn from our fear. Preparing can help us to elevate some of our fears and feel confident in moving forward toward our goal.
So, it is up to you. You can look at fear in two ways-
Forget Everything And Run
Or
False Evidence Appearing Real.
Which will you choose?
Erika Brooks is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor in the state of Virginia. She received her Masters of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is the owner of Enlightenment Counseling Services, LLC. She is also a co-author of “PEARL: Wisdom and Advice for Emerging Leaders”. Contact her are brookslpc@gmail.com