I’ve been working for Mintun Media for just a few months now. In that small amount of time I have learned a LOT about business, digital marketing, and honestly just life in general. As I continue to observe what it takes for our company and others to succeed, one consistent trend stands out: the key to success is believing in yourself.
God that sounds cheesy. But it’s true! Sure, things like marketing to specific personas, SEO optimization, updating your website, and consistent brand imaging are crucial for business growth. However, believing in yourself and what you have to offer is what truly drives success.
How Confidence Impacts Business Growth
It may seem obvious but your business isn’t going anywhere unless you believe in you and your ability to move it along. As an entrepreneur, you’re going to have to make a lot of big hard decisions. You’ll face numerous instances where your abilities and vision will be challenged. This is where self-belief comes in as an essential tool for navigating the ups and downs of the business world.
At my core I’m an artist – drawing, painting, sculpting – if it involves creating something, I’m there. About four years ago I discovered a new medium I loved – henna tattoos! (They’re tattoos that are temporary and painless – my kind of thing).
Everybody around me started telling me that I needed to start a business doing hennas for other people. It sounded like a nice idea but god was I hesitant. Sure, my friends and family were telling me I was good and everybody would want one but come on, was I actually? Or were they just being nice?
It took me two more years before I decided to do a little booth at community markets. I wrestled with self doubt. But when I finally decided to ‘send it’ and offer my skills to complete strangers, the response was overwhelmingly positive. It turns out when you decide to take a chance on yourself and your vision, things work out!
Building confidence can transform how you approach challenges and opportunities. Whether you’re just starting your business or trying to grow your current one to $10 million in revenue, the key to success will always be self confidence. Here are some tips you can apply to help yourself overcome self-doubt and realize your full potential.
Visualize Your Dream State
Let me ask you this, how exactly are you going to get somewhere if you don’t have a clear idea of where you want to go? It’s like saying you want to go on vacation without making plans.
Just as a vacation starts by picking a clear destination, booking flights, creating an itinerary, and imagining yourself on the beach to get yourself through work meetings – achieving success in business starts with a defined vision and strategic planning.
Confidence is giving yourself the go ahead to go on vacation and the conviction you need to follow through with your plans. When you face the inevitable challenges that are part of building a business, go back to that vision. Here are some tips on how you can visualize your success:
- Write Down Your Vision: Every. Damn. Morning. This piece of advice my mentors gave me has changed my outlook on life and led me to believe hey, I actually AM one of those people who can reach my goals. Write down your goals as if you’ve already achieved them. It helps me stay focused on where I want to be.
- Put pictures up in your workspace: That mansion you’ve always dreamed of? Print a picture. Want to be on Forbes 40 under 40? Post last year’s list where you can see it. Want a relationship like Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds? Put their picture up. (plus, who doesn’t want to look at them all day). Have a visual of your dream in front of you to remind yourself what you’re working towards everyday.
- Imagine the emotions you’ll feel when you reach your goal: Reaching your goals is and always will be one of the best feelings a human can have. Close your eyes and see yourself at the finish line. Let yourself feel the personal fulfillment before it happens to help reinforce your vision and belief in your ability to get there.
- Make time everyday to visualize your vision: Set a timer on your phone to go off everyday at the same time. The life of an entrepreneur is a busy one and although this might feel like just another task on your to-do list, it serves an important purpose! It helps you remember that all the other tasks you’re doing are just steps towards achieving success.
Be Sold on What You Have to Offer
SALES 101: Nobody is going to want what you have to offer unless you’re convinced of its value (including your own value!) This applies to every context – personal and professional.
See if you can spot a difference between these two phrases:
- Mintun Media is just another online agency. We do development, websites, and marketing. There’s a lot of agencies out there and ours does a pretty good job of helping clients I guess.
Versus…
- There is no agency like Mintun Media. I mean, when people ask what we do the real question is what DON’T we do?! We have an unmatched team of professionals that will take your business to the TOP LEVEL. Seriously, I’ve never met a group of individuals so capable and amazing at what they do! We do all of our work for clients in house and trust me, customers recognize this and LOVE it. Plus, we’re fun people. Working with us is going to be the best decision you could make for your business!
Okay, so I may have gotten dramatic on that last one. But do you see my point? How much more inclined are you to hire us after the last sentence versus the first? Now let’s apply this to you and your business.
- I’m just another person chasing their dreams. I’m not really sure how this will turn out but I guess I just wanted to try.
BOO! Try again.
- I am one of the most badass people on this planet! I set a goal, I reach it! Period. I don’t care about what I don’t know because I’m going to learn it. I am in LOVE with my business idea and I’m going to take it to the very top. Whatever I put my mind to, I WILL achieve!
Phew, even I’m confident in you now!!!
The point of all this is to show you that the more sold you are on yourself and the more confident you are in your abilities, the further you’ll be motivated to do what it takes to move your business forward. I’m telling you, the key to success is confidence.
Always Be Yourself
Have you ever seen a dog roaming around a lion cage? Or perhaps one of those zoo shows where a tiny human trainer is in the cage petting the cheetah and bribing it to do something silly for a little piece of meat? I’ve watched some of these shows and I’ve always wondered how such a powerful animal could become so limited and controlled.
Similarly, you have immense potential and power within you.
Just as those animals were meant to be king of the jungle so do you have the strength, ability, and voice to set yourself apart. YOU are your own secret weapon!
Being authentic goes further than just unleashing your potential. Here is a list of areas where authenticity is going to help you outshine your competition:
- Business Relationships: Remember that feeling when you’d walk into your part-time job as a 16 year old and your favorite coworker was also working? There’s really nothing better than working with people you enjoy being around and trust to get the job done. The more you stay true to yourself, the more investors or potential clients will want to work with you. They’ll see you as a worthy investment of their time and business and want to build a meaningful relationship with you.
- Brand Identity: The thing about your content is that it’s not original. Harsh, but true. What you’re creating and doing now 1000% has been done before. (Unless you’ve built a functional time machine, which in that case I would say do what you want). Your voice is what makes your business unique. You have to be confident and consistent in your voice because it reinforces brand identity and makes you more recognizable.
- Leadership: I love being on a team call that goes from talking about donuts to how we can optimize split tests for our clients. Yes, they’re completely different topics. But when I hear my leaders talking about things like donuts or playing D&D I’m reminded that they’re human (and pretty awesome humans). I feel more inclined to follow them because I believe in what they can do and I admire them as human beings.
- Problem Solving: Authenticity encourages genuine collaboration. When you’re your authentic self, others can tell and they’re more willing to work with you. Additionally, when people feel that honesty is valued they’re more likely to give you feedback, report issues, and address problems transparently.
For further help on embracing new problems and tackling challenges in your business, read more here.
Embrace Unstoppable Confidence As the Key to Success
It takes a lot of resilience to be an entrepreneur. Choosing this path means you’re signing up for a lot of long nights, high stress, and countless cups of coffee (okay that might be a perk). It’s precisely because of that dedication and hard work that I already admire you.
Entrepreneurs are truly amazing people and confident entrepreneurs are unstoppable. They bring an energy that just makes you feel like you can do anything.
Let yourself be that type of person. Let yourself be so confident that people around you get annoyed. Let yourself scream at the world how capable you are because you really, truly are, capable of anything you set your mind to. Let your potential be unleashed and before long you’ll start to watch you and your business reach even greater heights.
