31 Mar 7 Tips for Entrepreneurs to Believe in Themselves More
What I’ve learned in these 11 years is you just got to stay focused and
believe in yourself and trust your own ability and judgement.
– Mark Cuban –
If a person starts a business from scratch, it is a given that there is some belief there. He believes that he could start a business. He believes in his product or service. And so he successfully becomes an entrepreneur. Then the business starts getting into trouble—what startup doesn’t? And he starts to doubt himself. He questions his business acumen. Then he starts to lose confidence in his product or service.
Here are two words for every businessman who starts to doubt in himself and his business: JUST BELIEVE.
Of course, this is easier said than done, especially in the middle of a crisis. So how can entrepreneurs believe in themselves more? Here are some tips.
Continue learning
Knowledge gives people confidence. So continue learning. If you have the extra time to enroll yourself in post-graduate courses in a school setting, that would be great. Aside from learning the technical and academic parts of the business, you get to interact with other students. Most of these students—if not all—are also into business (granting you are taking a business course). The exchange in ideas and experiences will further enhance your knowledge about successfully running a business. If you don’t really have the time to go to school, you can just enroll yourself in online classes. Just like everything else, business models and strategies are always evolving, so you better keep yourself updated on that. Speaking of updates, it also helps that you learn by devouring business stories. Read the news every day and learn about the trends and what businesses are making the news.
People always say that experience is the best teacher. That is so true. So continue learning from everyday experiences in running a business. You will believe yourself more when you are armed with knowledge in all aspects of the business world.
Only make calculated decisions
Running a business is like raising a baby. You would have to rely on knowledge, money, support and a lot of love. But unlike raising a baby, you can’t let the business run with too much emotion. You cannot make an emotional decision. So always keep your strong feelings aside when you make a decision for the business. Every decision counts and every factor is important. Always make a calculated resolution. This is not to say that you should not take a risk, but it only means that if you do take a risk, it should be by weighing the pros and cons. Make sure you don’t lose everything if you take a risk and it fails. Never act on impulse. You will believe in yourself more when probabilities are laid out right in front of you.
Listen to your customers
At a 2018 talk at the Economic Club of Washington, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said: “The number one thing that has made us successful by far is an obsessive-compulsive focus on the customer as opposed to obsession over the competitor.” So stop trying to be better than the competition, instead, strive to be better by satisfying your customers. Always listen to feedback and do not be defensive. Yes, some customers could be ridiculously pedantic, but you could always listen and dissect what he said. Maybe there is some sense to it when you look closer. Besides, you don’t have to appease every silly comment or feedback on your product and service. The most important thing is you listen to what the customers have to say and open your mind. Separate the feedback that actually makes sense and try to do better. Make the customers happy and you are sure to beat the competition.
When you know that your customers are happy and are engaging you with feedback, you will be fueled to do better and be more confident about the steps you make to improve the business.
Mature with time
Allow yourself to learn through time: learn from experience and learn from mistakes. You will notice that you see an incident differently after time has passed, after earning different perspectives. This kind of maturity will give you more confidence to make better decisions and to deal with problems.
Always package yourself in success
You know how we sometimes see a person and call them beautiful? But when you really look at the face, they are not really as beautiful as you first saw it. That’s because their beauty was enhanced by confidence and the right clothes and accessories. The same goes for you as an entrepreneur. Dress yourself in success and confidence and you will believe in yourself more. That’s also because a sense of pride swells from within when people look at you in admiration. So always dress to impress, not in a fashionable way but in a successful way. Even if the business is not as successful as you want it to be, at least you can dress the part. Remember that first impressions usually last. So if you are meeting with clients, it really helps that you look successful. Besides, you will always feel better when you are dressed nicely. Remember to still be comfortable, though. No matter how nice you dress, you will not be confident if your outfit is not comfortable.
It is a given that worrying will lessen your belief in yourself. So don’t worry too much. Every problem has a solution, so don’t fret. This is not saying that you should brush off a problem. Face the problem head on. If the trouble is beyond your expertise, then call someone who specializes in the problem your business is facing. A businessman who doesn’t believe in himself will fret and stress about what others might think about the business or about them.
Think positive
Okay, you’ve heard this so many times before but it really works. When you think about positive things, you feel positive and happier. As a result, you will also bring positive energy into your business. Send also positivity in other people’s way for a better business outlook. Of course, when you are high on positive energy, you just believe in yourself more.
No Comments