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#33: Daring Decisions: Big Risks for Bigger Results in Female Entrepreneurship

Samantha Bell
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Bold Moves: Scaling Up for Female Entrepreneurs

Step out of your safety net and embrace the adventure of entrepreneurship with guts and grit! In this episode, Samantha Bell lays down the hard truth about what it really takes to amplify your business game. In her latest conversation, she cracks open the playbook on risk-taking, revealing how conventional 'play-it-safe' strategies could actually be your biggest setback. It's a no-holds-barred discussion where she challenges you to ditch the excuses, grab the reins of personal responsibility, and catapult past the bare minimum to achieve the extraordinary.

Get ready to reprogram your internal GPS as we traverse the entrepreneurial landscape, mapping out the crucial milestones where discomfort meets growth. The episode introduces a navigational tool Samantha calls 'thought buckets,' designed to filter out the static of unproductive emotions and zero in on what truly matters—facts and decisive action. By the end of your journey, you'll understand that the key to unlocking long-term success isn't just about taking risks; it's about making the right moves with precision and purpose, driven by the core motivations that sparked your business in the first place. So buckle up and prepare for a ride that could redefine your entrepreneurial destiny.

(full transcription below)

Main Points

01:19 - Overcoming Overwhelm: Navigating Entrepreneurship as Women

03:23 - Decision-Making for Growth: The Pitfalls of Playing it Safe in Business

07:56 - Asking the Right Business Questions for Success

09:42 - Embracing Business Risks: The Growth Mindset

11:37 - The Power of Decisiveness for Female Entrepreneurs

13:28 - Strategies to Move Past Fear: Creating Mental Buckets

19:01 - Aligning Actions with Big Picture Dreams

23:10 - Challenging the Fear of Failure

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of your dreams!

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LISTEN + SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS + SPOTIFY

Hi, I’m Samantha Bell

I’m all about helping you build the business – and life – you’ve always wanted.

Listen in for the simple, actionable strategies, mindset shifts, and practices you need to make your business thrive. Plus, a healthy dose of self-care, health, and wellness so you can live the life you absolutely adore while building your beautiful business.

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Transcription

00:00

Entrepreneurship is practically synonymous with risk-taking, so it's time to shape things up with some real action. Big moves, daring decisions, and they are not just a fancy phrase. They're about stepping out on a limb and embracing the thrill of the unknown. But here's the twist Instead of the same old lecture about taking risks, I want to talk about what it really involves. In today's episode, we're going to unpack all the nitty-gritty around risks and safety nets and I want to flip your perspective on risk-taking. So get ready to see things in a whole new light. Music. Welcome to the Brilliant Business, Beautiful Life podcast, where we share simple, actionable strategies plus the mindset and wellness practices you need to build the business and life you love. Head to 16thavecreative.com/playbook and download your free guide to design the business and life you deserve today. I'm your host, Samantha Bell, and this is the Brilliant Business, Beautiful Life podcast. Are you ready for the business and life of your dreams? Let's get started.

01:19 - Overcoming Overwhelm: Navigating Entrepreneurship as Women

Today's episode is inspired by some recent conversations I've had with some women in business who are finding it really difficult to navigate being an entrepreneur. Now, these ladies started their businesses to do what sets their heart on buyer, to make a difference and to not get bogged down with all the techy stuff like websites, blog posts and social media. Does that sound familiar to you? We actually need to have more open conversations around this topic because, honestly, it is the elephant in the room for many female service providers. So, I want to dissect it here because it is such a relevant point, and feelings of overwhelm around running a business can cause many women to decide that enough's enough. I've had enough. I'm shutting the doors and going back to a nine-to-five job. Well, that would certainly be easier. Entrepreneurship is definitely a challenging ride, but let me ask you this… Is easier, better? Would it make you happy and feel fulfilled? I mean, did you start your business to just jump ship and go back to a job that steals your soul when things got rocky? I'd say not.

02:35

Now, here's what I truly believe: To grab hold of the extraordinary, you've got to take bold moves. I'm talking about major moves, risk-taking, and stepping well outside of your comfort zone. And it isn't just me who thinks this. If you've ever listened to Tony Robbins, Marie Folio, Steve Jobs, or Simon Sinek, you would have heard them talk about this concept, and it resonates with so many people because it's the truth, but the problem is that it's much easier said than done. Saying all those words, especially when you're all fired up and, in the moment, is really easy. It's simple, but it's the conviction behind the words and taking the action that's far more complicated.

03:23 - Decision-Making for Growth: The Pitfalls of Playing it Safe in Business

I've had lots of conversations over the years with clients who say I'm doing all these things, I'm going through the motions every day, but nothing is working and nothing is changing. And that's where I switch into tough love mode because the truth is playing it safe, doing the bare minimum is just treading water. You're not going anywhere, and this is what's keeping you small and stopping your business from becoming something amazing. You've got to push, you've got to learn, you've got to forget about being comfortable to make things happen. You can't just launch a website, share it to your social media and then sit back and wait for the world to come to you. It just doesn't work that way, and it's heartbreaking to see amazing women in business quit and allow their bright, shiny stars to fade out just as they hit that three-year itch, and then they battle on their dreams when they're just starting to get traction Because if only they could hang on. It takes two to three years minimum, just to get off the ground and to start finally seeing some results from all of your hard work and setting up your business. But after four years or five years in, that is where you start to see compounding growth on all of the wonderful foundations you've laid in your business.

04:43

So, what do you need? You need to be the change that you want to see, and it's one of the hardest things to embrace as an entrepreneur. But the results of your business are solely up to you and no one else, and quite often what I hear from the people that I talk to are excuses. I'm no good with tech. I am terrible on camera. I don't understand social media. I hate Instagram. It's so hard to get clients. I can't get the message out there. I'm no good at writing All those things. They are just excuses. And you want to know why? Because all of those things can be learned or outsourced. You can learn anything. Your brain has an infinite capacity to continue learning. So if your business means enough to you, you've either got to decide you're going to learn these things and implement them and actually do the things, or you're going to get the help from someone who can do it for you. That's the choice. That's what it comes down to. It's as simple and complicated as that.

05:50

So why would you throw away all your hopes, all your dreams, your passion and your hard work Just because it's easier for you to stay in your comfort zone? If you want to make big moves, if you want results, you have to take the action, and it is solely up to you to make that happen. And it's time to stop making excuses. Excuses don't work. We could all make excuses. Tony Robbins could have made that excuse and if he did, he wouldn't have the incredible business that he has today. He wouldn't be empowering the lives of millions of people around the world if he had used those excuses. We all have the opportunity to say those things Because we all start at the beginning knowing nothing. So it's up to us to decide am I going to sit in my comfort zone and make excuses, or am I going to get out of my comfort zone and make it happen? And the flip side of doing this is it is empowering. You can use that to fire you up, use it as your fuel, your drive and your way to becoming the success you've been dreaming of.

07:00

It absolutely takes a lot of hard work and a lot of effort. Entrepreneurship is all about hard work and effort. It's all about living outside your comfort zone, but that's what you signed up for when you started your business. So what you need to do now is ask yourself how badly do I want to succeed? How will I feel if I give up now, just when things are starting to pick up, and what could happen if I keep going? And how will that make me feel? Now, if any of your answers to those questions point to you feeling disappointed or concerned over saying no to opportunity and saying no to living life on your terms and saying no to making things happen, imagine how much more disappointed you'll feel if you say yes to letting go of your dreams now.

07:56 - Asking the Right Business Questions for Success

Now, I did say the tough love was coming out, but it's really important to ask these questions and put a mirror in front of yourself. Really, look yourself in the eyes and ask why. Have I really truly tried my hardest and given my business every opportunity of success, or have I been playing in the sand pit, hoping my amazing sandcastle will suddenly appear before me? Am I waiting for opportunities to come to me or am I going out and making them happen? Really important to ask yourself those questions Now. When I look at myself, my peers and my clients who have seen amazing success in their online service businesses, there's one thing in common there are no excuses, there is no risk that's too big. They feel the fear, I feel the fear, but we all do it anyway.

08:48

So again, ask yourself have I really truly tried my hardest and given my business every opportunity of success? Have I stepped outside of my comfort zone and done the things I'm most scared of doing? And if your business isn't growing, if you're thinking about giving up right now? I am guessing that the answer is no. Ta-pla, I know, but you need to hear it Now. If the answer is no, why? What is holding you back? Why are you so committed to staying safe and feeling comfortable and settling for mediocre results and then being disappointed because nothing is happening? What's the risk? Ask yourself this what is the worst thing that can happen? If you do something you're scared of? You'll fail, right. So what?

09:42 - Embracing Business Risks: The Growth Mindset

As I say, all the time we grow through failure. We become better, stronger, wiser, more capable and more insightful. When we fail, embrace failure, try, fall, get down, get up, try again and then keep rinsing and repeating, because you cannot grow, you cannot succeed without taking risks and failing. Every single successful entrepreneur around the globe, every doctor, lawyer, sports star, artist, singer, model, actor, anyone who has any level of success they all take risks and they all at some point fail miserably. But what they do is get up. They keep pushing on until they get where they want to go. They're tenacious and they don't make excuses.

10:34

I want to say something very important to you here. I've been giving you the hard blow, the tough blow, but this is a really important thing for you to remember, and it is you have already done the hardest thing. You started. Do you have any idea how far ahead of the game you are just by doing that? So many people dream and talk about starting their own business, yet for the majority, that's where it stays. It stays a dream of maybe one day thought. But you, you did it. You put your heart where your words are and you started. You created a concept, you got your website up and running, you wrote copy, you've built services packages and you've got your first clients. You're already working, doing amazing things, making an impact in the world, and that is incredible. You've now got systems in place and the groundwork is all set up, just ready for you to build on. That's the hardest part, and you've done it, so you just got to keep going.

11:37 - The Power of Decisiveness for Female Entrepreneurs

It's so easy to forget all of your achievements and how much you have already grown as a woman and as an entrepreneur, especially this far reading, when you are feeling tired and exhausted and feeling like it's all too much. But now is not the time to let negativity take over. Now is the time to leverage what you've created. And guess what? That is a decision. Anytime you are considering making a big move, taking a big risk or even giving up, you are making a decision, and being decisive is one of the most important traits of being a successful business owner, which is one area where most women let themselves down, and it's generally due to a lack of confidence in having low self-esteem and listening to other people say to you why don't you just get a job? It would be so much easier. And this is where it's really super important to recognize your internal narrative. What are you telling yourself and what do you actually want?

12:47

One of the first steps that I think is really super important when you're looking at the big picture in front of you is uncovering your internal narrative. Hear what you're saying to yourself. What are your thoughts? What is all the negative dialogue you are having with yourself Now? Negative thoughts happen to us all, especially when we're feeling overwhelmed or scared at all. We're caught up in the emotions. But this is where it's really helpful to take the emotions and the fears out, look at the situation through logical, rational eyes, and I like to create thought buckets.

13:28 - Strategies to Move Past Fear: Creating Mental Buckets

So you create a mental bucket just for the emotions and the fears, thoughts like what if this doesn't work out? What if I'm no good? What if I run out of money? Then what's going to happen? There's no way I can face my family. I can't do this because all those negative thoughts put them into your mental thought bucket of emotions and fears, and then create a mental bucket just for other people's opinions, things people have said to you, things like just get a day job, just stop. I don't even know why you're doing this to yourself. It's so much easier just going to work and switching off when you come home. Yeah, I hate my job, but it's so much less hassle. You should do the same.

14:07

Make a bucket for those people's opinions and finally create a mental bucket of facts what you've done, what you haven't done, your goals, the actions you've taken to achieve your goals, your business processes, everything you set up, your services and pricing, your marketing activities, your sales process, all of the specific, tangible things that you have done and created in your business and all of the things you know you should do but have not done. They need to go in your mental bucket of facts. And then this is the next step, and it's powerful. What you do is you take those first two buckets Remember the first two buckets they were one for emotions and one for other people's opinions and you get two lids and you put a lid firmly on each of those two buckets. Leave the lid off your bucket of facts, dive into it, roll around in it, get covered in the facts, feel them, see them, remember them, understand them. And when you do that, you'll very quickly recognise that all those fears and emotions, you have already dealt with them.

15:21

Before you started your business, you already decided to start your business and quit your nine to five. You've already run through the worst case scenarios. When making the decision to start, you already analysed everything, you did, your pros and cons, and it's the fear that is pulling you back into that space. You're being controlled by your fear right now. So bring yourself back to the present moment and instead consider all the potential gains in your business if you do things differently, if you dare to take smart risks and use strategies to move past your fear and make big moves. Because if you quit now, you will never have the opportunity of having a six or seven bigger business or making the change you want to see in the world, and you're denying yourself the creatives and financial freedom and time freedom and happiness that all of that could bring you.

16:21

And think back to when you started. Remember how new, scary and uncomfortable it all was, but eventually it all became comfortable and familiar. The fear left. It became the new normal. And taking risks now will be the same for you. They'll be new, they'll be scary and they'll be uncomfortable, but you will grow with them, with the challenge. You'll grow with the challenge to the point where you sit with them like an old friend, feeling secure, safe and familiar, and then you'll start again taking on new risks. And it's important to view risks in this way, because every single risk has the potential to enrich your life and become a new way of being so. Instead of thinking that being uncomfortable equals danger, change your thinking. Sit with the awkwardness until you get comfortable at a new level and allow yourself to grow more Disassociate from the fear, disassociate from the emotion and disassociate from the opinions of others and dive into your bucket of facts.

17:30

Successful business women make decisions and constantly take risks. They don't stop to consider the possibility of those first two buckets because they don't matter. Whatever they do to move their business forward will always be a step further ahead than if they didn't take the risk. And the most dangerous place for you to be as an entrepreneur is to be indecisive. You have the choice to say yes or no, but the time when you're stuck in indecision is the most dangerous place for you to be, and that is where you are guaranteed to not move forward and to not progress. And that looks like things like saying maybe, or what do you think? Or I might one day, or maybe next time, or I'm considering my options. Now. I'm not saying don't ask yourself those questions. What I'm saying is don't stay stuck there, because the longer you are indecisive, the more confused your thoughts become and the more paralyzed you become and you might think you've made a decision, but you haven't. You're still stuck because you're doing nothing and you're not taking any action to grow your business or do what's needed to get the results that you crave. So you've got to commit to making decisions. You can always change your mind later. Nothing is set in stone. But don't waste your energy being indecisive. Your energy is really valuable, so use it wisely.

19:01 - Aligning Actions with Big Picture Dreams

We put so much pressure on ourselves, trying to make everything perfect and to please everyone around us, but instead don't do that. Be decisive, make decisions based on facts and just move forwards, and all that means is assess the situation, weigh the potential risks and benefits based on the facts, not emotion or fear or other people's opinions and take action that's aligned with your big picture dreams. That's aligned with your why. Go back to why you started, and to do this you're going to need to pull back into yourself, reacquaint yourself with you, with your vision, and put on your CEO hat and just get to work Again. Remember your why, get tough on yourself, hold yourself accountable. What are all the things you know that you should do, but you don't because you can't be bothered or it seems too hard or you feel uncultable. Make a list and determine where do all these things fit into the scheme of building and marketing and growing your business? Put them into action and limit your options. Stop running around in circles, stop googling and asking people for their opinion.

20:18

If you need help, get it from the right source. Talk to a business mentor. Talk to strategist on the topic that you're struggling with. Talk to your website designer or content strategist Whoever, it is where the problem it lies. Get the right advice from people who do that, who specialize in that area, and doing that will remove your stress and limit your indecision. Asking for the right help and getting the right answers will give you a specialized approach to allow you to move forwards, but that will only get you so far.

20:55

Once you've got that information and all the advice you need, guess what? Nothing is going to change unless you make it change. So you've got to take action. Even if it scares, you Just do it. Like I've always quoted in the Nike slogan just do it.

21:14

Create firm deadlines, make solid lines in the stands that are not negotiable, and move heaven and earth to achieve them. Trust your gut, trust your intuition, trust your heart. These are not your fears and these are not the voice in your head telling you no or the voice demanding that you be safe and comfortable. Be bold, be brave and fearlessly committed. Embrace the possibilities of failure, because you will fail, but you're going to be so much better because of it. And the last hurdle that you will need to jump is redefining what safety looks like for you, because if you're going to remain an entrepreneur, you cannot derive your safety from having a stable salary and having certainty, because there is none when you're running a business. You've just got to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. You just have to do it, and that's a choice you need to make right now, because the nature of entrepreneurship is living in uncertainty, and that's part of the fun.

22:22

Every day is different, every client is different, every challenge is different, and isn't that what you wanted when you started? You didn't want to go to the nine to five doing the same thing over and over, answering to the boss, being told what you can do, when you can do it and how to do it. Remember why you started and fall back in love with your business. Celebrate how very far you have already come, the risks you've already taken. Don't waste them. Remember all the decisions you have already bravely made and then just keep it simple, don't overcomplicate things, don't make situations too complex, and regularly reflect, recalibrate and just keep going.

23:10 - Challenging the Fear of Failure

Be committed to the outcome and act like your success is inevitable. Change yourself, talk to being positive, and know there is no other option but for you to succeed. And if you embrace these thoughts, this thought process, and start to genuinely believe them, it will make taking the actions you need to take and doing all the hard things so much easier. So stop handing over your power to fear, to doubt and to other people and to the need for certainty. Take back your power. Operate on the belief system that your success is inevitable, and I guarantee you that if, from right now or from tomorrow, you start doing these things and you switch up your attitude, your business will start moving in the right direction more smoothly and more quickly than you can imagine. It's all up to you, and the best part is, if you do this, your future is in your hands and not anybody else's. Now that's exciting. So be brave, make bold moves and daring decisions and take those big risks to get the results that you crave.

24:29

So that's the end of my tough love lecture. I hope that it's connected with you. I hope it's allowed you to reconnect with why you started, why you're here, all the amazing things you've already done and the ability you have to keep going and where it can possibly take you, the results are limitless. There's no limits to what you can achieve. You just need to believe that, you need to trust yourself and just make it happen. So lecture over Until next time.

25:03

Be brilliant, stay beautiful, because now really is the time for the brilliant business and beautiful life you adore, and I want you to remember that you are not alone. I'm here, my business is here. Wear your cheerleaders and your support team and we are only a Zoom call away. So if you do need support, if you do need to chat things through, just book a call and we'll help you. We'll motivate you to get back on track. So off you go, do amazing things. You got this. Thanks so much for listening. I'd love to know your biggest takeaway from today's episode, so leave me a comment below or send a DM on Instagram. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button wherever you listen to the Brilliant Business Beautiful Life podcast and feel free to share it with someone else who'll love it too. I look forward to seeing you for the next episode and remember the time is now for your brilliant business and the beautiful life you adore.