#20: The Art of Entrepreneurship: Reframing Challenges as Opportunities
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Reframe your mindset, conquer your fears, and build your dream business.
Are you ready to shake off your doubts and embrace the thrill of the entrepreneurial world?
We're going all-in on reframing common business hurdles in this power-packed episode. With a focus on fostering a positive entrepreneurial mindset, we'll help you combat your fears of the unknown and guide you to find clarity through self-dialogue and ideas. Let's turn the overwhelming unknowns into exciting possibilities together.
Join us as we tackle the fear of failure head-on and navigate the doubts that often come with building a business from scratch.
We'll explore the importance of building a supportive network and discuss the significance of selective advice intake.
But, we're not just talking about success, we're also talking about failure, and more importantly, how it paves the way for growth and learning.
Let's dive into your entrepreneurial journey, and turn obstacles into stepping stones for success.
(full transcription below)
Main Points
00:00 - Reframing Your Mindset: Embracing Obstacles as Opportunities
02:59 - The Entrepreneurial Mindset: A Key to Business Success
04:10 - Overcoming the Fear of the Unknown
04:50 - Embracing Mistakes and Failures
06:03 - The Power of Clarity: Defining Your Vision
08:07 - Navigating Information Overload: Cutting Through the Noise
09:15 - Financial Confidence: A Smart Startup Approach
10:37 - Time Management: Finding Opportunities Amidst Busyness
11:54 - Conquering the Fear of Failure
15:35 - Building a Support System: Your Entrepreneurial Community
17:30 - Making Choices: The Power of Your Decisions
19:14 - Turning Obstacles into Opportunities for Growth
21:03 - Take Action Now: Your Brilliant Business Awaits
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Thank you so much for being here! I look forward to seeing you for the next episode.
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of your dreams!
PS. Download the Brilliant Business Beautiful Life Playbook and start designing the business and life you deserve today!
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
I want to ask you a question what do you think about when you hear the word obstacle? What comes straight to your mind? Is it a positive thought? Is it a negative thought? Does it make you feel anxious? Does it make you feel happy? Have a think about the word obstacles. 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.
00:39
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. Today is the third episode in our Start-Up Success series, a series of five talks all about starting up your business. We're focusing right at the very beginning of your entrepreneurial journey, and today I want to address some common concerns women have when they're deciding to start a business or not start.
01:15
I asked you to think about the word obstacle and what it made you think or feel when you hear that word, and if you're like most people, the word obstacle immediately makes you feel negative or feel despondent, or that something is going to be too hard, or that it's just not going to be a good situation. I need to stop you there. If this is how you naturally feel when you hear the word obstacle or when you face challenges, it's time to reframe your thinking. Every successful entrepreneur faces challenges and obstacles on a daily basis, every single day, but what they don't do is let those challenges hold them back. So, you need to start thinking like an entrepreneur, embrace this positive, forward thinking, entrepreneurial mindset, and when you do, you are setting yourself up for success. You can transform all those negative thoughts and feelings into more positive ones, like curiosity and possibility.
02:24
Everything comes down to mindset. The success of your business hinges on your mindset. You can have the best services in the world, the best products in the world, the best website, the best marketing, and the best everything, but if your mindset is not an entrepreneurial mindset, where it is geared towards curiosity, possibility, making things happen, you're not going to succeed. It all starts with your mindset. So that's what I want to address here today. Reframing how you think about obstacles.
02:59
We want to put you on the path to success. So if you've ever dreamed of leaving in the night to five, starting your business, living life on your terms. You, like a lot of other ambitious women, you've got a powerful dream. It's a driving force. You've got passion. You've got vision and determination. But alongside all those wonderful things, you've also got some doubts and nagging questions that are just holding you back. So we want to stop you holding yourself back, because that's a fear based response, it's not a positive one and it's never going to get you anywhere good. So we are going to learn how to conquer your obstacles, how to get onto the full path of entrepreneurial potential, how to embrace challenge and switch it on its head and make it something really positive for you, because an entrepreneur always looks at problems as opportunities, and that's what you need to start doing too, if this is the right journey for you.
04:10
One of the biggest fears people have is the fear of the unknown, and a significant barrier to entrepreneurship is that fear. When you start a business, it feels like you're stepping into uncharted territory, and that's because you are. You're thinking what if I make a mistake? What if I fail? What if it doesn't work out? Well, it's time to stop thinking that way. You need to stop going into panic mode where everything's out of control and going into entrepreneur mode, where everything's an opportunity. What if you make a mistake? Well, that's not a bad thing. That's actually a good thing.
04:50
Mistakes are there for a reason they help you grow, they help you learn, they help you get better. If you don't make mistakes, you don't improve, you don't grow, you don't move forward. So make mistakes. I encourage you to make mistakes, because it's only going to improve you and your services and how you do things. What if you fail? Well, what if you fail? You get back up, and you try again. Failure is like mistakes. You need to fail to grow and get better. So fail, fall down, get back up, retry it, get on the horse and make things better. You learn when you fail. You learn when you make mistakes, so it's nothing to be scared of. They're actually opportunities for you to get better and to grow and make your business the success that it needs to be. So, instead of thinking about uncertainty or the fear of the unknown being a bad thing, start to shift your thinking and think of it as an opportunity, as a good thing that's going to help you in your business. This mindset is such a powerful ally on your journey to success.
06:03
Another obstacle for a lot of women is having a lack of clarity. So you might have a really vague idea of what you want to achieve, but having a lack of clarity can make your progress stop. Successful entrepreneurs know that having a crystal clear vision is the compass that guides all of their decisions. If you are lacking clarity, that's a good thing. You can actually turn that around and make it a positive simply by sitting with it. What are you unclear about? Have a conversation with yourself, get your note pad out, start jotting down some ideas. What are the areas you don't know? What are you unclear about? Is there something you need to learn? Is there a step that you've missed? Is there a different way of doing something that you're already doing? You know? Really dig into what are you unclear about and you might find you're actually not unclear at all. You're just scared. If it's scared, if that's what you're feeling, is well, you can just shift your thinking and think it's natural to feel scared. That's nothing to be scared of. That's actually something that's going to make you take being bold, imperfect action, which is going to push you forwards. So, again, start reframing your mindset and embrace everything as being a positive way to move forwards. Get clear on your vision, and doing that is going to actually allow you to remove things that don't serve you or your business and really focus on the things that you do. So lack of clarity is a good thing. It allows you to really define your vision and get precise on what it is you want and get clear on how you're going to make it happen, and then you will have that crystal clear vision that all the successful entrepreneurs have.
08:07
Another obstacle is overwhelm and information overload, so you want to cut through all the noise. There is so much information overload out there. It is a real challenge. There's the constant feed on your social media webinars, courses, downloads, people that you talk to, family and friends. They're all telling you this is what you need, this is what you need. This is the next great thing, and it can really be confusing. To overcome that, step back. Remain focused on what your vision is, why you've started, who your ideal client is, and go from there. Cut out the white noise, and take control. You can hear all the other bits and pieces. You can quickly look at something and think, no, that's not aligned with my business. I put it aside. It might work for others, but it may not be right for you. So this is where you need to start being a little more strategic in your thinking and just cut out the fluff. Keep what matters to you, keep what matters to your business, keep clear on your vision and your clients and you can't go wrong.
09:15
Another obstacle is financial concerns. Again, very negative connotation, very downward emotions using the word concerns, but finances can be a big source of anxiety. When you're just starting out. You've got questions about your start up costs, your revenue projections, all the bits and pieces that you need to pay for in your business, and it could potentially keep you up at night. So, instead of worrying, just put a plan into place. I recommended in the last episode that you start your business as a side hustle so that you can get really strong in your finances with the protection of having your nine to five job. So that alleviates all the financial stress. It alleviates all the worry about where is the money going to come from when you're just in that start up mode. So be smart. Really, do the work upfront to set you up in a good way for the long term and all that stress and anxiety and overwhelm is just going to melt away. So see, there's always a way of rethinking about things and doing a different action to get a better result. That's what you need to start doing if you're going to be an entrepreneur.
10:37
Another obstacle women always say and this should probably be number one on the list is I don't have time. Well, I'm sorry, but I don't have time does not fly. How much time do you spend scrolling on Instagram or Facebook every day? I guarantee you're on there for a minimum of half an hour a day. Imagine if you redirected that half an hour a day into working on your business. Every half an hour you work on your business, you are moving forwards. Every half an hour you spend on your social media, you're staying stuck.
11:16
So what matters to you Social media or your business? It comes down to making a decision, doesn't it? So you might be aspiring to start your business. You might already be really busy. You might be balancing your work, your nine to five, your family commitments, your personal commitments, and you might be thinking I just really don't have the time. But believe me, there are pockets of time in your day that are not being utilised, and it's amazing how much you can do in a short, focused period of time. That is going to really move you forward.
11:54
So you've got to start analysing your time. Have a look at your schedule and really work out do I not have any time or do I just think I don't have any time? And then you can start plotting out where you have available time. It might only be 10 minutes, but 10 minutes doing something positive for your business is going to move you forward, rather than 10 minutes wasted fapping around doing nothing. So it really again comes down to making a decision what matters to you 10 minutes sitting on the couch or 10 minutes working on your business? Entrepreneurs are thinking all the time. They're making opportunities out of everything.
12:39
So if you feel you don't have the time, do a time audit Seriously, sit down and analyse your time. Be real. Look at what you do for your work. Look at you know the travel time that's involved in getting to and from your work. Look at what you do for the family, for yourself, and find the gaps. Are there things you're doing that you don't need to do? Or are there things you're doing that could be done on a different day at a different time? That's going to free up an hour. Here and there. You know there's going to be time gaps where you can focus on your business. Like I said, even if it's 10 minutes, 20 minutes, half an hour, that half an hour is spent beautifully if it's on your business, moving things forward, rather than watching TV, scrolling on Instagram or just sitting staring at the ceiling. So you probably have a lot more time than you think you do. So do a time audit and figure that out.
13:41
Another obstacle I think I touched on it before is a fear of failure and, like I said earlier, embrace failure as an opportunity. It's a stepping stone that's going to move you forwards. You want to fail, you want to muck up, because in the mucking up that's when you find the gold. You find new ways of doing things, better ways of doing things, faster ways of doing things, cheaper ways of doing things. You need to fail, you need to fall down and get back up again.
14:16
Fear of failure is a really powerful emotion, and it can literally paralyse you. So many people are so scared of failure or so scared of being called a failure or considered a failure that they won't do anything, they won't take action, they won't start something that is their heart's desire, because they're worried about what other people will say or think Now, don't let the opinions of other people stop you from doing what you love. That's just craziness, I mean, it's your life, it's not their life. Who cares what their opinion is? And if their opinion is negative, you don't need to listen to it. So choose what you listen to, choose what you embrace, and start embracing failure as an opportunity, because that's what it is, and I guarantee. In business. You are going to fail. You are going to fail at little things, you're going to fail at big things, you're going to fail at all sorts of things, but every single failure is moving you forward to greatness. So embrace your failure. Wipe out the white noise. Don't listen to the naysayers, and just get in and do it and trust yourself.
15:35
Another obstacle is women feel scared about building a business on their own. They don't want to do it on their own because they don't know what they're doing or how to do it or why, and I get that. That's a real, genuine fear. But the way you can make it an opportunity is by building a support system around you. Start connecting with mentors, start feeling out other local business owners, start networking, build your connections, create relationships. Build that support system around you. You'll also most likely have a friend or a colleague, or even a cousin or different relative that just gets what you're doing or gets why you're doing it. They may not have any business experience, but they know you and they know your passion and they know that you are so capable of this that they are going to be in your corner every step of the way, cheering you on.
16:39
You want to really surround yourself with people like that. There are so many people who won't understand what you're doing. They won't know why does she want to do this? Isn't that crazy? Shouldn't she just stay in a nine to five? That'd be so much easier. Those people don't get it. You don't want to surround yourself with people that don't get it. You can still love them and have them in your life, but you don't want to rely on them to support you emotionally in your business. You need to choose wisely who you take advice from, who you listen to and who you spend your time with in relation to your business. So make some good choices there. Build a beautiful community around you and you won't be alone. You'll just be powerful and able to just leap to new heights.
17:30
They'll ask you now how do you feel about the word obstacle? Is it still really negative or is it more of an opportunity? It's really important that you start reframing how you think about that word. Challenges, obstacles, anything negative, I can't, I won't. There's a big difference between I can't and I won't. I can't is being a victim. I won't is making a choice.
18:01
So you need to start making choices, and making smart choices for yourself, and you can overcome anything. You can do anything if it's what you really want. If this entrepreneurial journey is for you, you'll know it deep within your soul, you'll feel it. It'll just be a burning desire and even though you're scared, even though you've got fears, even though you've got questions, you're going to start embracing that entrepreneurial mindset and start doing it anyway. You're going to start looking at those obstacles as opportunities and I really encourage you to start learning and growing and just exploring that. It will change the way you feel. It will change the way you approach life. It's so powerful. The last thing I'll say is I want you to remember that obstacles are not roadblocks, they are nothing to be scared of. They are opportunities for growth and learning and each challenge you overcome brings you one step closer to your dreams.
19:14
Now I have an upcoming course. It is the Start-Up Success Course, and we dive into all the mindset around overcoming obstacles. You get practical strategies, you get support to help you conquer things along the way, and you'll not only emerge as a confident entrepreneur, but as a visionary ready to transform your dreams into reality. And not only that you get all the tools to make your thoughts about your business into reality. You get all the tools, the mindset, the templates, the everything to create a thriving online business on your terms.
19:56
I would love you to sign up for the waiting list for my new program, Start-Up Success, so you can build your business from scratch in just 60 days. I've got a very special limited spot foundation round opening at the end of October so you can literally start your business as a side hustle, start earning money while you're in your nine to five and then, in December, you can quit your nine to five and go full in as a full time business owner in 2024. Isn't that amazing? You can literally stop dreaming and start doing what lights you up. So jump on the waiting list for Start-Up Success and you'll be so glad you did. If you're not ready for that yet, download the free nine to five exit plan and it will help you prepare for starting your own business and one day leaving your nine to five. It's really helpful, it's free and you can grab it at 16thabcreative.com/9-5-exit-plan.
21:03
Thank you for being here. I hope this episode has given you some clarity around how to change your mindset and reframe how you think about obstacles and that they're actually opportunities. I look forward to chatting with you next week on the Brilliant Business, Beautiful Life podcast. 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.
