Dear Women in Business,
I am not a mindset coach, but if you’re like me and you have been in business for some time, you know that you must be mentally strong to build a business. Here’s something that you may not have considered – even with all your experience, when it comes to scaling your business, you need an even stronger mindset and resolve. So how do you cultivate the right mindset to help you navigate the sometimes tumultuous journey of growth? In my experience, it requires 5 key components, and I am going to share them with you.
1. Get A New Perspective
Get a new perspective by reading, learning, and talking to the right people.
Sometimes you can have a limiting view of what is possible for your business. This is especially true for many Caribbean business owners. I would also add that, for women, I have found that the doubts are so deep-seated that they are crippling their businesses.
A fresh perspective will challenge you to dream bigger and think about the problem from different angles. The truth is when you are so close to your own businesses, you tend to only see the problems rather than the solutions. You may need help to see things differently. That’s where talking to someone who has done it before and helped others to do it plays a crucial role.
2. Take Action On A Big Goal
Stretch yourself. Scaling or growing your business requires you to step out of your comfort zone. The first step is to start acting on one of those big goals that scare you. Write down all the steps you need to take in order to achieve your goal (and break down those steps into smaller tasks). Then start at the easiest task and work your way up from there. As you do this, you will find yourself becoming more comfortable with the stretching experience of growth.
3. Immerse yourself in Environments that Inspire you to be Greater
When you’re planning on scaling your business, it’s important to surround yourself with people who are doing what you want to do. You can get inspired by reading books or watching videos about what you want. But there is a big difference when you are in the room with persons who have reached the goals that you want to reach. You can go to events where people are talking about the field that interests you, and you should also spend time talking with them and asking them questions. If possible, find a mentor or coach who has been through the process of scaling their own business before. Ask them how they did it, what challenges they faced along the way, and how they overcame those challenges.
4. Consistency
Consistency is the key to success. I’m sure you’ve heard this numerous times, but it’s true! And when it comes to scaling your business it is even more true. I wish I could tell you that the journey is straight once you are clear about what you are trying to do with your business. But the way to reach that destination, even with all its ebbs and flows is consistency. And to make the concept of consistency less stressful for you – I will define for you that consistency is THE NEXT ACTION. It is the next action in the direction that you want to go.
5. Belief/Courage
The burden of the vision is in the heart of the visionary. You must believe in your vision and what you are trying to build. You must be convinced that it is possible otherwise, why would you even try to scale? This is the essence of mindset right? So when it comes to scaling your business, if something doesn’t feel right, if you don’t believe that the business you have can be scaled, you need to take note of that. It may be indicative that mentally you may not be ready to scale, or your business may not be in a condition to be scaled.
Every entrepreneur wants to take their business to the next stage of growth. But before you can get there, you must be convinced of where that is and if it is possible. Where the mind is, the body follows. So, you have to scale up in your mind first before you can scale up in reality.