“Don’t let your fear of what could happen make nothing happen!”
You are aware of the benefits of starting an online business, and you are interested in starting your own, but do you have this deep fear of “I don't know how it’s gonna go” and “I don't know if I am going to be successful”? Don’t worry, that’s very normal and understandable.
Whenever we face uncertainty or something unknown, we get scared - it’s our brain trying to protect ourselves from the unexpected. It might come up with all these excuses or different reasons why you can't do something. Now, these fears differ from person to person, but it’s important to know that you’re not the only one feeling them.
The important thing is to identify that fear and work on it because if you always go with comfort, then you won’t be fulfilled in the long term. That’s why today I want to go over the most common fears of starting your own online business. I want to help you face those fears and realize that sometimes it just seems a lot scarier than it actually is.
Fear #1: What if I fail?
The first and most common fear is probably the fear of failing. We don’t want to embarrass ourselves or seem like we are not good at something. And instead of trying, it’s just easier to not try anything new at all.
It’s so easy to stay in the shadows. It’s comfortable there, I get it. Nobody looks at you, and nobody points and laughs. But you also never take a risk to stand out and try something new. Think about it - would you rather have a safe life where nobody points at you and you’re the same as everyone else? Or would you be willing to take a risk and try something new?
Also, instead of thinking “what if I fail?” try to focus on “what can I do to succeed?” It’s always easier to think of the worst-case scenario, but by changing your way of thinking about things, you already set the tone for your future.
Fear #2: What if I’m not good enough?
The next common fear is that we believe we are not good enough. Most of the time we are our own worst critics. “What if I don’t have the right degree?”, “what if someone else has more experience than me?”
Let me be honest - there will always be someone better than you at something. But you will also be better than someone else, and that’s what you need to concentrate on. Just because you don’t have a diploma doesn’t mean that you can’t be great at it. In our eyes, it’s all about talent and passion. None of us studied anything related to what we are doing now. So, what? The idea that we all need more “experience” or “credentials” for everything is long outdated and it's time that you believe in yourself and your skills. Nowadays, you can teach yourself basically anything and the tools available online make everything so easy - setting up a website, an email list, and learning about how to build an online business has never been easier.
Fear #3: “I haven't figured it all out yet”
“I’m not ready yet”, “I need more time” or “I’m still waiting for the right moment”. Fear makes us put things off for the future but you need to learn how to stop procrastinating - there will never be the right time. Stop waiting for that day when you “figure it all out” and things magically align perfectly. That’s not gonna happen until you take matters into your own hands.
Even if things aren’t perfect at the beginning, you figure it out over time. Successful people take steps before they’re totally ready. They know that there will never be a perfect time when you have nothing else on your plate. They make time, and year after year, they invest in themselves.
Fear #4: “There is too much competition, I won’t stand out”
Fear number four is that you might be thinking that the market is already too saturated. Now, this is actually a very understandable fear and it’s good that this is something you are concerned with. If there are already too many of the same products or services like yours out there, it will be hard to stand out. On the other hand, if there is no competition at all out there it could mean that there is just no demand for it. But by doing a quick market research and competitor analysis, you can easily find out whether or not there is a place in the market for you.
Just keep in mind that even though there might already be similar products or services, none of them will have your personal touch. This can be the way you package your orders or the way you interact with your clients, the way you work, or any other point of difference that can set you apart.
Fear #5: “If I fail it’s over”
The last common fear that might be stopping you from starting your online business is that you are scared that you only have one chance. That if you fail it’s all over. But what if you start looking at failure as a new beginning instead of an ending?
As a matter of fact, I like to think that failure doesn’t exist - only lessons learned. We failed many times with our business ideas. We started a lot of businesses that didn't work out. Yet, after all this “failing” we still managed to achieve our dream life and it’s all because of the lessons we learned from our mistakes. It opened up new doors and we ended up building a life for ourselves that we would have never believed possible.
So yes, starting an online business can be scary, and starting something new can be very daunting, and sometimes it’s easier to just walk away. But you will see that once you’ve started the process it will be a lot less scary and the results you can get from it are worth it. You just need to find the courage to push past the fear to get the benefits. At the end of the day we all want to grow and in order to grow, we need to push past our comfort zone and face our fears.
I hope this gave you the courage to get started and don’t forget that you are not alone - we used to feel the same way and many others do too.
