Putting on a mask in your business
If you’re just starting out as a solo business owner, you likely feel freaked out and like a fraud sometimes. You’re stepping into something you’ve never experienced before, and taking a big chance on yourself in the name of doing something you believe in.
Honestly, owning a business can be spooky. You may be a pro, but you don’t consider yourself a business mind because once you step into owning your business, you’re adding a whole new scope. You don’t just take care of the client work. You also have to promote yourself, manage your inquiries, book the clients, file your business taxes…. The list gets long, and fast.
As someone who’s owned a business and shifted countless times over the years as I’ve added new offerings, I can say with authority that it can be helpful to put on a mask in your business.
Let me tell you what I mean by that: If you’re struggling to find ease, it can be helpful to step into a new archetype of the person you want to be.
Of course you want to show up 100% authentically to your business but at the same time, you can show up and still be reaching for something further. In this way, you can discover competence and confidence in a way that might have otherwise been a reach for you but in a way that puts you closer to your goals.
I’ll show you how. Imagine the person you want to be in your business, and then act like that person every day.
Not sure how? You can borrow my 3 step process for putting on your mask in business.
1.Create the version of yourself you want to be.
It’s going to feel like a stretch at first! Start by imagining who you want to be in a year. Do you want to be a version of yourself that wakes up early? Do you want to be super confident in your business with a take-no-crap style? Or do you simply want to show up with authority like you’ve been doing this for years? There’s no reason why you can’t show up as this person now and evolve later.
This journaling exercise should help. In your notebook, write out the person you want to be. What are you making in your business? What does your life look like? How are you showing up everyday? What beliefs do you want to bring forward and embody most?
You may not shoot up to 100 right away, but the point is to imagine your highest self and think about what factors you can control to evolve into that person.
2. Build habits that your ideal self would incorporate into the routine.
This is a good time to think about your habits, too, whether you’re ready to pick up a journaling practice, wake up early enough to take a jog every morning, or meditate every day. Brainstorm habits that will make you a better business owner.
One of my habits is limiting the amount of time I have to work. This may seem counterintuitive but it’s huge when you own your own business.
I found that if I give myself a full eight hours to work, I’m going to work all eight hours and I won’t be my most productive. Instead, I limit my work to 5-6 hours of work at a time. I’m super productive because this means I get more time to take care of other things at the end of the day and have a break in the evenings. If there’s something I didn’t get done, I can circle back to it in the evening if that feels right.
The schedule I created is for the person I want to be (I call my mask Anna 2.0!). Instead of waiting to become this person, I decided to show up as her. As a direct result, I felt more competent and confident in what I do.
3. Acknowledge where you are
Chances are, you’re probably not going to implement 10 new habits just this week. Putting on your mask takes time. Study after study shows us that it takes at least two weeks to create a habit. That’s why I usually create new habits in these increments. If it’s a bigger change, I’ll incorporate 1 big change a month. Smaller changes, like getting up 15 minutes early to take a walk, can happen more frequently, as you feel more comfortable and confident. Habits like this are easy to take further. The next time you could wake up 30 minutes earlier or walk further.
At the end of the year, you’ll see so much progress you’ll already be that much closer to the 2.0 version of yourself. This will help you step into the scream-worthy parts of owning a business, like forming an LLC, filing taxes, or bookkeeping.
