Tips for Destroying Imposter Syndrome as a Business Owner

We’ve all been there. That moment where you stop what you’re doing, become wildly self-aware, and say under your breath - “how on earth did I get here.”

In the baby stages of starting your business, this either happens once a day or once an hour (depending on your personality). For me, it seems to happen once an hour. My brain gets stuck on this never-ending cycle of negative thoughts telling me that I have no idea what I’m doing. How could someone like me run a business?

Well, I’m here to break you out of that cycle. People like you can run a successful business. The key? Breaking out of those negative thought cycles.

So how do you Houdini your way out? Here are a few of my methods.

Get Out of the House

Work from home isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. Sure, it’s great to take conference calls with your camera off in your pajamas eating some Red Hot Cheetos. But at some point, the dog barking at every car that drives by your house or the pile of dishes that you have to wash right this second is going to affect your productivity.

This tip works in two ways. Yay! Options!

If you don’t feel like changing your work environment, exchange those pajama pants for some adulting pants and get outside. Set a fifteen-minute timer and hang out with the birds for a bit. Take a walk, sit out on the deck, or hang out on your front step and people watch.

This little break in my day has helped ground me as well as helped me appreciate more of the little things.

The other way this tip works is to ditch the pajama pants for real. Get up, get dressed, and drive yourself to your favorite library, coffee shop, or restaurant. Removing yourself from the barking dog or the pile of dishes forces you to focus on work and in turn helps you get more done so you feel better about yourself.

Build a Community

This one has been a game-changer for me.

The greatest gift to someone battling imposter syndrome is the understanding that they are not the only one that feels this way. So, hey, you’re not alone.

How do you find a group of people that feel just as confused and out of place as you do? Well, lucky for you we have the magical, wonderful internet.

There are Facebook groups out there for just about anything. Look into groups that are specific to what you do. There you will find a community of people who can answer your questions and concerns. Plus, they understand what you’re going through. We all had to start somewhere.

If Facebook isn’t your jam, you can find a community on Instagram or even TikTok. The best way I’ve found to do this is to follow and interact with other businesses in your niche.

If you’re looking for in-person connections, try a co-working space in your area. A lot of the time these spaces double as a workspace away from home as well as a fantastic networking hotspot.

Stop Comparing Yourself

Everyone has a different journey, and that is perfectly normal. Social media is great at a lot of things, but it’s not often great at boosting your confidence.

So many small businesses and content creators seem to be living that dream life with perfectly curated content, while you’re sitting there trying to figure out how to attach audio to your Instagram reel. Trust me, I’ve been there.

Although you hear it all the time, nobody’s life is as perfect as it looks on social media. So don’t lose valuable time comparing yourself to other creators. We are all here to support each other and lift each other up. Something that has helped me the most is understanding that all of these wonderfully inspirational creators started exactly where I am now.

While one day you might become cool and trendy with them, you will always be uniquely you. Your uniqueness is your best selling point. So don’t go comparing yourself to others, when being authentically you is crucial to your success.

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Nobody is immune to imposter syndrome, so I promise you, you’re not alone. No matter if you’re starting your business-owning journey or you’ve been at it a while, the best thing you can do for yourself is to build the skill of acknowledging the negative thought cycle and taking the steps to squash those thoughts.