AFA #58: Confidence in Crisis

Hello and welcome back!

How many of us are having a turbulent year so far? ????♀?

If you've been following this newsletter for a while you know that I left my freelance position in Q4 last year to dive into full-time entrepreneurship. I finally put one of my many business plans into action.

I did the market research (travelled to 4 countries even), built my team ( a project manager and intern), secured a first partner, but in no time the gaps in our project started creating setbacks. The initial stages were exciting - brainstorming, making presentations, and attending meetings.

However, the reality of entrepreneurship hit hard and fast. Despite my enthusiasm and hard work, my initial projects were met with lukewarm responses, scaling proved more challenging than anticipated (now I have salaries to pay), and my financial runway was shrinking alarmingly fast.

I had to face the harsh reality that I absolutely needed to pivot - not pull out but postpone. The day I had to tell my team about the decision, I felt a profound sense of failure. It wasn’t just about the business; it felt like a personal defeat.

The weeks that followed were tough. I dealt with self-doubt and how to navigate my bruised ego. Yet, as I stopped and reviewed the presentations and emails we created, I began to see pieces of value in what we had accomplished. We had created something out of nothing. We pitched our idea and caught some important ears. It wasn’t all for nothing.

At the time, I felt as though I wasn't receiving enough external validation or support towards my work but the difference is that I know who I am and who i'm going to be regardless.

What truly shifted for me was the realisation that the motto I tried to preach to my clients about having a separate identity from their business was something I wasn't following myself.

Once I caught myself, I started to redefine what I was good at, not just in terms of business and consulting skills, but in resilience, adaptability, and the ability to inspire a team under challenging circumstances.

Now, with a renewed mindset and faith, I'm back to the drawing board.

This time, more flexible in my approach, more open to feedback, and more active in validating my business concepts.

The most crucial lesson I’ve learned through this journey is the mastery of mindset. Understanding that failure/pivoting is part of the growth process, and not a permanent circumstance, has been liberating. It’s about continuous learning and adapting, not about never falling. Each setback has taught me that resilience is about getting up one more time than you’ve been knocked down.

People think confidence comes from receiving a lot of external validation and recognition for your looks, strengths or gifts but in truth, confidence is a natural byproduct of accepting yourself at the deepest level.

To anyone dealing with a similar situation, know this: your value is not dictated by your successes or failures, but by how you respond to them. When you master your mindset, you master your path forward, whatever that may look like.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please make sure to subscribe and share! I'll be sending out this newsletter every Monday at 5pm CEST. Feel free to send me a message on your questions, struggles, achievements or feedback you want me to include in an upcoming newsletter.

With inspiration and gratitude,