The Confidence Boost: How Starting a Tech Business Changed My Perception of Myself

Starting a tech business with my partner has been a roller coaster of ups and down. However, one of the most rewarding aspects has been the dramatic shift in my self-perception and confidence. I want to share how starting a company completely changed the way I see myself and I hope you might find some nuggets of inspiration to fuel your own entrepreneurial fire!

Part 1.Overcoming self-doubt and fear of failure

Starting anything new is filled with the scary and unknown. There is a long list of things you've never done before and it can be somewhat overwhelming. You start thinking: "how do I register a company?", "where can I get feedback on this crazy idea I have?", "what is a pitch deck and what needs to be included?", "how much money will I need?".

Self-doubt is just the nagging part of your brain highlighting all the things you don't know or need to know; the fear of failure is the end result of not plugging those knowledge gaps. When I had these feelings, my first instinct was "I need to talk to someone who is knowledgeable about these topics". I always found asking for help and asking the “stupid” questions typically pointed me in the right direction. I try to approach self-doubt simply as a knowledge gap that needs to be filled. I can either struggle and learn by myself which takes time, or I can find someone who is knowledgeable about this topic and learn from them. This whole experience has been a huge learning curve. Recognising that I am not the first person who has or wants to start a business, or has a crazy idea has been a comforting thought. There will be someone who has faced a similar problem to the one I'm facing, I just need to find these people and learn how they did it.

Part 2.The power of resilience and persistence

You will have: set backs, people telling you "no", face daily problems, and you will want to quit. If you know this from the outset and accept that this is normal, that everyone faces setbacks and not? just part of the process, rather, it IS the process, then everything changes. Your mindset shifts away from setbacks being purely negative and into acceptance that it's just the journey you need to take. It takes time and there are setbacks you have to face. This is inevitable and normal.?

Additionally, every setback you face brings you a bit closer. Imagine starting your business as a game and there are 100 levels. You have to beat each boss to get to the next level.It is part of the process. I think people see the setbacks as reasons why they shouldn't do something. I'm not saying it doesn't hurt. It is painful to have setbacks and there are days when you can't take it anymore. However, if you believe so much in the problem you're solving, then finding a way to change your perception of setbacks and turn it into resilience and persistence will be your superpower. Knock down every wall, because you will be one step closer. It's not a case of "if" you will succeed, rather "when" you will succeed.?

Part 3. Learning to take risks and trust your instincts

It is impossible to know what will happen after you take the plunge in starting a company or developing an idea for a problem you're trying to solve. Something I hear a lot is "it's not ready" or "I'm not sure yet how X will work", "I haven't figured it out yet".

Here’s a hard truth: you cannot have everything figured out and well oiled before you start: customers, product, execution. Of course you need to have an idea and a plan of what you are going to do. But it's a plan and not yet in motion.

You need a hypothesis: "I can see there is X problem and I believe solution Y could fix that problem for the Z companies. I know this because I've done a bit of research and talked to similar Z companies who all face the same thing and told me that if I could have Y solution then I'd be willing to pay you ￡X." These are the things you need to know–rough ideas and hypotheses. You cannot know all your customers and the exact details of the product and how you will sell this before you start. I speak to a lot of people who feel like they cannot take the plunge because they don't have 20 customers paying them money yet.

It comes down to this: after you've done your research and you're at least somewhat confident in the problem you're solving, then you need to just try. There is a large part of the process you will only figure out AFTER starting. You can say it's a risk–or you could call it a calculated move.

I saw challenges for how international retailers were sourcing their products from factories and how this was affecting the time to get products to their customers. I saw countless retailers face the same problem, so I took the plunge that if we could develop a solution it would help to reduce this time. Even though we are early in our process and I feel we have barely? scratched the surface, my hypothesis was correct. Customers see this as a problem and are willing to pay for a solution to fix it.?

Part 4. Empowering other women through your story

The more you do, the more confident you become, and the more you feel you can do more. It's a very simple process I've followed in my life. Each milestone I've hit makes me confident that I can reach the next one. It just takes time, persistence, and willingness to be wrong.

I'm sharing my story because I know when I read stories from other women it gives me confidence that I can do it. My girl crushes are Trinny Woodall (Founder at Trinny London), Karren Brady CBE, Reese Witherspoon (Founder of Hello Sunshine, Reese's Book Club). All incredibly successful women who I've gone down many Youtube rabbit holes listening to their stories of how they did it!

Conclusion

Starting a company is an exhilarating ride filled with unexpected twists and turns. Embracing this journey and learning to overcome self-doubt, take calculated risks, and persist through setbacks can lead to immense personal growth and confidence. Remember that each obstacle you conquer brings you one step closer to success and it's essential to celebrate your achievements along the way. By sharing our stories and experiences, we can inspire and empower other women to chase their entrepreneurial dreams and ultimately change the world for the better. So, let's continue to support and uplift each other on this wild adventure, because together, we are unstoppable!

Photo by Alena Jarrett on Unsplash