Women Consultants, Are You Sabotaging Your Consulting Business?

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A past client of mine said that she felt a massive sense of unease when things started to come together in her consulting business. Almost as if it was too easy, and if it could happen in such a straightforward way it could not be genuine.

She said at the time, “I feel sure I’ll get found out because it can’t be this easy to get consulting work and be taken seriously by my prospective clients.”

Does this resonate with you? You might even feel like quitting your business despite the fact things are going really well on the surface. This is a sign of imposter syndrome.

Imposter syndrome can manifest in different ways but in essence, it is a pervasive feeling that your success is down to luck rather than being something you have earned.

The more successful your business is, the more this feeling of panic can start to appear and you can feel like the stakes are getting higher and higher and you just need to get out while you still can – because someone will find out that you’re NOT this super-skilled person or a stadium level speaker.

And it is not just wanting to quit – imposter syndrome can play out on a daily basis in self-sabotage. So, you get a client enquiry that you really want, but instead of responding you delay getting back to them. Or a prospective client or collaboration partner asks you for your consulting brochure, but instead of emailing it to them the following day, you find yourself never getting back to them. Because in the meantime, you’ve talked yourself out of taking this encounter at face value and you become convinced that it’s not what it seems, or they can’t possibly mean you, or that they probably think you are a much bigger deal than you actually are.

And there is a fear that you will not be able to deliver what has been asked of you. That you will not live up to people’s expectations.

Sometimes we do not feel ready, or worse, sometimes we do not feel worthy of the goals we have set for ourselves.

If this is you, then I want you to know that this is a normal part of building a business.

It is normal for anyone building a consulting business to feel utterly terrified at the prospect. And sometimes we feel that fear straightaway. You write a business plan and you feel your stomach drop to the floor when you look at it. Or you start out strong, but the fear hits you when things start to get real. You have business costs going out and you aren't sure how secure your revenue streams are. You have the business cards all printed but you aren't sure if you will ever give them to anyone.

You can't shut your eyes and drown out the imposter syndrome you are experiencing. You need to face it head on. Because if you don't, it will show up in every interaction you have online and offline, and keep you from achieving the things you want to achieve.

And a really important part of that is investing in your mindset. Your mindset is either your biggest asset or your biggest liability. What you believe is achievable is directly linked to what you will try to achieve.

You need to be surrounded by people who will inspire and energise you. You need to be ready to challenge those thoughts you are having that make it feel really difficult to show up with the positive energy you need to move your business forward.

And that doesn't just happen by itself. But with the right mindset practices – whether it is gratitude, journaling, coaching, joining an accountability group – you really can get to a point where your blocks are not holding you back.

It is not necessarily the case that you will never struggle with your mindset again – these things do tend to show up in cycles! But once you have beaten it the first time, you prove to yourself that progress is possible, and your resilience increases as your business grows.

If you are feeling uneasy or even panicked about your business, then I want you to know that you are not alone and you can do something about it.

What do you do when imposter syndrome strikes? Let me know in the comments.

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To find out more about the work I do, visit?jessicafearnley.com?or message me here on LinkedIn if you'd like to hear more about private coaching and how I can help you transition from booked up and burned out to THRIVING as the CEO of your 7 figure consulting business.