Every Business Owner Faces Imposter Syndrome at Times – How Do We Handle It?

I haven't met a solopreneur, consultant, coach, author, photographer, marketer or researcher who has NOT had moments dealing with feelings of Imposter Syndrome. Shoot, some of us feel and battle it on such a regular basis we've given our Imposter a name and picture.

So relax, you're in good company if you've had moments where you ask ‘who am I to be creating this?‘ or ‘why would anyone hire me to do that?‘  Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

But how do we tell that Imposter Monster to go away so we can get on with the work we KNOW we're meant to be doing right now? You know, that reason we went out solo, hung our shingle, started our own business and are working to find more of our ideal clients. And how do we get back to that reason when the doubts inevitably come again?

I love the posts from Copyblogger because they go so far beyond writing or blogging. They live out their mantras on content marketing, they educate and give value, and help all of us as business owners – not matter what kind of business. So that's why although this recent post mentions ‘creative business' in the title – the tips and wisdom for handling imposter syndrome apply to all of us.

This simple post on getting real about imposter syndrome really resonated with me:

You have to be comfortable getting paid for work someone will inevitably dislike.

Just like we can NOT market our business to everyone, or even all busy moms, or all authors, or any other super huge group of possible clients. We must get used to the fact that not every person in even our ideal target client group will be the right fit, find value in what we do, or join our community. It's ok. The services we provide, the products we create, what we write – it won't resonate with all the people we hope it might, but we still want – and deserve – to sell our work, to be paid for our skills and expertise.

The two key tips offered in the article, that I believe are helpful no matter whether our solo work involves traditionally ‘creative' work:

• Step #1: Trust that the people who don’t like your work don’t matter  – easier said than done, but something we strive for all the time.
• Step #2: Embrace the value you produce – get clear on our ‘why', and how our values drive our work [hey, if you want to work more on getting clear about your values, I highly recommend the “My Values” training from my coach, Kelly McCausey]

Do you have an Imposter Monster? Would naming him/her help in shoving them aside so you can get back to your important work? What else has helped you in handling these feelings when they creep up? Leave your thoughts in the comments or come talk about your tips in my MMM Facebook Group.