When making the leap to become a business owner, it takes way more than just a good idea, a beneficial product or service, and funding to run the entire operation.
Don't get me wrong — those things are absolutely necessary, especially if you want to stay in business. However, if you don't have the best mindset — along with the beneficial habits of a successful CEO — then you're not setting yourself up to win.
You must have a different mindset regarding everything — the way you think about yourself & your abilities, the way you perceive your company, and the way you view the world around you.
You can't think like a “normal” person.
Here are the four (4) important mindset shifts you need to make in order to be a successful business owner.
1. Develop a growth mindset.
Most people have a fixed mindset. Their beliefs are hardwired into them with very little flexibility to change. This is detrimental when it comes to the things you believe about yourself and your abilities — especially as a business owner. When you can't change what you think and believe about yourself, your abilities, and the things you're able to do in your business, you severely limit yourself. This is why a lot of business owners — especially new business owners — seek out business coaching to help them with this shift.
Your business growth has absolutely NOTHING to do with what you can do currently unless you believe you're stuck there. The trajectory of your business depends on the seeds that you're currently planting for your future success. You have to believe and know that you can grow and do the things that it takes to move your business forward.
When you shift to a growth mindset, you are allowing your mind to expand regarding the things you think are possible. You reshape your beliefs as it pertains to what you can become. You know that when you allow yourself to not only expand your mind, but to expand your resources and your skillset, you can significantly improve your future outcomes.
2. Learn the importance of “quality over quantity.”
We've all heard in various instances that we should focus on quality over quantity; yet, there are still some instances where we tend to forget this notion. When it comes to the marketing world, we tend to focus more on the numbers than quality because “it's a numbers game.”
We understand that in order to convert a certain number of clients, we need to have a particular number of people (whether current or new leads) to see the offer we're making. For example, if we want webinar sign-ups from our landing page, we understand the average conversion rate is about 30% for cold traffic. That means, that for every 100 landing page visitors, approximately 30 people will sign up. On top of that, only about half of people who sign up for a webinar actually show up live to attend.
With that said, we often focus on getting as many people as we possibly can to go to the landing page. However, if they're not quality leads or if they're not actually your target audience, then those numbers don't mean jack! They won't show up to your event, and they certainly won't buy from you. Focus on attracting quality leads that you can nurture and build trust with.
3. Start valuing yourself more.
If you truly want to be a successful entrepreneur or business owner, then you need to understand your value. You have to know that the knowledge and expertise that you hold, your skillset and ability to help clients, and all of the experiences that have shaped you in business make you a valuable asset to those you impact. You're where you are for a reason; and your clients sought you out for a reason. Don't waste time giving into “imposter syndrome” or anything else that tends to creep up to discourage you. You deserve to be where you are, and you deserve to go even further if you work toward it.
It's also important to maintain healthy professional boundaries. When we don't value or believe in ourselves, we let a lot of things slide — communications from clients before & after hours, scope creep, and other things that could impact our mental wellness and our physical capacity to do the work. Value yourself enough to put policies in place that protect you and your peace. You started this business to have freedom so give yourself that freedom. Otherwise, your clients become your bosses and you're right back where you started, feeling how you felt working in corporate.
4. Become a lifelong learner.
No matter how great you are at what you do in business, you don't know it ALL. There's no possible way we can ever know everything there is to know about our particular industry. So we must commit to being open to learning new things. As things change often (especially if you're in technology), it's important to stay on top of the latest. It helps you to better serve your clients and keeps you from falling behind the competition.
In addition to staying abreast of industry trends, it's good to cultivate a mindset of constant learning because it makes you adaptable and agile. It also shifts the way you approach challenges within your business. Instead of seeing them as obstacles, you'll view them as opportunities for learning and growing — even if you happen to get it “wrong” in the moment. You'll understand that failure isn't final and that you can change course if things don't go as planned. You'll see ways you can continuously improve.
Bonus Tip: Forget about perfection.
We promised you 4 tips, but here's a good one to keep in mind — don't worry about trying to be perfect. When you think about perfection as most people tend to think of it, you think about things going well with no problems, no errors, and no hiccups. This just doesn't happen in business, and when it does, it's very much an anomaly. Don't strive to be perfect, but strive to deliver great results. Get things done. Handled.
If you're ready to make a real shift in your business and need expert help working on your business goals, then feel free to book a call with us. Find out if working with us on your business or marketing strategy can have a significant effect on your confidence, growth mindset, and your business growth.
