The Surprising Reason Many Entrepreneurs Fail

I see it all the time. Smart, talented, hardworking people full of life as they start their dream business. So many possibilities and opportunities lie ahead of them…

Then six months later, they’re in consultation with me with a failing business, crushed dreams, and completely consumed with a hopelessness they can’t shake.

As we talk, I learn that they’ve been working long hours. They’ve tried every marketing and sales tactic out there. But they still aren’t gaining any traction with their business. And just as they tell me they’re ready to give up and return to their corporate job, I uncover exactly what’s going on.

Their subconscious doesn’t believe they will succeed as an entrepreneur.

There’s a saying that, “Belief without talent can take you further than talent without belief. But when you have both, you’re unstoppable.” It isn’t just a catchy saying. It’s true. That’s because your beliefs shape your reality. Period.

Your beliefs influence your behavior and alter the outcomes of your efforts. They either keep you stuck or they help you thrive.

So then how can we cultivate the belief that we can succeed as entrepreneurs? Here are a few tips that will get you started.

Have Self-Compassion

Self-compassion is about treating yourself as you would a friend or family member going through a difficult time and needing support.

Let’s say your best friend just had a presentation for a prospective client. In the end, they didn’t land the client. Would you then respond by saying, “You know, you really blew it today. I’m so disappointed in you”?

No way! You’d be supportive and help pick them back up by encouraging them to keep going. And you need to do the same with yourself.

When you don’t put this into practice, you risk having a continuous stream of self-deprecating inner monologue. This is damaging because when you experience negative self-talk, you’re quite literally programming your subconscious mind daily with the message that you are incapable and unworthy of success. Once this message is programmed in your subconscious, your thoughts and actions will be in response to this message, keeping you stuck right where you are.

Instead, try showing yourself some kindness, patience, and forgiveness the next time you have an impulse to beat yourself up over a perceived failure. When you do, you’ll reduce your stress and be more able to respond to challenges, reinforcing the message that you CAN do this.

Find Evidence of Success

Something else you can do to reinforce this message is to find evidence of success in your past. It could be an obstacle you overcame or an achievement you accomplished. Either one is a big win that shows you have the resilience and capabilities to handle whatever comes your way.

Your subconscious mind is always keeping you safe. In fact, that’s its job.

When you try to accomplish something that you’ve never done before, your subconscious mind interprets that as dangerous. It will not allow you to take action or succeed at the endeavor because you could potentially fail. And if you fail, there are all sorts of scary things that can come with that like embarrassment or losing resources in the process.

This is why your subconscious mind needs some proof of past success to feel comfortable in allowing you to move forward with your goals.

Take some time and make a list of all of the biggest moments in your life. Where did you show mental or emotional strength? What adversities have you overcome? And what moments are you most proud of? Then remind yourself of these moments every time you feel like quitting and see what happens.

Visualize Your Success

Visualization is a crucial part of the creation process. By using your imagination, you can create a clear mental image of what you want to achieve.

Even more importantly, Visualization gives your subconscious messages. The same area in the brain is activated whether you imagine doing something or you’re physically performing the action. This means your mind doesn’t know the difference between achieving your goal and imagining achieving your goal. And by simply imagining your success, you’re creating new neural pathways in your brain which in turn changes your way of being.

The key to successful Visualization is you want it to be as vivid as possible. You should feel as excited as you would be had that achievement already happened. Use your mind to focus on and imagine what you desire. Imagine yourself being with your desire. Imagine yourself doing things with your desire. Imagine yourself having your desire. Include your senses too. Push your imagination to the limits and imagine the best and highest that you possibly can of whatever it is that you want.

Take it even further to make it feel real. When using the creation Process, use all the props you can to generate the feeling that you have what you want already. Whatever it is you want, use your imagination and every prop you can find, create games, and play.

A Client’s Success Story

When Mike came to me for coaching he had been in business for a year or two. He was making a living, but barely. He seemed to have plateaued and was hitting a wall. Of course, he was smart, talented, hardworking, and very capable of making his dreams a reality. So then what was going on?

After getting to know him a bit, I discovered that his father was very tough on him- not only his entire childhood but also as an adult. His father was still criticizing him for his every move.

Mike never felt good enough and formed beliefs about himself at a very young age. These beliefs affected how he showed up in the world. Because he thought he was a failure, he played small and kept himself in his comfort zone where he couldn’t fail and disappoint himself and his father.

Once we uncovered what was holding him back, Mike and I worked together to rebuild his belief system. He began being gentler with himself as he worked toward his goals. He reflected on all his wins over the years, including the fact that he started a successful business. He began to celebrate his progress every step of the way as he met the goals he set for his business.

I also worked with him on visualizing what he wanted. So instead of constantly dwelling on the fact that he hasn’t achieved the level of success he wanted to yet, he began envisioning all the possibilities of where his business could take him in the future.

Little by little, day by day, Mike’s perspective began to shift. He began to feel optimistic about his future. He had rewired his brain with a new belief system that he can and will succeed as an entrepreneur.

Mike is now thriving both in his business and life. And best of all, he finally has peace of mind for the first time in his life.

Conclusion

If you’re struggling to get to where you want to be right now, I feel you. I know what it’s like to have a strong desire to have a thriving business but feel stuck and not have control over the outcome of your efforts. I know just how frustrating, challenging, and defeating it can be. But this is not a hopeless situation.

Just remember that the results you see now are connected to your belief system. And you can change your belief system at any time. It just takes some work.

No matter what happened today, yesterday, or what the last year of your life was like, every day is an opportunity for a new life. And on any one day you can change your future- through your belief system.

So next time you feel like giving up, do yourself a favor and instead choose to be bold. Believe. And be unstoppable!