The Most Important Thing in Your Business: Confidence

"Start by knowing what you want and who you are, build credibility around it and deliver it online in a compelling way."
—KRISTA NEHER

There are hundreds of thousands of online experts out there who will tell you exactly what you need to do to grow your business.

You need to do everything on this checklist.

You need to listen to everything she is telling you to do.

You need to invest in exactly these things.

There is so much to do and learn—how can you ever be successful without consuming and implementing it all!?!

Actually, let me stop you right there—before you get to know your audience, before you nail down your product, before you even develop your brand, the first thing you need to start with is confidence.

Why is Confidence a Must?

I believe your business success is deeply rooted in your own security and confidence. It starts WAY before choosing a product to sell or developing a website and a target audience to cater to. If you believe in what you’re selling, you can always grow. But if you don’t have confidence in your abilities or your business opportunity, then what’s the point?

Confidence comes BEFORE sales. You have to believe in yourself (and your product) even when nobody is listening to you (yet) or buying from you (yet). It’s a cliche, but people aren’t just buying your product, they’re buying YOU. And if you don’t think you’re worth the investment, then they won’t either.

This is tied in closely with buyer behavior. People don’t buy a product for its features. They purchase based on the possibility for a greater future that product or service is offering to them. If your product takes them from point A to point B, and they recognize point B as the person they want to be and the identity they want to take on, then that could be enough to convince them of the benefits of the purchase. But they’ll never be able to see that value from your offering if you're not first confident in its results yourself.

That can be hard, of course, if you’re feeling uncertain. So building your confidence is a MUST.

What is Confidence?

Listen to these definitions of confidence:

• the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.
• the state of feeling certain about the truth of something.
• a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities.

If you should be able to count on, feel certain, or rely on any one thing or person, it should be yourself and your own business. Without that, why are you devoting so much time and energy to building up your business?

Let’s take this just a step further:

In my opinion, the brands and websites I design for creative business owners are the tools and resources they need to act on their confidence in their business.

Not only does a complete brand or website represent your business and give your audience a bit of clarity on who you are and what you have to offer, but it gives you that same clarity to reflect on for yourself. The brand identity is one of the most emotion-evoking parts of your business and represents how things feel as you’re running your business, which can be directly tied to your level of confidence in yourself and what you have to offer.

The visual parts of your business that people see are deeply impactful. Your brand design and website strategy should be rooted in your own confidence for your business so your audience can pick up on that confidence and have confidence in your offerings.

Looking for someone to help you find that confidence? I’d love to chat with you. Visit my contact page or shoot me an email to start a conversation about working together on your brand design or website.

How Do You Cultivate Confidence?

I know what you’re thinking, That’s great, but I’m not confident. How do I become more confident? It’s just like anything else. PRACTICE. You take messy, imperfect action. Every step in the right direction—no matter how small—helps. You stop waiting for other people to give you permission for what you want to do. You invest in your business with time and money and stop doubting yourself!

No one can tell you what will build your confidence (in yourself or in your business), but here are a few ideas:

• Dress the part. When you think of being a success, what are you wearing? Put that on! Or, if you don’t own it yet, think about investing in it! You’ll be amazed at the boost it will give you every time you wear it.
• Try positive affirmations. Look at your reflection and say nice things to yourself! You may feel a little bit silly at first, but you’ll be amazed what some positive self-talk can do for your confidence.
• Find a cheerleader. There’s someone in your life who believes in you and what you’re doing. Talk to them. Let them remind you why you’re amazing and why your business will be a success.
• Fill your knowledge gaps. Do you feel embarrassed that you don’t know more about [fill in the blank]? Learn about it! You don’t have to be an expert, but getting a basic understanding will definitely make you feel better.
• Practice body kindness. Drink water, get more sleep, and eat regularly. When your body is taken care of then your mind will be sharper. You’ll be proud of how much you can accomplish.
• Find a mentor. There’s someone out there who would love to teach you the lessons they learned when they were first starting out. Find them! They’ll help you have confidence in every step you take.
• Understand imposter syndrome. You know those days when you feel like a big fake? Like you don’t have any idea what you’re doing? You’re not alone! Everyone feels that way sometimes. It’s called imposter syndrome. Don’t let it stop you.

At the end of the day, there’s only one YOU. No one else can do what you can do. Find a way to believe in yourself—and in your business—and no one will be able to stop you!

Need Some Help with Your Brand?

I offer 1x1 brand strategy + design services for online business owners, and now I've packaged my entire process into a self-guided online course to help you look legit and become the coolest brand on Instagram. This isn't a guide on branding, it's a guide to figuring out YOUR BRAND. CHECK IT OUT HERE!

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