Guest Article by Andrea Weber

Commencing a new business is one of the most exciting, challenging, inspiring, and exhausting things to do all at the same time! Some of us have been there before and run successful businesses in the past and some of us are starting a new venture and have never gone out on our own. Regardless of where we’re at on the starting block, there are 3 things sure to halt our motivation for moving forward and they are self-doubt, comparison, and money.

Self-doubt – we all have it and when we start a new business there’s no shortage of this to go around! Questions swirl like an all-consuming vortex. Do I have the skills to do this, am I enough, do I have enough to offer, will anyone really want what I have to offer, what if I don’t succeed, do I have enough energy, can I create the balance that’s needed with everything else . . .  and the list goes on.

Comparison – closely following self-doubt (and indeed a contributing factor) is our good old friend, comparison, constantly reliable and showing up every time. There is always someone with more experience, more knowledge, more organization, more resources, more clients, more everything else. This is a guarantee and another is that self-doubt loves comparison. The more we compare ourselves to others, the more self-doubt takes hold.  If comparison is the focus, no one would ever start anything!

Money – this is a biggie and one for another post (or several) all on its own. The links here with self-doubt and comparison are palpable. Some of us are fortunate to start a business with great financial backing, people lining up to be clients, and years of knowledge and experience. Most of us, though, have none of the above. We’ve started with a passion, an idea, a desire to start a better life for ourselves and our families and to reach out and help others at the same time. Many need to continue on in part-time work to pay the bills and manage things until income grows from the business. Some start their own business after having to resign from their current employment for any number of reasons or after a health crisis has upturned everything. It can be incredibly difficult working round the clock to set things up while not earning an income, especially if other expenses are mounting. The frustrations and practicalities come in and it’s only natural to start wondering if we’ve made the right decisions.

Many small businesses cease to exist within the first 5 years and these three areas mentioned above significantly contribute. The reality is that we all start from where we are with what we have and this will look different for everyone. In these first few years, things can be incredibly rewarding and also incredibly challenging so it’s essential to set ourselves up with the right support, inspiration, and encouragement. 

This is the exact reason I joined the HSP Business Group through the Sensitive Empowerment Community. The Business Group is full of like-minded members all dedicated to making their businesses a success and making a difference in the world because of it. For a small monthly fee, members have access to business events and worthwhile posts and contributions from proactive, passionate people who are all going through or have been through similar stages in their own business.

Another step I have actively taken is to enroll in Julie’s How to Grow a Heart-Centred On-line Business Course which is full of practical tips, tools, and techniques to help HSPs thrive in their business ventures and get the best start possible. There is so much to be learned and shared and with the right tools and support, HSPs are in the perfect position to do this. Being a highly sensitive person means that we need to set business goals and intentions to support and align with our needs and our true authentic selves. It is only through doing this that we will truly be able to share our gifts with the world. Anything less will feel contracting and uncentered. 

Participating in this self-paced program will put many things in perspective and provide a solid platform to continuously adapt, evolve, and ultimately thrive in your business. We also need systems that create efficiency and the Heart-centred Business Course provides guidance and support to point us in the right direction.  

Being part of the Community and participating in the course has been extremely beneficial in ways I could have never imagined when first signing up for the program. The generosity of what is given is really quite amazing and 8 weeks of free membership to the community is automatically included when enrolling in any of Julie’s courses so this is great news for those starting out and a wonderful way to see the value in what is offered.

If you’re not quite ready for a course enrolment, an alternative would be to sign up for the free masterclass Reach Financial Freedom – Growing a Heart-Centred Online Business You Love.

These tools are all readily accessible and available. With the right support, we can work through these 3 challenges and achieve great things along the way.

Andrea Weber is founder of expansivehappiness.com, a site specifically designed to encourage, inspire and support those managing environmental sensitivities, while creating much needed public awareness around these conditions. Andrea has created an Environmental Sensitivity Quiz and a range of practical and inspirational resources for environmental sensitivity management including the Self-empowered Sensitivity Management Program.