How Small Business Owners Can Be More Confident

Any small business owner must be confident in their product, idea, service or themselves to start their business.

As your business evolves, triumphs are recorded and you soar but when hiccups are encountered like recessions, exchange rates drop and marketing, sales or customer challenges are experienced, your shoulders begin to droop. Sleepless nights, worry, anxiety and fear don't always provide the solutions you seek. In fact you may start to feel grim as money disappears from your pockets and it's hard to admit you need 'something else’. What that is, you don't quite know....but from my experience a wake up call will shake you back to reality. However, all is not lost, but it's time to reassess your situation and move your thoughts from lack of confidence to prosperity and 'turning your business around'.

But fear not, you are not alone! These days on television you can watch a variety of programs about retuning businesses, ranging from Ramsey’s Kitchen where he visits flailing restaurants, to The Hotel Inspector and Undercover Bosses. They are all seeking new business ideas. Step one is new concepts to try but step two is having the confidence and courage to change your thinking to get back to working towards your business goals.

Any business owner knows the road to success is curved. One business expert said: “Business is about keeping on introducing something new until it sticks! I encountered hiccups myself, when many clients departed during the recession then online strategies didn't bring the results, but now it’s realigning my business from a different perspective and moving forward. Here are 3 top tips to get your mindset and confidence back on track.

1 Use Confidence Building Products & Tools

Every business owner has sought advice at some stage. Now remove ego and fear from your life and find the book, course, self help program or workshop that helps you to think positive about yourself, and your business. If you haven't used affirmations, visualisations, treasure boards or relisted your new goals, get cracking! One business owner I spoke to recently said they were now starting the day with visualisations and affirmations. They were helping them think positive as they turn their business around by introducing a new product and going back to basics.

Millionaires go to conferences to keep learning, any small business owner is doing themselves a disservice by not seeking new ideas and motivation from other sources.

2 Provide More Service or Value

Either with your present or new products, provide more service or value. Re-evaluate what you are doing and look for areas to change. Another avenue is to resurrect something from the past and change it to suit the present market. The business world, customers and thinking has changed so update you and your business.

Robert Kiyosaki from Rich Dad Poor Dad said: "Change your focus from making money to serving more people; Serving more people brings in more money”.

3 Look After You!

Since my hiccup in October 2010 when I collapsed, died and was revived, I've focussed on my health and retuning myself constantly. There is a lot of research about the Law of Attraction and the 'vibrational energy' you exert from your state of well-being. Here are four things that can easily be changed:

Water - Increase your water in take. Research shows a lower amount clogs your thinking, so drink more water.

Food - Eating healthy food is easy to change. Stop having a muffin every day for morning tea, replacing it with something healthier and making the muffin your Friday treat.

Exercise - Find time to do more exercise. A walk around the block at night a few sit-ups while watching television, anything that gets you moving more.

Sleep - Get better sleep. You are not functioning at full steam if you’re tired in the morning. There are lots of products to help you short-term if needed. I now use a mantra from Joe Vitale and his book Zero Limits. It puts my mind to rest by stopping the merry-go-round of negative thoughts.

Changing your business success is not an overnight job, but being more confident helps you network more efficiently, sound more positive on the phone and bring in more sales. Even dressing for success, (yes, even in your home office), you'll be ahead of the business owners who don't make changes.

No-one forced us to become self employed and business owners, it's a challenge we chose for ourselves. Now, it's up to each business owner, whether a sole practioner working from a home office or an office, to keep learning and up skilled. Your business is following your passions to take your services and products to your customers. Changing your confidence about yourself and your business is up to you.

John Assaraf from The Secret has created many businesses and here are 3 affirmations from his book The Answer, which you could use:

• I have absolute certainty in my ability to generate any amount of income I choose.

• I consistently attract all the right people to help me grow my business

• I am a brilliant and savvy business person and I have access to everything to make my business grown

Another business expert, Jack Canfield was a school teacher and small business owner before he built his empire from his books related to Chicken Soup for the Soul series. His office rules were: no negativity in the office, use visualisations and affirmations and making sure they did five things a day to expand the business. After being knocked back by 144 publishers, he found one who saw merit in the books and fourteen months of hard work later, reaped the results. Your business may not be the same…but dedication and committment will work.

There is a famous quote: If it's to be - it's up to me! This applies to every business owner who started with a dream. If you are losing confidence, your goal needs to be to find it again!