Debunking common biz owner misconceptions

I have heard so many misconceptions over the years from business owners about managing their businesses and bringing on help. There's a lot of misinformation out there. 

It’s common to have anxiety about managing our businesses, right? I don't know about you, but my business is kind of my baby. I'm attached to it. I care about it. I like things done a particular way. 

And that's totally okay. But none of this should keep you from making choices and taking actions that are going to move your business forward and help you grow.

Want to know if you have any misconceptions that are holding you back? I’m going to be debunking some business owner myths today!

Listen to the audio:

Myth 1: Only I can do it

The first misconception that I commonly hear is, "Things aren't going to be done right or the way that I want them to be done if I don't do them myself." 

Okay. As a recovering perfectionist, I 1,000% understand and empathize with this viewpoint. However, there comes a point in your business where it is not physically possible for you to do everything yourself. 

If you have the right systems and procedures in place, you can hand things off without having to worry that they're not going to be done to your standards. It's also very important to find the right people with the right attitude and the right expertise to help you with those tasks. Those two things go hand in hand.

Myth 2: I’m not doing enough

The second misconception I commonly come across is, "If my business isn't growing, that means I'm not doing enough." 

Now, I have worked with and talked to so many business owners, and this has basically never been the case. In most cases, business owners that I talk to are actually doing too much in their businesses. 

They're trying to do too many different things all at once. They're splitting their focus. They're not putting their attention on the few things that actually need to happen to move their business forward, because they're worried about all of these other things at the same time. 

So if your business isn't growing, there's a strong possibility that you actually need to be doing less, not more. 

For example, if you’re not getting enough clients, maybe you're not putting enough of your focus on marketing. 

If you feel like your business is disorganized and you're having trouble keeping up with the day-to-day operations, you need to put your attention on fixing that and figuring out what to do to manage it better. 

Again, your mentality shouldn't be, "What more do I need to be doing?" but, "What specific things do I need to be focusing on in order to reach these specific goals?" 

Myth 3: I need this strategy/platform to have success

The third misconception that I hear is, "I have to use this specific strategy or platform even though I don't want to." 

Again, there's so much advice out there. There are so many people telling you the specific thing that they did to find success. But that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing for you.

I don't know about you, but I am constantly being bombarded by ads about different things I apparently NEED to help my business. One day I might see ads about how to create my own ads. The next day it might be how LinkedIn is the new thing that is going to get me endless leads into my business. 

It's so easy for us to think the reason we’re not having success is that we’re not on that specific platform or not doing that specific strategy. The problem is, if you are trying to force yourself into someone else's strategy that is not in alignment with you, and your business, and how you like to do things, it's not going to work for you. 

It's going to exhaust you. It's going to frustrate you. And it's probably not going to have the effect that you're looking for. 

For example, you may feel like your ideal client hangs out on Facebook, but you might hate using Facebook. So are you going to force yourself to spend hours every week on a platform that you hate just in the hopes that you're going to find those people? How much of a drag is that going to be! 

Instead what I recommend is to put your focus on something that you enjoy doing or at least don't mind doing. I do not enjoy Facebook. Therefore, I focus my social media efforts on Instagram, because that is a platform that I find less stressful and time consuming to use, and so I'm more likely to actually create content and it's less likely to be a giant time suck and stressor for me. 

Instead of trying to force yourself into a specific strategy that you don't love, find the things that actually work for you and that you don't mind doing, or maybe even enjoy doing, and focus on those. It's not about the specific strategy, it's about being consistent with a strategy that is in alignment for you. 

Myth 4: Growth = less personal connection

Ooh, the next misconception is a big one that I hear a lot about helping people with systems and automation, and it's that growing or scaling your business means that you are going to have less personal connection with leads and clients. 

Okay. So if you start scaling or automating your business, it might mean that you technically have less personal time with clients, especially via email, because some of that is either being automated or being done by someone else. 

However, that does not mean that those people are losing out on a personal touch, and that's the important part. It's not that you personally need to do all the communication with absolutely everyone, it's that everyone is still getting a high touch experience even if you are not the one doing it. 

If you are setting up automation, then you want to make sure that you are setting up emails that are in your tone and conveying the message that you want to give these clients. 

I would argue that automation actually improves the experience for leads and clients, because they are getting the information that they need fast so that they can move forward without waiting to hear from you. 

If you are reaching the point where your business is growing and the one-on-one contact with clients is not all happening through you personally, but maybe you have team members who are handling some of that, then you need to make sure you are choosing the right people who align with your values and the way that you want to run your business. 

Maybe you give them a script to convey your tone and the way you want your business communication to happen. Maybe they're using templates. Maybe you are training them on what to say. 

There are many ways to keep that personal connection alive in your business without having to sacrifice your personal time. I promise that clients can still feel connected to you and still have that high touch experience without you actually having to be the one who does all of it, okay? 

Myth 5: I’m not ready for help

The final misconception that I would like to tackle today is that, "I can't afford professional assistance or I'm not ready for professional assistance." 

The problem that I run into with a lot of business owners is that by the time they realize they need help and they start looking around for that help, they are already so overwhelmed. 

The problem with this is that they're just trying to keep up with the day-to-day in their business. They're trying to put out fires. And when you're in that fight or flight mode in your business, it is very hard to start working with someone at that point and get the support that you need. 

You don't have the time to tell them what you need. You don't have the time to train them. You're just praying that they are magically the right person. It's a very stressful place for both of you to be, because it's challenging for this person to try to jump in and help when they don't know your business and they don't know what's going on on. And you feel like this person that is supposed to help you is just one more thing that you have to manage on your to do list. 

I really recommend starting to look for someone to work with in your business before you think you’re ready. Before you think you need that person. 

If budget is what’s holding you back, most people that I know who support small business owners are able to have some degree of flexibility. If you are not at a point where you can hire somebody for a large package or a large number of hours, they might have a cheaper or smaller option for you to start with to start getting some of the support that you need and that you are able to afford at this point. 

It is difficult to grow and scale your business without some kind of support, so I would encourage you to prepare yourself for that possibility and start looking around for the person who has the right values, personality, and skill set for you. 

Start investigating and keeping that in mind before you think you're ready so that you can start getting all of that in place before you get overwhelmed and before you reach the point where you're not able to function. 

So, did you have any of these misbeliefs that I mentioned? If I was not able to change your mind and you still disagree with me on any of them, I will not be offended! But I really encourage you to think about these things in a new light and if you have any questions about any of these misconceptions, please let me down in the comments or feel free to reach out.