We all have blind spots that cause us to sabotage our own personal and business growth, and because they are blind spots we can’t see them. Alternatively, we all have an inner genius and brilliance inside of us, that we oftentimes have trouble seeing as well – but I’ll leave that topic for another post. The beautiful thing about a mirror is that it reflects back to us what we cannot see for ourselves – fantastic! The downside is that most of the time, we don’t like what we see when it’s reflected back to us and we beat ourselves up for being that way – not good! Having said that, if we can take the self-love approach rather than the self-deprecating one, we can look at this as an opportunity for learning and growth.

In my business advising practice I wear many different hats. I am your business co-pilot, your business coach, your marketing expert, your sounding board, and your accountability partner. I’m your personal cheerleader, minus the pom-poms. I’m committed to investing my time and expertise in supporting you and your business, because I believe you’ve got what it takes to make it happen. One of the most important roles I play, is to be my client’s mirror.

The inspiration for this topic is taken directly from my business development coaching practice. My practice is focused on working with women service professionals and entrepreneurs in business services who are struggling to take their business to the next level. I provide a proven business growth framework, which includes a marketing roadmap, and a sales and business development system. I work with women who are ready to take action to build a profitable business with predictable revenue, built on a solid framework for sustainable growth. Without the right tools, we cannot build a solid business, but that’s really only part of it.

The more important piece of building a successful business is having the right mindset in order to use the tools effectively. Without the right mindset, the tools are useless. It’s similar to when you hire a personal trainer at the gym who provides you with a training plan and you go and buy all the right workout gear, but it’s really up to you how you show up at the gym and do the workouts to create success for yourself – the trainer is simply your guide.

I truly believe that the business success formula is 90% right mindset and 10% right tools.

Based on what I see in my practice, I want to share six common blind spots that can limit business growth, if not addressed.

1. Are you an action taker or an excuse maker? When you are presented with an opportunity, proposition or idea, think about whether you take action on that particular thing to find a way to make it work, or if you’re the type of person who makes excuses about why it won’t work. If you don’t try, you are missing out on the learning opportunities that unfold as soon as you take the first few steps.
2. Where is your focus? Where you focus your attention brings predictable results, so it’s super important to be conscious about what you are focusing on. If you focus too much on the competition and your external environment, you will be left feeling doubtful about your own abilities and your confidence will be deflated. There is enough work for everyone – focus on how you can turn your inner genius into the most brilliant and unique offering and you’ll begin to attract the clients that resonate with that. Focus too much on what everyone else is doing and you’ll fall into a rabbit hole.
3. Thinking small. Women have a tendency of asking for what we think we can get, rather than what we actually want, because it feels safer and protects us from disappointment. Articulate what you want and have the courage to ask for it. If you don’t ask, they won’t give. If you think small, you’ll stay small.
4. Perfectionist thinking. This is the tendency to think that you have to do everything perfectly, and being overly prepared before you put yourself out there. There is no place for perfectionism in business. Point blank. Business is all about not being perfect. Business is all about making mistakes and learning from them, in order to develop and grow. The more mistakes you make, and the better you become at learning from them, the faster you’ll grow. Be bold, have courage and learn to love to fail. Thomas Edison created 9,000 failed versions of a light bulb before figuring out a model that worked. Could you imagine if he had stopped after the first few attempts?
5. Superwoman mentality. This is the faulty thinking that you have to do everything yourself, otherwise you’re a failure. Reality check. You cannot be successful in business if you are trying to do everything yourself. Nobody can do it alone. Be smart. Ask for help and support. Surround yourself with the right people to support you to be the best you can be.
6. Not turning the mirror around. This is about turning the mirror around on yourself and becoming more aware of how you are showing up in the world. What is the perception of brand-YOU? Do you speak and act like an authority figure? Are you discrediting yourself by the words that you choose to use? Are you instilling trust and confidence in your market?

I encourage you to take the time to self reflect on the ways in which you might personally be getting in the way of your own business success. What are the skills that you need to master? The tools you need to learn? Think of the personal roadblocks that may need dismantling, and the resources and support that you need to hire.

If you are suffering in your business, and it feels harder than it should be, it means that something isn’t right with the fundamental business framework, your mindset – or quite frankly, both.

Success is something that you create for yourself, not something that happens to you, so think about how you are building capacity for yourself, so that you can create your own success. Get help and support if you need it. The death of the entrepreneur is solitude – don’t be a lone wolf.

If you feel that you are ready to take a look at the blind spots that are preventing you from being the best version of yourself, I encourage you to reach out to me. The tools that I teach are part of a proven business development framework designed for women entrepreneurs to quickly grow their business to 6-figures and beyond, by working smarter not harder.

Book a 45-minute complimentary business consultation.

I would love to support you to overcome the personal blind spots that are getting in the way of your own growth, so that you can stop the self-sabotaging behaviour that’s keeping your business small and get on with confidently building a values-based, purpose-driven, profitable business that you love!

Business is about NOT being perfect.