Ep 12 - How to Increase Your Confidence in Business

 

Confidence isn’t something you’re born with. 

It’s something you build.

 

So let me start today’s blog with a simple question for you…

As a health business owner, have you ever experienced: 

• Fear of being judged? 

• Fear of making mistakes? 

• Fear of putting yourself out there? 

 

Because so many business owners get stuck, not because they don’t know what to do…

But because fear holds them back. 

 

Running a healthcare business isn’t just about strategy. It’s also about mindset.

 

And here’s the truth: 

If you don’t learn how to push through fear, it will be almost impossible to grow a business, attract clients, and make the income and impact you know you’re capable of.

 

So in this blog, we’re going to talk about the intangibles of business.

The things they don’t teach you in most courses but are absolutely essential for your success.

 

Keep reading, because you’re about to discover:

• Why fear is the root cause of self-doubt (and how to overcome it)
• The link between perfectionism and procrastination (and what to do instead)
• How to shift limiting beliefs that are holding you back
• Practical steps to build confidence in your business, starting today

 

If you need some of this magic, let’s get started!

 

Step 1: Acknowledge That Fear is the Root Cause of Low Confidence

When I started planning this episode, I realised that confidence isn’t the real issue – fear is.

Fear keeps us stuck, convinces us we aren’t ready, and feeds the limiting beliefs that stop us from taking action. 

 

This tricky creature often disguises itself as:

• Fear of judgment – worrying about what colleagues will think of you

• Fear of failure – believing that if you try and don’t succeed, everyone will see that you’re surely not good enough

• Fear of change – staying cosy in your comfort zone, because uncertainty feels too risky

 

You’ll be relieved to know that the first simple step to increasing your confidence is to recognise the fear for what it is.

Here’s how you can do that…

 

Action Step:

Think about something in your business that you’ve been avoiding – whether it’s launching a program, putting your prices up, or showing up on video. 

What is the fear underneath it?

Once you name it, it becomes much easier to work through (and it starts to lose its power).

 

Step 2: Overcome Fear of Judgment

One of the biggest fears healthcare professionals face is fear of being judged – especially by our colleagues.

And that’s not surprising! As clinicians, we’re trained to work in a highly regulated way. 

We are expected to be 100% sure that the advice we give is accurate, evidence-based, and does no harm.

 

This level of scrutiny, while necessary in clinical work, can become a barrier in business. 

 

It can make us:

• Second-guess ourselves before posting online (and then avoid it!)
• Hesitate to position ourselves as experts (when, actually, we ARE experts!)
• Worry that someone will call us out publicly if we say the wrong thing 

 

But here’s the truth: 

Fear of judgment is usually just a reflection of our own insecurities.

 

I realised that I’d rather be judged for taking action – for trying, for helping people – than judged for doing nothing at all.

 

How to Overcome Fear of Judgment:

✔ Acknowledge that people will have opinions – but their opinions don’t control your success

✔ Understand that judgment is often a projection of their own insecurities, not a reflection of your ability

✔ Focus on the people you are helping, not the ones who aren’t supportive

 

Action Step:

Write down one bold action you’ve been avoiding because of fear of judgment – and commit to doing it within the next 7 days.

 

Step 3: Stop Perfectionism & Procrastination

Fear of change often shows up as perfectionism and procrastination.

Our brains are wired to avoid change because change means uncertainty – and uncertainty feels risky. 

 

So instead of taking action, we tell ourselves (unhelpful, untrue) things like:

• “I just need to tweak this one more time”
• “I’ll launch when everything is perfect”
• “I need more qualifications before I can start charging more”

Give me a nod if any of those sound familiar!

 

The frightening result? We stay stuck in preparation mode instead of taking action.

And our business (and income) stagnates. 

 

Perfection isn’t achievable, and waiting for it will delay the incredible progress you deserve!

 

How to Overcome It:

✔ Adopt the mindset: "Done is better than perfect"

✔ Put ideas out into the world even if they aren’t polished. (Yes, even if there’s a typo in your Instagram post!)

✔ Prioritise action over overthinking.

 

Action Step:

Identify ONE TASK you’ve been overthinking and commit to completing it in the next 24 hours – even if it’s not perfect.

 

Step 4: Challenge Limiting Beliefs

Limiting beliefs are the subconscious thoughts that tell us what we can and can’t do.

 

Let me know if any of these common business-related limiting beliefs have ever popped into your mind:

• “I’m not experienced enough to charge higher prices”
• “People won’t pay that much for my services”
• “I don’t know enough to be an authority in my field”

 

Did you know that most of these beliefs are formed in childhood when our brains are still developing?

And over time, our experiences reinforce them, making them feel like absolute truths…

When in reality, they’re just assumptions!

 

Keep reading if you want to know how to banish them…

 

How to Rewire Your Limiting Beliefs:

1. Recognise the belief. (What are you telling yourself?)
2. Look for evidence that contradicts it. (Has this belief been true 100% of the time?)
3. Reframe it. (What is a more empowering belief you could adopt?)

 

Let’s look at some examples:

❌ “I’m not experienced enough to charge higher prices”

✔ “I have years of expertise, and my knowledge is valuable. Clients get real results from working with me”

 

Hooray for option two!

 

Action Step:

Write down a limiting belief you have about yourself or your business. 

Then, reframe it into an empowering statement. 

Pop it on a Post-it note, keep it somewhere visible and read it daily.

 

Step 5: Build Confidence Through Action

Confidence isn’t something you wait for – it’s something you build.

You don’t become confident before you take action. You take action, and confidence follows. (Whoop!)

If you avoid uncomfortable situations because you “don’t feel confident enough,” you’ll never get there.

But when you face discomfort head-on, each small win reinforces your ability to handle challenges. (I promise.)

 

How You Can Build Your Confidence in Business (Starting Right Now!)

 

✔ Put yourself in situations that stretch your comfort zone. (Start small. Post a video, raise your prices, say yes to a speaking opportunity)

✔ Surround yourself with people who believe in you. (Join a supportive business group or work with a coach. Let me know if you need any recommendations! I’ve got you…)

✔ Track your wins. (Keep a list of achievements to remind yourself of how far you’ve come)

 

Action Step:

I do love this one!

Create a confidence log – a notebook, whiteboard, or note on your phone where you track all your small (and big) wins in business.

Every time you:
✔ Receive great client feedback
✔ Get featured somewhere
✔ Push through fear and take action

Write it down! It deserves to be celebrated. 

Over time, this list will retrain your brain to focus on your successes instead of your fears.

 

Final Thoughts: Confidence Comes From Action

You’ve probably heard the saying:

“Success is on the other side of discomfort.”

And it’s so true!

Growing your business will require stepping outside your comfort zone. But confidence comes from action – not the other way around.

 

Your Action Step Today:

Identify one task you’ve been procrastinating on due to fear – whether that’s posting on social media, reaching out to a potential client, or putting up your prices.

Commit to doing it within the next 24 hours.

Because the only way to become more confident is to start taking action before you feel ready.

I believe in you.

Mindset For Business Success

If this has resonated with you, you might be interested to discover how I can support you to overcome your mindset blocks and step into the successful business owner you deserve to be. 

Learn more about my Mindset For Business Success programme here.

 

Grab The Master Plan!

Ready to build the business you’ve always dreamed of?

This step-by-step workbook will walk you through exactly what you need to focus on and when. You'll get my expert knowledge as a health business strategist.

This guide really is your master plan to business success! Grab your free copy, right here…https://www.sarahalmondbushell.com/master-plan

 

Connect with me here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dietitiansinbusiness/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dietitiansinbusiness

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheClinicPodcast

 

 

Episode transcription:

[00:00:00] Sarah Almond Bushell: Welcome back. I'm really excited to talk about today's topic. And that's because lots of us get stuck in business because of a lack of confidence, because of self doubt, because of fear. And actually, unless we learn how to push through this fear, it's going to be very hard to run a business, it's going to be hard to attract clients, it's going to be hard to make money, and it's going to be really hard to make your business the success that it absolutely can be.

[00:00:34] Sarah Almond Bushell: So today's episode, we are going to be talking about the intangibles of building a business. Like how to be brave and conquer your fears so that you can have the business that you have dreamed of. So with that said, let's dive in. So when I started preparing for this podcast episode, I realized that in order to grow in confidence, we need to address our fears.

[00:01:00] Sarah Almond Bushell: And that's because it's often fear that gets in the way of us doing things, that feeds our limiting beliefs, that prevents us from being confident enough to take the actions that we really want to take. And it's fear that convinces us to do alternative, easier things instead. So I know that as a healthcare professional and having been a business mentor for the last seven years or so, one of the biggest fears that both myself actually, and my clients have had to overcome is a fear of judgment.

[00:01:33] Sarah Almond Bushell: There's something about being judged by our colleagues, being told that we're wrong, and even, the fear of being called out by a colleague for everyone to see. But actually, fear of judgment is very often a reflection of our own personal insecurities.

[00:01:52] Sarah Almond Bushell: And I think this links into the fact that as a healthcare professional, we work in a highly regulated way. We need to be 100 percent sure that the advice that we're giving is accurate, is evidence based, and of course, does no harm. It's no doubt that, this degree of regulation leaves us feeling, a significant amount of pressure that we might ,, You know, unintentionally and publicly say something wrong.

[00:02:23] Sarah Almond Bushell: So when we're faced with this fear of judgment, we're almost projecting our own fears onto another person and expecting them to give us negative feedback. I think the first way to overcome this is to just acknowledge what exactly is going on here. I often think that, I'd prefer to be judged by someone for actually doing something, for taking action, for trying to help, than be judged by someone for somebody who doesn't do anything at all.

[00:02:54] Sarah Almond Bushell: And this thought process really helped me with my confidence when I was worried about what other people might be thinking. A second area where fear tends to show up and impact on our confidence is a fear of change. Now, our brains are hardwired to avoid change because change is considered a threat to our current level of comfort because a change often reflects the unknown.

[00:03:21] Sarah Almond Bushell: And our brains they just want to keep us safe. And the unknown that might be dangerous. And so the way that this plays out is perfectionism and procrastination. So essentially, it keeps us staying stuck. It keeps us thinking and overthinking rather than taking action and trying. And then self doubt creeps in.

[00:03:43] Sarah Almond Bushell: You question your abilities. You're constantly trying to get to the level of perfection. And for all of the perfectionists listening, you know that perfection is an unattainable goal. I found that I could overcome this fear of change in two ways actually. One, One was to tell myself that done was better than perfect, and to put my ideas out into the world without worrying about them being perfect, and actually that's why you'll often find spelling mistakes on my slides.

[00:04:13] Sarah Almond Bushell: And two was to eat my frog, or essentially do the most difficult tasks first, put them at the top of my to do list, and tackle them before the easy stuff. So I want to take a moment now just to talk about limiting beliefs and what these are because these crop up for us in, all different aspects of our life, actually.

[00:04:37] Sarah Almond Bushell: And when it comes to business, this can look like a lack of confidence as well. It could also look like money mindset issues. It can look like imposter syndrome. And essentially it keeps us Stuck. So our limiting beliefs, they are most often subconscious thoughts. Because we're only actually aware of 5 percent of the thoughts that go through our mind, which means that the other 95 percent are happening subconsciously.

[00:05:05] Sarah Almond Bushell: And our belief system is actually developed early in our childhood, often before the ages of 6 to 7, when the developing brain is actually very literal, and it really isn't able to process abstract thought at that stage. So these beliefs that we pick up when we're young are often completely illogical and don't make any sense in our adult lives.

[00:05:31] Sarah Almond Bushell: And then what happens over time is that our experiences that we, as we go through life, reinforce these beliefs. Our brains literally distort and delete facts and memories of experiences that you have, and it's in order to further support these limiting beliefs. And our brain, because it's programmed to look for the negatives in our experiences rather than the positives, to maintain that status quo. because it wants to keep us safe.

[00:06:01] Sarah Almond Bushell: And so what happens is that over time limiting beliefs are formed which actually often hold very little or no truth. And this is really interesting because when you talk to somebody else who might have shared that experience with you, they might have a completely different recollection of that event compared to you.

[00:06:22] Sarah Almond Bushell: You've both remembered Two different things from the exact same event. We never want fear to stop us from doing something that you know you want to do, or that you know you need to do in order to achieve something really important. What do you do? The first step is to acknowledge the fear.

[00:06:43] Sarah Almond Bushell: Next time you feel it, identify how it actually feels inside your body. Because for some of us, we'll get sweaty palms. For others, it'll be a fast heartbeat. Some people get butterflies in their tummy or lose their appetite. Some people have to run to the loo. And I'm sure, because you're a healthcare professional, you'll understand that these feelings are caused by adrenaline.

[00:07:04] Sarah Almond Bushell: And so when our systems are flooded, it's impossible to think straight. So take a moment when it arises just to calm yourself, do whatever it takes. It could be listening to music or sitting down in a quiet room for a few minutes. It could be leaving your office and going to the kitchen with a cuppa.

[00:07:23] Sarah Almond Bushell: Or for me, it's just a little bit of meditation, or actually sometimes it's picking up my knitting and then, when you're calm, you can ask yourself, you know what is the worst thing that could happen if I do this? And then actually, what's the best thing that could come out of this? I also think it's worth asking yourself, what evidence have you got from your past experiences that the worst thing is actually going to happen?

[00:07:50] Sarah Almond Bushell: And if you do have evidence, has that been 100 percent true 100 percent of the time? Unlikely. What evidence do you have that you can do this scary thing? You may have done it before, you may have stood on a stage and delivered a talk to 400 people before. Does this belief work for you or does it work against you?

[00:08:15] Sarah Almond Bushell: And what assumptions have you made about this belief and the way that it's going to play out? Because often we're living in the future, our thoughts are literally looking ahead and deciding what's going to happen and we have no idea because we haven't done it yet. And then it's also worth thinking, does this belief help you in other aspects of your life?

[00:08:38] Sarah Almond Bushell: Because sometimes we can avoid doing things, but it actually has a beneficial knock on effect elsewhere in our lives. The other thing I would do is I would write out a new, positively focused statement that reframes your belief, but in the present tense. It's really important that it's in the present tense.

[00:08:56] Sarah Almond Bushell: And then just stick it on the wall behind your computer or somewhere where you're going to see it several times a day. And Whenever you see it, read it, speak it out loud and do it often. This is important because if you think about it, your brain has had years and years of reinforcing this belief, so you actively need to rewire that subconscious mind with your new positively focused statement to reframe that belief.

[00:09:24] Sarah Almond Bushell: And then as you go about your day, consciously make a note of the evidence that supports your new belief as you go through life. One of the things that I do is I just have an achievements list on my whiteboard next to me here, so that I can write down everything that I've achieved from leaning into that confidence.

[00:09:46] Sarah Almond Bushell: So if you can do something like that as well, I think that would really help. So you might have heard the saying that success is on the other side of discomfort, and it is absolutely true. We're moving outside of our comfort zone to do something in our business that we know will result in.

[00:10:06] Sarah Almond Bushell: Achieving a business goal. And that is a really good thing. It is expansive. In business, we do need to take risks in order to grow. We have to invest when we think we can't afford it. We have to bring on team members and let go of the reins. We need to stand on stages in front of those 500 people. I often think that when you begin to feel the feelings of fear, it's an indication that you are on a personal growth journey.

[00:10:35] Sarah Almond Bushell: So the next time that fear arises for you, acknowledge it, calm yourself and then take that next step. You've got the power to build the business that you've always dreamed of. So my action step for you today is just to identify one task that you've been procrastinating on due to not feeling confident enough or having fear or perfectionism get in the way.

[00:11:00] Sarah Almond Bushell: And Commit to completing that task within the next 24 hours, no matter how imperfectly, just getting it done. Remember, done is better than perfect. And why is this important? Taking action, especially on something that intimidates you a little bit, helps you build momentum, it helps you build that confidence, and it also helps you break that cycle and it Demonstrates or proves to yourself that you are capable and that you can do tough things.

[00:11:32] Sarah Almond Bushell: You really can.

[00:11:34] Sarah Almond Bushell: Okay, join me next time where we are going to be talking to other successful healthcare professionals and what they do in their businesses to make money beyond the clinic. If you've ever fancied writing a book, you are not going to want to miss this one because I'm going to be interviewing the hugely successful dietician Kirsten Jackson Also known as the IBS dietitian and learning all about her book writing journey.

[00:12:01] Sarah Almond Bushell: Join me then. Bye for now.