2. FEATURE: Busting Through Your Myth Ceiling – Part One

Taken from my book ‘Get Paid For Who You Are‘

Most of the reasons we aren’t doing what we say we want to, are because we are getting in our own way. Let’s look at the most common limiting beliefs or myths of starting your own business and bust them wide open so that you’re free to get a powerful start.

Myth #1:  I’m not an expert—who will listen to me?

Doubting your qualifications, the value of your ideas, or the level of your expertise is common — so common that it keeps thousands of people paralyzed in dead-end jobs. If you can move past this one obstacle, you’ll be far ahead of the pack in terms of what you can achieve.

“What if I lack credibility?”
Your life experiences – both positive and negative – are valuable, so you don’t need to pretend to be more than who you are. If you’re starting a new business, be honest with clients and let them know that you’re not coming to them with 50 years of experience. Consider whether they really care. You can even invite one or two people to be your first clients, let them know what you have to offer and ask them to try your services for free in exchange for testimonials. Soon, you and they will experience the value of the knowledge within you.

If you’re hanging on to the idea that you need to be perfect before you help others, consider that there will always be a group of people who are at least one step behind you, who will pay you for what you know. If you wait until you “have it all together” you might be dead before you’ve helped anybody.

Another way to get over fears about your credibility is to realize that you don’t have to come up with everything yourself. Your job may be to take other people’s expertise, package it and bring it to your clients. Think of Tina Marie, who started out knowing nothing about how to deal with her husband’s allergy, but soon found she was gathering enough information to help others. Or Chris Lehner, who just loved fishing. You can share what you care about and the value you offer has nothing to do with how long you’ve been in business.

Myth #2:  I don’t have the money to start a business.

Twenty years ago starting a business required a physical store front that in turn required thousands of dollars for a security deposit, monthly rent and cash to invest in inventory. So, it’s natural to associate starting a business with large up-front costs.

Those who didn’t have the money to set up a store front might start a mail-order business advertising in magazines and shipping from home, or from a drop-shipper. However, it often took weeks or months of trial and error to find the right advertisement or magazine to reach your customers.

Now, with millions of customers surfing the Internet, buying and downloading information at the click of a mouse, the landscape has changed. The Internet is a viable—and cheap—store front and to get started, you need very little investment.

To get started with an Internet-based company, you need:

• Internet access ($30/month)
• A computer (secondhand laptops sell for as little as $200)
• Phone (you probably have one already, or you can now make calls over the internet very cheaply)

As you can see, these costs are super low, and, if you already have a computer, phone, and Internet access, your start-up costs would be zero. Even if you don’t have these tools and you don’t have the little needed to get started, you could go to your local library and use their computers for free!

Another option would be to drop other expenses. You might think, “But I need those things.” Well, do you really want freedom? Then drop the car and take a bus. Carpool. Get rid of your mobile phone. Drop your gym membership and go jogging. I bet you could find at least one thing that you could drop in exchange for greater freedom.

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Take Action

1) What excuses are you making for not getting paid for who you are? Share at the blog.

2) What is one thing you are willing to do to counter one of the myths above? Share at the blog.

Love and gratitude,

P.S. Two more myths are coming in the next newsletter.

P.P.S. If you have any comments on this newsletter, we’d love you to share them here.

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