How to Get Over the Fear of Starting Your Own Business

How to move past your fear of failure, the unknown, success and what others think — and take the leap

When I first decided to go after my dreams, quit my job and work on my business full-time, I experienced all sorts of fear. Crippling fear.

Fear of Failure. Fear of Judgment. Fear of the Unknown. Fear of Success.

I experienced all of it.

Because our brain does not like changes. It prefers us to stay the same. It wants us to be safe. In ancient times, our brain did us a favor by using fear to protect us from real dangers like lions and starvation.

In modern times in the Western world, we rarely experience real dangers. But fear is still programmed into our brain, passed down from our ancestors, from generation to generation. And apart from self-limiting beliefs (e.g. “I am not good enough” or “I don’t have enough money/time”), fear is probably the ONE THING holding us back THE MOST from following our dreams.

I know that — because these fears almost crushed me. They almost stopped me from starting my own business. Almost.

I am definitely NOT through the woods with making my dreams reality. I still experience fear every day. But I won’t let these fears stop me anymore. Because now I know how to deal with them.

Here is how I moved through all of my fears, one by one:

1. Fear of Failure

What it did to me:

This is the most obvious fear when it comes to going after your dreams. And to be honest, it was also the fear that — for a very long time — was holding me back from actually taking action and quitting my job. And later on, when I had quit my job and was working on my business, my fear of running out of money completely blocked my creative energies and stopped me from actually doing great work.

How I moved past it:

• I got clear on what FAILING meant for me personally: When working through my limiting beliefs I realized that deep down I didn’t believe I was able to financially sustain myself as an entrepreneur. I didn’t think I was good enough. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to build a sustainable business and go broke.
• I made peace with the worst-case scenario: I asked myself “What if this actually happens? What if I go broke before my business takes off?”. This question helped me get clear about my worst-case scenario — and realize the worst case was actually not that bad. It just meant I had to take up another job and move on with my previously successful career. There are way worse things in life.
• I realized there are no failures, just experiments: Over time I let go of my worst-case scenario and decided that I only failed if I gave up. Life is only black and white if you decide to see it that way. I reframed the word “failing” to “pivoting” and figured that if my first business idea didn’t work and I actually DID run out of money, I could just try another idea and work part-time as a waiter. If I kept my expenses low, I didn’t even need to take up another full-time job and give up on my dreams. I could just move on and pivot to the next experiment.

2. Fear of the Unknown

What it did to me:

I am a planner. I love structure. I love to feel like I am in control. We all do. But being in control is an illusion. And before I fully understood this concept, the fear of the Unknown made me incapable of moving forward in my life. I spend my entire time thinking “what if?” and playing through different scenarios in my head. I was stuck in a paralyzing limbo of fear.

How I moved past it:

• I realized that the unknown is what makes life exciting: Things will never go to plan. And that is a very good thing. We don’t know what life has in store for us in the next years. And this is exactly what makes life worth living.
• I adapted my planning cycles: Instead of thinking about what 2019 will look like and freaking out because I literally have no clue whatsoever, I am focusing on the next 3 months. This makes me feel like I am in control by setting goals and actively working on them. Of course, I am not in control, but at least I tricked my mind into believing it.
• I developed a deep trust in the universe: Now this might sound too spiritual for you — but let’s be real: How can you confidently walk into the unknown unless you have a deep faith that things are gonna be alright? And how can you have a deep faith that things will turn out to your higher good unless you actually BELIEVE in something bigger than yourself? Developing a daily spiritual practice was by far the biggest game-changer in my life and is to date, my strongest fear fighter. It allows me to be at peace with uncertainty, let go of the outcome and connect with my intuition on a whole new level.

3. Fear of Being Judged and Embarrassed

What it did to me:

I felt stupid telling people about my business and what I do professionally. I felt embarrassed about my half-finished website and my unrefined elevator pitch. I WANTED to connect with people and share my work but I was terrified to get judged — especially by friends and former colleagues.

How I moved past it:

• I realized that people will ALWAYS judge: Even if your website is perfect and your business is a success. People will judge. People will find ways to criticize. It is just something that comes with putting yourself out there and showing your most vulnerable self. Don’t build a shell to retreat from the world, build a thicker skin so you can put yourself out there!
• I asked myself “What will make me feel more stupid: Putting myself out there and being judged or not going after my dreams at all?”. The thought of looking back at my life and realizing that I didn’t have the guts to live my best life, helps me day in and day out to go after what I want — even if it makes me feel stupid, inadequate and so uncomfortable that I want to crawl back into bed.
• I started to connect with like-minded souls: One of the pains of growing into the best version of yourself is the realization that you need to let go of some people along the way. The friends you had while working in your corporate job won’t understand what you are doing — at least not on the level you need them to. Seeking out like-minded souls will make your journey not only much easier but all the more worth it.

4. Fear of Success

What it did to me:

Just when I thought I had finally moved past my fears, the fear of success hit me HARD. It knocked me down just when I was beginning to see initial success in my business and moving towards the life I desired with big leaps. After bootstrapping myself from my parent’s house for a few months and living the pain of a long-distance relationship, I finally moved into a really nice apartment with my boyfriend. It was the first real milestone in the life I was dreaming of: being together, having our own place, doing what we loved professionally day in day out. It felt great. Until it didn’t. Because I got scared. I got scared that our lives and our relationship will be boring. I got scared that I will turn into a workaholic with no time for doing the things I enjoyed. I got scared that I didn’t know what to do with money and freedom once I had achieved it. And OH did this fear of success block me from all the good things coming my way.

How I moved past it:

• I realized that underlying the fear of success is the fear of taking responsibility for your life: Being in a job you hate gives you an excuse to not lead the life of your dreams. After all, you are dependent on your pay-check and stuck to the office 5 days a week. This limits you tremendously. But it is also a nice excuse to NOT take responsibility for your life. Once you remove that limit, the greatness of your life is only dependent on one single variable: YOU. And that can be pretty scary.
• I started living the life I loved RIGHT NOW: The hard truth is that if you are not happy with your life BEFORE changing the things that kill you inside (your soul-sucking job and your crappy apartment), you won’t be any happier when you finally get what you want. Being happy is a choice you make day-in-day-out. Although I had read this so many times, I never fully understood it. But once I did, I was finally able to truly be happy NOW and set myself up for happiness in the future. Learn the skill to be happy in the times where you don’t already have what you want — because only this way you will be happy once you have it. Be grateful for everything you have right now, make the most out of each day, live in the moment and don’t delay doing the things you always wanted to. Start living the life of your dreams right NOW and it will only get better and better.

Bonus: 3 Effective Strategies to Deal with Any Type of Fear

• Get to know your fear: Start by identifying how fear shows up in your life. For some people, fear hides behind procrastination or perfectionism. Others experience physical fear effects like a tightness in the chest, chronic pain, or recurring illnesses. Sometimes, fear is suppressed by destructive behavior like excessive drinking, smoking, working, shopping, or eating. The next time you see this pattern show up in your life again, sit with your fear instead and feel it deeply. Ask yourself: “What am I actually afraid of?” Then go even deeper and ask yourself: “Why am I so afraid of this?” Are you actually afraid of not being able to pay rent or are you more afraid of what your friends will think if your business fails and you can’t pay your rent? And if that happens, how will that make you feel? What are you so afraid to feel? What are you so afraid to find out about yourself?
• Transform your fear into empowering energy: We can’t control the emotions that enter our mind, we can only control how we react to them. Thus, transforming fear is ultimately a daily practice. A daily practice of becoming aware of our fear, understanding and metabolizing it, reframing it and letting it go. There are a few practices that I’ve found to be very powerful for that: journaling (try my four-step emotional release process here), breathing exercises (try the 4–7–8 technique here), tapping (check out Brad Yates on Youtube) and moving your body (getting your heart rate up relaxes your mind, lightens your mood and helps you to break out of the negative thought cycles of fear and worry).
• Take action despite the fear, step by step: It’s normal to feel overwhelmed and scared to start a big, life-changing project. But if we are afraid of something, the only way to move forward is to face the fear and do it anyway. And the more we take small action steps, the more we gain the confidence to take the next, bigger step. The key is to not obsess too much about having it all figured out and just starting with the easiest, first step we are confident to take. When my clients first come to me they usually worry so much about things like setting up a website, finding a name and defining “what they do.” But these things create so much pressure and lead to inaction because they lack the necessary clarity to execute them. The first step is not your website. The first step is not even to describe what you do. The first step is to create and to serve. Go out there and just help people with what you know. Help your friends or random people you meet. Share what you’ve learned on Instagram or write an article on Medium. Take all the pressure off and just serve and create. Don’t even worry too much about what comes back. Just see how it feels. That’s the first step.

In a Nutshell

Most people never take the leap to go after their dreams and do what they really want in life. They let fear hold them back.

But when you are ready to look your fear in the eye and understand what we are really afraid of, we can transform our fear into empowering energy with powerful practices like journaling, EFT or breathing and learn to take action anyway — step by step.

On top, use these strategies to deal with specific types of fear:

• Fear of Failure: Make peace with your worst-case scenario and reframe your definition of failure (you only fail when you give up!).
• Fear of the Unknown: Fall in love with the unknown — it is what makes exciting! Adjust your planning cycles: focus on what you can control (the next week) vs. planning your entire year. Develop a spiritual practice of surrender and trust in a higher power.
• Fear of What Other People Think: Realize that people will always judge — even if everything you do is perfect. Care more about embarrassing yourself by not going after your dreams than embarrassing yourself in front of others. Connect with like-minded souls to share your challenges and successes.
• Fear of Success: Focus on being happy in the NOW! No amount of success can make you happy if you are unable to enjoy your life as it is.

About the Author

Liz Huber is a Mindset & Productivity Coach and Founder of the Confident Coach Club. Sign-up for her email list to receive a weekly digest of her best content and the free ebook “6 Mental Blocks that Keep You Stuck in Life”.