5 Tactics to Conquer the Fear of Failure

By Cloris Kylie

All entrepreneurs I know (including me) have experienced fear of failure. If you’re in business on your own, you might have asked yourself:

• Am I doing the right thing by starting this business?
• What if no one is interested in my offerings?
• What if I can’t figure out the marketing/sales/technology?
• What if my business fails and I’m too old to get a ‘‘real’’ job?
• What if…

Soon after becoming an entrepreneur, I realized that balancing the myriad activities that building a business requires wasn’t going to be easy. I needed help, but didn’t have money to hire anyone. I saw the balance in my bank account shrink like a wool sweater thrown in the washing machine.

I was spending money to be able to work without pay.

Was I putting my financial future in jeopardy? Fear had its grip on me, but I knew that if I let fear take over, I would be too obfuscated to make smart business decisions. I would be placing my business in even more jeopardy.

I had two choices: To dwell on the horrible scenarios created by fear or to conquer the fear and continue growing my business.

Are you currently faced with the same choices? What will you choose to do? Here is what I did to conquer fear, and these five tactics might work for you, too.

1. Have a clear plan.

Whether you want to overcome a challenge or realize a dream, you must figure out the action steps you need to succeed. I realized I had to streamline my services and control expenses, reject projects that didn’t serve me, and invest in training. Once I knew what I needed to do, fear loosened its grip.

What do you want to achieve? Create a proposed timeline to reach your goal and list everything you need to do to achieve what you want. Your plan of action will help you build confidence, one of the strongest weapons to conquer fear.

2. Be proactive.

Fear usually strikes when we’re faced with an uncertain future. Bring a sense of certainty into your life by coming up with possible future scenarios and contingency plans for each scenario.

After I created a “plan B” and even a “plan C” in case the unexpected happened, a sense of relief washed over me. Ask yourself, “What is the worst that could realistically happen? What will I do if this happens?” Once you feel prepared to face future challenges, you’ll feel safe and free of fear.

3. Find a supportive tribe.

The good people around you will create an invisible shield against fear. This is why you must surround yourself with those who’ve been successful overcoming challenges like yours.

I connected with like-minded entrepreneurs who had faced similar obstacles but their businesses were thriving! If they had been successful, I could be successful, too.

Join groups or participate in activities that will help you meet those who could become part of your support network.

4. Stop giving naysayers the opportunity to feed your fear.

Fear will find an easy way in when you share your challenge or dream with the critics and cynics in your life.

I stopped sharing information about my goals or my business with anyone who I knew would be unsupportive. As a result, I felt much more at peace, and found myself spending a lot less time with negative people.

Who tends to drag you down? Stop giving them the opportunity to feed your fear.

5. Gain a new perspective.

Learning to view your current challenges and goals under a positive light will protect you against fear.

Every time things didn’t go my way, I gave myself time to recover from the disappointment, and then I asked myself what I could learn from the experience. In time, I was able to view my challenges as opportunities.

What is good about your life and your business? What can you learn from current and past setbacks? Remember that no matter how terrible something seems to be, it’s not the end of the world, and there might be something to gain from the experience.

I continue working hard to grow my business, and I still make mistakes, but I’m not afraid. Say a firm NO to fear, and say YES to the amazing opportunities that are bound to come your way sooner than you expect.