How To Overcome Entrepreneurial Anxiety

When you're growing a business there are so many different things that are put on your plate that you may not have even realized when you first got started! So today, Bree is chatting about entrepreneurial anxiety with business coach, Lianne Kim. They talk about how to fight this anxiety as well as lessons that Lianne wishes every blogger knew! 

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"At the core of a lot of anxiety and a lot of mental illness are people who are suffering in silence. And for many reasons. And I think step number one to solving any problem is being willing to ask for help. Knowing that we have a lot of the answers, but we don't have all the answers. I have done a lot of things in business, but I haven't done it all."

Discussed in this episode...

What is "Entrepreneurial Anxiety"?

Entrepreneurial anxiety isn't unlike regular anxiety. It comes from us needing to juggle a great number of competing priorities. It's born out of the fact that we are asking ourselves to do stuff that most people aren't doing. And it's made worse by the fact that we don't have a lot of people to talk to about it! Anxiety in isolation just breeds more anxiety. As you put yourself in a community though, you can start to diffuse that. The adrenaline rush of starting something exciting that can carry us for quite a long time, but then something shifts usually between the six-month and one-year mark. As you're starting to build momentum and the revenue is coming, then there becomes this pressure to deliver in order to keep it all going.

Most of us have come from some sort of structured employment situation where, if you're struggling, you can ask for help. If you have to miss an important meeting, someone can probably step in and take your place. That sort of thing doesn't exist early on as an entrepreneur. It's all on you. It's a very unique type of anxiety when you are an entrepreneur. And unlike other more traditional paths, there are fewer spaces where you can go and talk to people who understand those stressors.

Strategies for Combating Entrepreneurial Anxiety

Lianne's number one strategy is health. So much is helped when we're taking care of our physical health. This means we're eating well, we're moving our body regularly, we're limiting screens, and getting enough sleep. That's the biggie; understanding that in order to take care of your mental health, you have to first be willing to take care of your physical health. Because it's the foundation.

The next thing is community. An aligned community is so vital! You can always find spaces to be in, but are they the right spaces? Are they the people that are struggling with what you're struggling with? Have they gone before you and are they able to provide that support? You have a community that's very specific to what you do! We can show up online, feel more authentic, and have a better time of it when we're leveraging an aligned community.

Can Networking Help?

Lianne coaches a lot of introverts who don't like the concept of networking. There is this very old-school idea of needing to put on the blazer and go to speed networking events. Those were great in their day, but we now do networking in a different way!

Tip number one is to find the right groups! If it doesn't feel right, move on.

Tip number two is size does matter. You can watch Facebook Live and type in the comments. But that's not the same thing as being able to come into a Zoom Room with six to 10 other faces and share what you're going through. Studies have shown that vulnerability helps people become the type of people that they want to be. It's a critical skill! And yet, a lot of us are in these spaces and we're posturing because we don't want people to see us as who we really are. We don't want people to see the mess. We want people to see the perfect version. And that's hurting us way more than being vulnerable!

Groove!

This podcast is sponsored by Groove; our favorite app to stay focused and be productive! Groove is a free app that helps you stay energized for getting things done the fun way! We all know just how tiring it can be to work on our own all the time and stay focused, and Groove solves this problem! To get started, you just download the app and join a Groove room. You'll be in a room for 50 minutes with up to three other people. You do a quick video check-in with each other to tell everyone what you're focusing on. Then everyone's video gets shut off and you get to work. At the end of 50 minutes, you regroup and celebrate your accomplishments. And you guys, it's so amazing what having a few people there to work together with you can do for your focus! We get so much done because we know the other group partners are also working! All we want to say at the end of the session is that we got our list done. So do you want to Groove with us?!

You can sign up and skip the waitlist when you go to thrivetogether.blog/groove. Our goal is to get as many bloggers and influencers on this app as possible! Because how fun would it be to be Grooving alongside others in your industry? We know we can't wait to bump into you in a Groove session soon! Go sign up today! It's totally free! thrivetogether.blog/groove

Also Discussed:

• How passion can help you push through entrepreneurial anxiety
• Loneliness in entrepreneurship
• Some lessons Lianne wishes every blogger could know
• The value of vulnerability
• Something that has changed the game for Lianne
• Building your business from a place of abundance

Resources Mentioned

• Shift
• The Profitable Blogger Society
• http://www.liannekim.com
• liannekim.com/book Use code BREE
• Groove

More about Lianne Kim:

Toronto-based Lianne Kim is a 7+ figure business coach and strategist dedicated to helping mamapreneurs build profitable and passion-powered businesses. From her renowned podcast The Business of Thinking Big, to her Amazon bestselling book the Building a Joyful Business, not to mention her online community Mamas & Co., it’s clear Lianne thrives on supporting mom-bosses. For more than two decades, Lianne has successfully grown her sales and marketing career, but it was one stormy night in 2014 that was the impetus for her entrepreneurial journey. That night, she along with six other women shared their dreams, hopes, and a few glasses of wine while they built the foundation for a company driven by women living life on their own terms. Today, Lianne is the founder of that company – Mamas & Co. – which has gone on to become an international organization that supports thousands of female entrepreneurs to grow successful businesses through its educational content, summits, networking opportunities, giving program, and online membership. With a business mindset of ‘family over hustle,’ Lianne prides herself on her work/life balance as a mother or two who loves helping other mothers move toward their joy-inspired business goals.

Find Lianne on Facebook!