How to deal with imposter syndrome in your online business

Imposter syndrome.

It really blows my mind how common it for us female online entrepreneurs to battle with imposter syndrome, and a tendency to feel like a fraud. Like we’re not worthy of success, or we don’t know enough. Who are we to be showing up online and sharing our expertise?!?!

And this usually happens despite being over-qualified and genuinely caring for our customers and their results.

Imposter syndrome is also really common for those with a personal brand, who are building authority and thought leadership as part of their business. I think this is because your face is your brand, you have to show up! 

If you experience imposter syndrome, I want to remind you that you're definitely not alone. Many people experience it, although I do think some of us are more prone than others. It's time to change that though.

Imposter syndrome comes up a lot when I’m coaching my clients – in fact it's one of the biggest issues we work through together. So I thought I would share some quick ways you can move through this. As much as I’d like to say it’s avoidable and possible not to ever experience it, I don’t think it is – we have to go through this process. 

Below are some tools I've used to deal with imposter syndrome, and that have gotten results for my clients too.

1. Remind yourself often of your why

As female entrepreneurs, most of us know that gross feeling of imposter syndrome all too well. It can really make you feel stuck, along with other annoyances like overthinking. 

It’s silly…but you’re also human! 

Something that has helped me is to remind myself why I’m doing what I’m doing. 

While I am doing it for an income (I'm in business, after all), there’s a bigger purpose than that. 

That purpose is that I want to help as many women as possible experience freedom in their lives. That’s financial freedom, creative freedom and being able to choose what lifestyle they want. This all comes as a result of having a profitable business that is built on a leveraged online business model. I believe that the more women who experience this, the better the world will become. 

That purpose for me is bigger than the need to feel like a fraud, and I just need to remind myself. That can come in the form of a reminder on a post-it note, a journal prompt, or finding a good guided meditation that brings you back to your higher purpose. 

As soon as I remind myself of why I'm doing what I'm doing, and why I have chosen this path, I realise that none of this is about me!

I remember that the reason I chose this career over working for a big corporate, or any other career, is that I really want to create an impact, a legacy that means something to me. Going to a job for a pay check just wasn't enough for me (and full disclosure, I hate being told what to do). 

When I remind myself of my big why often, I find the imposter syndrome drifting away…

2. Stop the comparison game

Often a client messages me and says ‘this is a good angle, this is what my competitor is doing’. 

That often makes me say “STOP!”

You are not them, they are not you. You have your own unique experience, perspective and knowledge to share with the world. It’s time to dig into that and lead from that, rather than checking out the competition. 

I’m not a fan of even caring what your competitors are up to. Actually, it’s best not to follow them at all. Over the past few months I have personally stopped following a lot of people online and the space this has opened up for me is huge. 

We have so much inner wisdom to share – let’s not go comparing ourselves to others. Instead, give yourself time to be creative and share your message in a way that’s unique to you. 

And if you find yourself in the comparison game, give that unfollow button a visit. You will not regret it. 

3. Become aware of your inner dialogue 

Often we have all these stories running through our minds that we’re not even aware of. 

So next time you come up with a good idea that gets you excited, tune in to those crazy thoughts that start running through your mind. 

Because to have awareness of these thoughts that are actually sabotaging your success, is the very first step to getting rid of them. 

And once you get rid of these thoughts (which are often engrained stories and programming), you can actually have space for beliefs that serve you. Thoughts like success is coming to you, that you are worthy of every success, and yes, that your wildest dreams can come true! 

A good way to do this is to force yourself to write exactly what is going through your mind for 15 – 30 minutes without stopping. Then leave it and come back to it later. It will sound so ridiculous to even you…and that’s when the decision to change happens. 

That decision is the key for any change to occur. It's the vital piece of deciding that you're no longer going to listen to that voice anymore. You're going to reframe it until it's no longer on autopilot.

There are a variety of other ways to start to change your thought patterns. You could start a journaling practice, do positive affirmations or book in to work with a coach with the skills in this area. 

So if you’re feeling a bit impostery at the moment, know that you’re definitely not alone. It’s something that everyone experiences at some stage. 

There are things you can do to reduce it, and you can start today. Just take any tips from this blog post and start actioning it. 

In my experience, these things do need to become daily habits or part of your routine. They are like your tools that you reach for when you recognise those self-limiting thoughts, so that you can change direction quickly and get on with kicking your big goals. 

The better you get at recognising and pivoting away from the imposter syndrome, the less you are going to experience it. Imagine the business growth you could achieve without it. Exciting! 

What's one tip you're going to try?