Love all of this! Fear of financial doom is the big one for me, having grown up with little money and I’ve always been an employee with a reliable paycheque since my teens. But I know there are ways I could cut back and the best case (or even “medium case” scenario) is worth the risk. On best case scenarios, one neat trick I learned from Carrie Green (Female Entrepreneur Association) is imagining everything you want in your ideal entrepreneurial life, and writing each thing down on a little piece of paper, then putting all of them into a box, as a little treasure chest of sorts. Then you could for example, take one out each week and visualise, or dip into it when you’re having a hard time and need a reminder of what you’re working towards to boost your motivation.
The paralysis before stepping into fear is REAL. But like you said, movement forward--however small--is so much better than staying stuck. I'd be curious to know if how you view yourself has played into your entrepreneurial journey, if you'd be willing to share. Thanks for the words!
You're welcome Kate. What do you mean exactly by your question, about how I view myself? Do you mean in terms of how I view my capability? More than happy to share but I wanted to clarify 😊
I just finished the book “The Magic of Thinking Big” which taught me, among other things, “Belief creates reality and action cures fear.” Which I scribbled on a piece of paper and pinned to my wall by my desk. Reminds me every day to move forward.
Wow, talk about facing your demons head-on! I've definitely been in that overthinking spiral before, where every decision feels like a potential catastrophe waiting to happen. Your 4-step process is brilliant, especially the part about embracing the worst-case scenario. It's like ripping off a bandaid – painful for a second, but then the relief washes over you. I'm totally going to try this next time fear starts creeping in. Thanks for sharing your vulnerable and inspiring journey!
This really came at the right time for me and this might have been my favorite voice note so far! Love that you’re so explicit about finances, you won’t believe how much that helps.
It actually made me realize that I’ve perhaps been too conservative in how much preparation I think I need and helped me understand and reflect on my fears around doing my own thing.
One of the things I've noticed over the years chatting to those wanting to start a business or go out on their own to build a portfolio career, is that there's a lot that can (and should, in my opinion) to be done in the lead up to leaving a full time role. Not only from a financial point of view, but in terms of building your network, learning how to communicate, building a sales pipeline even while you're still employed etc.
I've done the whole 'quit my job and figure it out as I go' thing, and while it can work for some people in my experience having a 6-12 month action plan in place prior to quitting is a far less stressful and more effective way to do it.
I'm thinking of developing a program (or something similar) to help people develop their ramp-up plan, do you think that would be useful for you?
+1 on the 'figuring it out as you go' issues. You need time to work through the friction of those early stages to get to the all-important 'action' part.
This is basically what I’m doing at the moment Anna, though mine’s more like an 18 month plan 😄 I have a post-it note on my bathroom mirror with my goal date for quitting my job (something I learned from Amy Porterfield in her book Two Weeks Notice). Realistically, with the limited amount of money I’m managing to save, that might have to become my “switch to part time” date instead. But either way, the steps I’m taking now will help me take the leap into hopefully becoming fully self-employed in time 🤞
I like to think about it as being a transition from full time job to working for yourself. Often times, a part time job or contracting gig is the best interim step before fully going it alone!
Yeah I’m trying to think of this period as transition and part of the journey/process, rather than a delay in starting my dream. That helps me manage my patience 😆
It definitely would have been helpful to have an action plan for the months leading up to it.
Now that I lost my job unexpectedly, I’m considering going all in a bit prematurely since I don’t really have anything to loose. I can always get a new job in a couple of months if I don’t get any traction. It feels a bit unnecessary to try to find another job just to pay the bills and ramp up slowly, when, as I realized listening to your voice note, I do have some small income streams built up, a supportive partner and enough savings to not work for at least 2 years. But happy to hear your thoughts on this!
I needed to hear this! Fear of not being able to make enough money feels too heavy sometimes, so it was helpful to hear about your experience. Gives me hope! Would love to hear your thoughts on building without a technical background. I have been working on something but when it comes to actually “building” it I freeze because I don’t have any idea how to do that.
Ok so you'll definitely need to find an engineer to build your product. There are a couple of ways you could engage one; you could pay them to build it for you, or you could find a technical co-founder.
As a starting point, I'd use Chat GPT as a sparring partner to talk through your idea, find out what an engineer actually does and what some of the technical requirements and considerations might be. You want to start creating a list of questions that you can ask engineers you speak to, and have a point of view about the type of person you need.
Then, I'd get out and talk to as many people who work in the tech industry, across product, design and engineering. Go to meet-ups, connect with anyone you know, reach out to people on LinkedIn, and speak to as many people as possible about your idea and the type of person you're looking for. You'll learn so much by having these conversations and you'll likely get introductions to people who might be able to help.
It can a complicated and overwhelming space if you don't have technical knowledge, but the more you get out there and speak to people, the quicker you'll learn!
Love this for you, Anna. I relate to your thoughts as I am on a similar path myself, but behind a couple of years.
I would love to see you demystify any structure(s)/framework(s) you might have used beginning of your entrepreneurial journey to understand your strengths and go ham in a certain area. Like, I am struggling to understand what should be my next big adventure. I see so many opportunities and think I will be good at them too, some that align with my professional skills, and then there are those that I think I will be really good at, and then some more which I think the world needs. So yeah, as a multipotentialite I think I have too many things I'd like to do, and that has put me in a limbo! So.. any tips there :p Thanks. Big love!
P.S. I explored models like ikigai, but I don't think I arrivede at any conclusion.
This is such a great question. One of the big obstacles that multi-passionate people come up against is figuring out what to pursue first. It's relatively common for people to get stuck in a procrastination loop, wanting to do lots of things and therefore picking none.
I started by reflecting on what lights me up, and what I'm motivated to continue doing every day until I reach a level of mastery. For me it's always been around communication - writing, presenting, speaking, teaching. In the beginning, I didn't know where that would lead me, just that it was the intersection of my passion and purpose. I knew that if I put in the work, the right opportunities and money would come.
Another way to look at it is asking yourself 'what do I want to be doing each day?'. What types of tasks do you want to be doing? Who with? What impact do you want to have? How do you want to feel each morning when you wake up?
At some point though you just have to choose something and start. You can always pivot (in fact you should!) but the best way you'll discover what it is you want to be doing, is by doing something and seeing how it feels.
The worst case scenario isn't an ending. Whoa. So well said all around, especially the part about indulging in what could go right - because so much can (and usually does).
Powerful! I always go to the worst-case when I am freaked out. I come to peace with it, and ask myself how I handle it. I talk about this a lot, but it's not something that seems to resonate with people haha. I guess it's a little hard core, but it's very effective! What I don't do — and need to do — is what you mentioned as the next step: exploring the best-case scenario. I really like that, and want to start opening up to that more. It's like, after you've created all the peace from dealing with your worst fears, it's natural to ponder all the wonderful things that could happen.
Love all of this! Fear of financial doom is the big one for me, having grown up with little money and I’ve always been an employee with a reliable paycheque since my teens. But I know there are ways I could cut back and the best case (or even “medium case” scenario) is worth the risk. On best case scenarios, one neat trick I learned from Carrie Green (Female Entrepreneur Association) is imagining everything you want in your ideal entrepreneurial life, and writing each thing down on a little piece of paper, then putting all of them into a box, as a little treasure chest of sorts. Then you could for example, take one out each week and visualise, or dip into it when you’re having a hard time and need a reminder of what you’re working towards to boost your motivation.
What a fantastic exercise, I love this!
The paralysis before stepping into fear is REAL. But like you said, movement forward--however small--is so much better than staying stuck. I'd be curious to know if how you view yourself has played into your entrepreneurial journey, if you'd be willing to share. Thanks for the words!
You're welcome Kate. What do you mean exactly by your question, about how I view myself? Do you mean in terms of how I view my capability? More than happy to share but I wanted to clarify 😊
Love the “Best Case Scenario” one, wow!
So empowering to visualize your vision.
I just finished the book “The Magic of Thinking Big” which taught me, among other things, “Belief creates reality and action cures fear.” Which I scribbled on a piece of paper and pinned to my wall by my desk. Reminds me every day to move forward.
Great piece Anna.
Love that quote!
Wow, talk about facing your demons head-on! I've definitely been in that overthinking spiral before, where every decision feels like a potential catastrophe waiting to happen. Your 4-step process is brilliant, especially the part about embracing the worst-case scenario. It's like ripping off a bandaid – painful for a second, but then the relief washes over you. I'm totally going to try this next time fear starts creeping in. Thanks for sharing your vulnerable and inspiring journey!
The only way out is through! I definitely live my life by that mantra, although must admit it can be damn scary and confronting at times 😂
"Fears are not facts" say it louder for the people in the back!
📢
This really came at the right time for me and this might have been my favorite voice note so far! Love that you’re so explicit about finances, you won’t believe how much that helps.
It actually made me realize that I’ve perhaps been too conservative in how much preparation I think I need and helped me understand and reflect on my fears around doing my own thing.
Thank you so much for writing this!
One of the things I've noticed over the years chatting to those wanting to start a business or go out on their own to build a portfolio career, is that there's a lot that can (and should, in my opinion) to be done in the lead up to leaving a full time role. Not only from a financial point of view, but in terms of building your network, learning how to communicate, building a sales pipeline even while you're still employed etc.
I've done the whole 'quit my job and figure it out as I go' thing, and while it can work for some people in my experience having a 6-12 month action plan in place prior to quitting is a far less stressful and more effective way to do it.
I'm thinking of developing a program (or something similar) to help people develop their ramp-up plan, do you think that would be useful for you?
+1 on the 'figuring it out as you go' issues. You need time to work through the friction of those early stages to get to the all-important 'action' part.
💯
This is basically what I’m doing at the moment Anna, though mine’s more like an 18 month plan 😄 I have a post-it note on my bathroom mirror with my goal date for quitting my job (something I learned from Amy Porterfield in her book Two Weeks Notice). Realistically, with the limited amount of money I’m managing to save, that might have to become my “switch to part time” date instead. But either way, the steps I’m taking now will help me take the leap into hopefully becoming fully self-employed in time 🤞
I like to think about it as being a transition from full time job to working for yourself. Often times, a part time job or contracting gig is the best interim step before fully going it alone!
Yeah I’m trying to think of this period as transition and part of the journey/process, rather than a delay in starting my dream. That helps me manage my patience 😆
It definitely would have been helpful to have an action plan for the months leading up to it.
Now that I lost my job unexpectedly, I’m considering going all in a bit prematurely since I don’t really have anything to loose. I can always get a new job in a couple of months if I don’t get any traction. It feels a bit unnecessary to try to find another job just to pay the bills and ramp up slowly, when, as I realized listening to your voice note, I do have some small income streams built up, a supportive partner and enough savings to not work for at least 2 years. But happy to hear your thoughts on this!
I needed to hear this! Fear of not being able to make enough money feels too heavy sometimes, so it was helpful to hear about your experience. Gives me hope! Would love to hear your thoughts on building without a technical background. I have been working on something but when it comes to actually “building” it I freeze because I don’t have any idea how to do that.
Thanks Megan! When you say technical, do you mean you're building a digital product without product/engineering experience?
Yes! 🥴😬
Ok so you'll definitely need to find an engineer to build your product. There are a couple of ways you could engage one; you could pay them to build it for you, or you could find a technical co-founder.
As a starting point, I'd use Chat GPT as a sparring partner to talk through your idea, find out what an engineer actually does and what some of the technical requirements and considerations might be. You want to start creating a list of questions that you can ask engineers you speak to, and have a point of view about the type of person you need.
Then, I'd get out and talk to as many people who work in the tech industry, across product, design and engineering. Go to meet-ups, connect with anyone you know, reach out to people on LinkedIn, and speak to as many people as possible about your idea and the type of person you're looking for. You'll learn so much by having these conversations and you'll likely get introductions to people who might be able to help.
It can a complicated and overwhelming space if you don't have technical knowledge, but the more you get out there and speak to people, the quicker you'll learn!
Thank you!!
Love this for you, Anna. I relate to your thoughts as I am on a similar path myself, but behind a couple of years.
I would love to see you demystify any structure(s)/framework(s) you might have used beginning of your entrepreneurial journey to understand your strengths and go ham in a certain area. Like, I am struggling to understand what should be my next big adventure. I see so many opportunities and think I will be good at them too, some that align with my professional skills, and then there are those that I think I will be really good at, and then some more which I think the world needs. So yeah, as a multipotentialite I think I have too many things I'd like to do, and that has put me in a limbo! So.. any tips there :p Thanks. Big love!
P.S. I explored models like ikigai, but I don't think I arrivede at any conclusion.
This is such a great question. One of the big obstacles that multi-passionate people come up against is figuring out what to pursue first. It's relatively common for people to get stuck in a procrastination loop, wanting to do lots of things and therefore picking none.
I started by reflecting on what lights me up, and what I'm motivated to continue doing every day until I reach a level of mastery. For me it's always been around communication - writing, presenting, speaking, teaching. In the beginning, I didn't know where that would lead me, just that it was the intersection of my passion and purpose. I knew that if I put in the work, the right opportunities and money would come.
Another way to look at it is asking yourself 'what do I want to be doing each day?'. What types of tasks do you want to be doing? Who with? What impact do you want to have? How do you want to feel each morning when you wake up?
At some point though you just have to choose something and start. You can always pivot (in fact you should!) but the best way you'll discover what it is you want to be doing, is by doing something and seeing how it feels.
Thanks Anna, this helps so much. Substack should launch a feature where I can bookmark whatever I want to, like this reply from you.
The worst case scenario isn't an ending. Whoa. So well said all around, especially the part about indulging in what could go right - because so much can (and usually does).
I find that more usually goes right than goes wrong, but we think the opposite is true.
This is such a helpful reminder, to lean into the fear rather than running away!
🫶
Powerful! I always go to the worst-case when I am freaked out. I come to peace with it, and ask myself how I handle it. I talk about this a lot, but it's not something that seems to resonate with people haha. I guess it's a little hard core, but it's very effective! What I don't do — and need to do — is what you mentioned as the next step: exploring the best-case scenario. I really like that, and want to start opening up to that more. It's like, after you've created all the peace from dealing with your worst fears, it's natural to ponder all the wonderful things that could happen.
I find that the best case scenario journalling pulls me to a place of excitement and inspiration instead of wallowing in the bad stuff!
Classic, Anna. And now you know the rest of the story
You went through what an amazing CBT session can look like. Bravo, well done!
Well there you go! I have done therapy for many years but wasn’t actually aware this was a CBT method 😬
These questions are so perfect for a journaling exercise! Will definitely be coming back to them whenever I feel afraid or stuck. Thank you!
You’re very welcome 😍