Building Your Value: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Business

Do you ever feel like a fraud, constantly worried that your success is undeserved? Welcome to the club of high achievers grappling with imposter syndrome! In this empowering episode, we unravel the psychological effects of feeling like an impostor, from self-doubt to the paralyzing fear of being exposed. Through heartfelt personal stories, even the most credentialed professionals reveal their own battles with inadequacy. We explore actionable strategies to confront and reframe these feelings, urging you to recognize their commonality and start changing the narrative in your head.

Marketing your business and setting your worth in the marketplace can be stifled by imposter syndrome, but it doesn't have to be. We delve into the pressure of needing visual proof and how it affects pricing strategies, asserting the importance of setting a solid price to affirm your value. By confiding in trusted colleagues and maintaining a success journal, shifting your focus from what you haven’t done to what you’ve accomplished becomes easier. Most importantly, we highlight the necessity of taking action, despite imperfections, to break free from the paralysis of self-doubt. Tune in for a transformative conversation that will bolster your confidence and help you reclaim your professional journey.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

You're listening to Scale Up Strategies, the business growth podcast for coaches, consultants and speakers. We're your hosts and business coach experts Mary Fane Grant and Laura Bay Shore.

Speaker 2: 0:16

We're sharing all our insider tips from 20 plus years in business, including how we successfully scaled our businesses without losing our minds or our husbands.

Speaker 1: 0:27

Sure, you can piece it together and try to DIY your way to success. Or you can listen to us every week and learn the shortcuts, because we promise they're really awesome.

Speaker 2: 0:38

So grab your favorite cup of coffee, tune in and let's start the show.

Speaker 1: 0:43

Hey there, fabulous listeners, Welcome back to Scale Up Strategies, the business growth podcast for coaches, consultants and speakers. I'm Mary Fane Brandt.

Speaker 2: 0:54

And I'm Laura Bayshore, and we're here to help you scale your business with smart strategies and a splash of SaaS, Good thing we didn't trip over that. Huh Trip over that last word, a lot of S's, it's a hard S.

Speaker 1: 1:10

That could be challenging. Thank God we're pre-recording, laura. Hey, I'm really excited about today's topic. We're diving into this topic that I feel almost every business owner and professional has experienced at some time. We're talking about imposter syndrome and we're talking about those times like you felt like a fraud, not good enough, despite your accomplishments, or for me, you know how many degrees can you have and certificates. You know because you know that's my fear and we'll talk about that. But imposter syndrome is incredibly common, especially among high achievers. And, laura, I know that you and I have talked about that because we're like, no, that's us. No wonder we have it right.

Speaker 2: 2:05

Yeah, makes perfect sense, right? I guess we should take this as a badge of honor.

Speaker 1: 2:11

A badge of honor. So we're going to talk about you know that nagging voice that's in your head that tells you you're not good enough, you're not smart enough, you don't deserve this success Ooh, or this one. It's just a matter of time before you're found out. And I talked to an author who had written three books and that was her fear At some point someone's going to find out. I'm not that smart. Who am I to be writing this book?

Speaker 2: 2:47

Oh, that's actually really that's really common amongst writers, honestly, because their comfort zone is in that space. Yeah, so I get that I can identify with that.

Speaker 1: 2:52

Yeah, yeah. But guess what, you guys? It's not true. And today we're going to help you kick imposter syndrome to the curb. Let's just kick it out Like right now. Start kicking it, you guys.

Speaker 2: 3:04

yeah, I mean, you know, I was surprised. I had a meeting a few months ago and I had just finished up doing a panel, a webinar panel, for the topic of imposter syndrome. I was asked to do it and so, um, an hour later, I went into this networking meeting and I was mentioning, yeah, I just finished up this panel on imposter syndrome and I was surprised because half of the attendees at this meeting didn't know what it meant. I think it's one of those terms where people just kind of like nod and act like they know what that jargon is. But why don't we start there Understanding what imposter syndrome is?

Speaker 2: 3:46

So, basically, it's a psychological pattern where you're doubting your accomplishments, you have persistent fear of being exposed, like you were mentioning, mary so being exposed as a fraud.

Speaker 2: 4:00

Even when you have evidence of your success, you know somebody is attributing that to luck or external factors rather than your own abilities. So some of the downfalls for this is it can really be paralyzing, obviously affecting your confidence, but then turning into affecting your work or even your personal life. So the good news is is that there's ways to combat it and we are going to share some of those for you today. We can start by first acknowledging your feelings, so recognizing that the thoughts and doubts that you're experiencing are extremely common and they're part of the human experience. It's one of the advantages of our minds, and what sets us apart is that we don't just act. We question, we analyze, we think about it. So simply starting, instead of pushing that aside, acknowledge that it's there and then you can figure out how you're going to be able to take back some of your power and deal with imposter syndrome in a way that makes sense.

Speaker 1: 5:04

You guys can't see me, but I'm doing like a boxing move, like I am.

Speaker 2: 5:08

I can see you.

Speaker 1: 5:09

I weigh the imposter syndrome so and I think what helps is, like you said, Laura, understanding. It's very common. Most business owners and career professionals have it. So you're it's not. You don't think of yourself as less than and as a seasoned professional, someone who has multiple degrees and multiple certifications. In my head, it's the stories we tell ourselves in our head, and we have to rewire the stories we tell ourselves, because my story and I share this publicly is I'm not smart enough. I'm not smart enough. I have a bachelor's degree, a graduate degree, a certification in organizational leadership, several other business certifications, and the story in my head is I'm not smart enough. And I wanted to share a story, even with my new business, as a certified again another certification certified AI consultant, and I think that we're in the like 5% of people right that are certified in the world. So, okay, right there.

Speaker 1: 6:17

I know something, but I had a client and I get stuck up on titles. I don't know if anyone else has this fear. Like imposter syndrome comes knocking at the door when someone in front of you has a title and you're like, oh, what can I teach them? What can I bring to them? So this person is a venture capitalist very well known over here, seasoned, professional, and told me he took a class at MIT in AI and then signed up for one of my AI strategies. Now, laura, where did my head go? It went straight to who am I to be teaching him? He took a class at MIT. So those titles are triggers for me.

Speaker 1: 6:58

Venture capitalist. He's richer triggers for me Venture capitalists. He's richer, smarter than me and MIT smarter and established right. Who am I? So I had all this going on in my head and I talked to someone about it that knows him and he's like Mary it's just another guy that needs your help. He goes those people need your help more than you even know and he's like they.

Speaker 2: 7:23

they just have an academic understanding, not a real life application, and so, yeah, it is important to have someone like you come in and bridge the gap.

Speaker 1: 7:33

So we did this session. I was like, okay, I'm going to do this and it is what it is. And we did the session. And right off the bat and some people don't show any emotion, like if you're ever on a zoom call and you're like, are they getting it? Do they like what I'm saying? Do they understand? Am I making an impact? And I was like so, um, does this make sense? Are you like I had? He was like glazed over nothing. And he goes Mary, I'm taking notes. This is amazing. He goes. I didn't know I could do that with AI. I didn't know I should say this to it. He's like I'm over here taking notes because this is golden. And I was like, whew, okay, I feel smart again, like I can do this. So you know, laura, do you have a story where you're you know, even now right, I mean, this was a couple months ago, but even now in our businesses, does imposter syndrome still sneak up on you?

Speaker 2: 8:30

Yeah, absolutely. I think the first thing I would backtrack to just kind of what you're talking about here, which is you may feel like those degrees and certifications. I would just think because of the way that your professional career was previously, before being a business owner, staying with the same organizations for quite a long time, you can get really caught up in title, and so I found that with working with my clients is you get really caught up on titles. So someone like me that's not where my imposter syndrome kicks in, because you know I've had like six, seven, eight titles and I really don't care on that end.

Speaker 2: 9:17

But when I am looking at helping to guide someone, I always feel like, um, I need to have more visual proof instead of just going with the knowledge that I have. So this is more about, like, I guess, marketing or your social presence. Right, I work my business. Before I started getting into the automation side of it was more referral-based word of mouth, and so when you're looking at scaling to that next section, well, how do you compete with these other professionals that you see out there? So, speaking about, like us, consultants, coaches and speakers some are so good with their marketing that it can make you start to feel like you know what. I don't have that proof yet.

Speaker 2: 10:06

I can't do that comparison and where that's really gotten to me is when I first started pricing myself, I thought I needed to have a certain I don't really know what it was, but something accumulated so that I could put the pricing that I knew I was valued at. But then what would happen is I would see pricing from my competitors or my colleagues and I know their work and I knew that I was right there, if not more, and I was like, yeah, but, I'm half the price.

Speaker 2: 10:37

So something that was important for me to get over is, you know, having a solid price actually helps to do the backing for yourself as a business owner or a service provider. So that's something to think about. The lowest price is not the one that's going to show the most value for your clients, and so I did have imposter syndrome with that. Even before I went on the panel about imposter syndrome, I woke up that morning and I had a little bit of imposter syndrome. I was like how am I going to help people with this? And then I was like, no, I take risks, I can do this.

Speaker 1: 11:14

So it's fun and you know what, laura, that leads right into like one of the tips for imposter syndrome is really to talk about it. You know, share your feelings with a trusted friend, colleague, mentor, coach, because you'd be so surprised at how many people actually feel the same way. And talking about it not only helps you feel less alone, but it also opens up doors to getting feedback and reassurance. You know, and challenge your negative thoughts, like the stories in our head. We have to learn to tell new stories. So when those self doubts, when they start creeping in, I want you to start questioning them. Why am I thinking this? Why am I thinking I'm not smart enough? Why am I thinking I'm charging too much? Ask yourself if there's concrete evidence to support these thoughts or if they're just unfounded fears. Again, the stories that we tell ourselves, because oftentimes you'll find that there's no basis for these doubts. They're just the stories that we tell ourselves.

Speaker 2: 12:21

Yeah, that's a really good point, because I think when we're looking at purchasing something or making an investment, we look for those concrete facts, right, we look for those details, so why wouldn't we look for that when we're thinking about analyzing our business or our skills or our strengths? And another thing that falls under this is writing it down is writing it down. So a powerful strategy can be to keep a success journal or, if you don't like the word journal, you can still write things down and just don't call it a journal, right? Because when I first thought about this strategy, I was like I don't journal anymore. I'm an adult.

Speaker 2: 13:03

So one of the things to think about is but I do write down all of my goals and I write down how I achieved them and what I got to and when I am having self-doubt. That really helps because instead of looking for the perfectionism in things, I look at the realistic what are these achievements that I'm having? And look at that, because so many times, part of this imposter syndrome is we're always looking at what's next and not taking enough time to reflect on the things that we are doing. Right, that are the successes I like that.

Speaker 1: 13:35

I think that we tend to look at we, we line up, we make a list of everything we haven't done, instead of making a list of everything we have to have done. I was just talking to someone uh, we're working on a new website for me and, uh, we were talking about branding and logos and she's like, oh, um, what? She asked me for my speaker reel and I was like, oh, I don't really like it. She looked at it. She's like it's really good. And then I showed her something else. I was like, well, and here again, imposter syndrome. Oh well, I have's, like it's really good. And then I showed her something else. I was like, well, and here again, imposter syndrome. Oh well, I have, I have this, it's okay. She's like that's a 10 out of 10 for me. I was showing her some documentation and she was like that's a 10 out of 10. I was like, really, she goes yes. So I think we get complacent in what we do, what we have, instead of taking the blinders off and seeing all the successes that we have had.

Speaker 2: 14:31

Right, I agree, I agree, and especially because the speaker reel is so important and I'm saying this as someone who doesn't have those put together, but I have all kinds of video. I just need to get over myself, put it together and let's go Right. Yeah, yeah, you have to start somewhere.

Speaker 1: 14:49

So is mine. Is my speaker real Like one of Amy Porterfield? No, because I'm not Amy Porterfield, right, but you need to start somewhere. So I think a lot of times with imposter syndrome, we just won't take action because we think it has to be perfect to be seen as professional.

Speaker 2: 15:08

Yes, yes, absolutely Absolutely, and it's just the opposite. You know I love when you're always talking about getting something done is better than perfect.

Speaker 1: 15:20

I know I murdered the way that we just, you know, we let imposter syndrome come in and we're like oh, it's not going to be perfect, and who am I to charge that much Blah, blah, blah, blah blah, so we just don't do anything. Let's move on to another tip for our listeners on imposter syndrome is to seek feedback and validation. So constructive feedback from your peers, your mentors, your colleagues can help you see your strengths and any areas for improvement more clearly. So, talking to you my friend Jen, this branding person that I'm working with, and even some clients that have now become more like colleagues you know we're in some networking groups together. Colleagues, you know we're in some networking groups together.

Speaker 1: 16:15

It's a really great way to gain a clearer perspective on your abilities, what you bring to the table, because I think, as a consultant and coach for myself, I don't always see the extra value I bring. So I know what I do right LinkedIn revamps, ai strategy sessions but what is that extra value? Well, I've been told I'm easy to work with, I actually make this fun and I'm very strategic. I come to the session like we're ready to start working. So, you know, talk to your colleagues.

Speaker 2: 16:45

Well, and I want to throw out here too, is that sometimes, as business owners, we get confused with what constructive feedback is, with what we're looking out for. So think about it Before you owned a business, you typically have worked for someone else, right? Yes, when you worked for someone else, there was managers who were good at giving feedback and bad at giving feedback. That is the same thing in the business world. Criticizing for the sake of criticism is not good feedback. That is not who you want to go to. So if you know someone and you're like oh, I know that they'll give me feedback, but your interactions have been very stiff with them and it makes you feel a little small, that's not the person. Now you need to get real feedback. So you need to find somebody who you respect, who you have a good rapport with. That is the person who will give you the unfiltered feedback, but they'll give it to you in a way that says here's a suggestion.

Speaker 1: 17:53

I have that person. Her name is Jen Drago. Thank you, jen. She's my accountability partner. But she also will tell me like hey, maybe you want to change this or review this in very and you do the same, like you know, with our businesses together.

Speaker 2: 18:08

uh, you do the same with me and I hope I do the same with you and I respect you and so I'll be like, okay, all right, and you bring different things that I don't bring, and that's why it's a good, healthy conversation. And then, finally, we want to talk about embracing lifelong learning. Embracing lifelong learning Again, don't acquire things to acquire, yeah, but don't acquire things just to acquire them, but utilize things that are going to help your business grow, because it will also help your confidence grow. You cannot be providing the best service for your clients, you cannot scale your own business if you are not always looking for what is coming next and keeping your attention to it. So, just like Mary, when you started embracing AI before me, and you know, at first I was like, no, I don't need that.

Speaker 2: 19:13

But instead you were like no, laura, I really think you should look into this. Let me just do a session with you, let me just show you what I'm talking about. And then I went from not interested this is not going to work for me to hey, mary, I'm going to get certified now now.

Speaker 1: 19:40

That was crazy, hey. So let's just recap real quick on how creating a game plan to stop imposter syndrome. So I'm going to start with changing your stories in your head. Acknowledge your feelings, how you're feeling about it, talk about it with people. Challenge your negative thoughts. Why are you thinking this way? Is there truth or no truth? Keep a success journal, post-it notes you guys all know I'm the Post-it queen Little notes from people, an email that praises you. Set realistic expectations. We all start from ground zero and build up, seek the feedback and validation and embrace lifelong learning, which you know I love, laura.

Speaker 2: 20:23

Yeah, absolutely. I think remembering that you've earned your place and your success is key. You know you've worked for what you're doing, so keep moving forward and keep working on that and don't let imposter syndrome steal your joy or diminish your accomplishment Because, like we mentioned, we all have it. It's real. So start thinking about ways that you can overcome that and continue to be successful.

Speaker 1: 20:52

Absolutely, and we're here to support you every step of the way. If you've got questions or need guidance, please reach out to us, because we love hearing from our listeners.

Speaker 2: 21:04

That's right, and you can find our email associated with this podcast where you can communicate directly. So our email is biz B-I-Z scaleuppod at gmailcom. And you can find that in today's show notes. Your feedback fuels our fire, so keep it coming. Tell us what topics you want us to discuss, and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review our podcast. It helps us reach more amazing listeners, just like you.

Speaker 1: 21:34

So until next time, here's to good coffee, great conversations and even greater success. Cheers, ciao. If you enjoyed the podcast, show us some love. Please rate, review and subscribe to our podcast, and if you have any feedback, go ahead and share that with us too, because we want to hear from you. Until then, stay focused, stay motivated and stay caffeinated.