How to Avoid Imposter Syndrome as a Creative Business Owner

Ever feel like it’s only a matter of time before people find out you’re just making it up as you go? I’ve been there.

It can be hard to feel like you’re smart enough, talented enough, or good enough to be running a small business. No matter how many jobs you book or how long you’ve been running a (successful!) business, imposter syndrome will sneak up on you from time to time.

There a few tools I use to combat those feelings of not being good enough to remind myself that I have what it takes and I do, in fact, know what I’m doing.

Lean Into What Makes You, You

In a world where we are inundated by endless content, it’s easy to get stuck feeling like you should be doing what everyone else is doing. But the reason you’re in business, the reason you’re an artist, is because you have something unique that no one else does. There’s something about you that sets you apart. This is what makes you successful. This is why people want to hire you.

Lean into that. Lean into those characteristics that make you different. If it feels like you’re doing something wrong because no one else is doing it - you’re probably on the right track.

Quit the Comparison Game

While you’re busy leaning into what makes you, you - put your blinders on. The content you’re looking at, the updates in your email, are everyone’s highlight reel. There is so much behind the scenes in everyone’s journey that you’re not seeing so while it looks like your competition is working way more than you are, you don’t know the full story. You don’t know what they’re charging, how many jobs they actually have, and even if all that work even makes them happy.

Stay in your lane, focus on your own journey and quit worrying about what everyone else doing. You don’t want to be everyone else anyway.

Keep a List of Your Wins

This is my favorite hack for fighting rejection, imposter syndrome, and comparison. I keep a running list of all my wins - both personal and professional. Every big job I’ve booked, every time I got a record invoice, every time I had a great day off or was able to make my own schedule and it positively impacted me and my family. I have a folder on my phone of screenshots of texts and messages from friends, family, and clients sending me positive affirmations or good reviews.

Use this list and screenshots to remind you that those negative thoughts aren’t real. You’re killing it as a business owner, you just need to keep going.

Get to Work

Too many times, imposter syndrome makes me want to sit on the couch and wallow. I’m awful, I’ll never be successful, everyone is better than me. That’s a slippery slope into self loathing that - speaking from experience - gets you nowhere. Another favorite hack is to kindly tell that inner voice to quiet down and get to work. I’ll do 2 or 3 tasks that’ll move the needle in my business. This could be updating my website, sending an email to a warm lead, writing a blog, or sending an email to my email list.

Doing something 1) I can control and 2) makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something helps quiet the negative voice and reminds that I am capable, I am doing something meaningful.

Find Your People

Being a full time solopreneur, this has been a major help to my mental well being. Small business ownership can be lonely. If you’re like me, you work from home, most of your work off site is done at a place where you’ll likely never see those people again, and you end up spending a ton of time alone. It was a game changer to find people in similar journeys as mine.

I have a handful of people I can call for a happy hour to vent about how hard it is to be a business owner and hear “omg I know! I feel the same way!” Or schedule a coworking session (virtually or in person) to change up my scenery and have someone to keep me accountable on my work.

The best thing you can do for yourself is find community, stop comparing yourself (apples) to others (oranges), and get some work done. Imposter syndrome will always be knocking on your door, but keep reminding yourself it’s a dirty liar and you’ve got what it takes to be successful.