Opening a small business is an enormous personal and professional milestone. Everything is new and unfamiliar. It can become easy to feel like you don’t belong.
The phrase for this experience is “Imposter Syndrome,” and it’s prevalent among people who have experienced a degree of personal success. Common or not, it can also be debilitating, leading to anxiety, a lack of confidence, and an inability to take pleasure from your career.
This article explores Imposter Syndrome and how you can overcome it as a small business owner.
A Universal Problem
Some years back, celebrated writer Neil Gaiman was invited to a banquet honoring people who have made significant contributions to modern society. There were writers, artists, filmmakers, scientists, and politicians.
Gaiman, who is one of the most successful writers on the planet, felt incredibly out of place. This is called Imposter Syndrome. Gaiman worried that sooner or later, everyone at the banquet would realize he didn’t fit in.
Eventually, he found himself conversing with another honoree. The two were locked in small talk about how they shared a first name (one would hope for better conversation starters at a gathering of this social magnitude, but there you have it).
The gentleman sighed haughtily and confessed to feeling out of place. “All these people actually made something. I just went where they sent me.”
Gaiman was taken aback by this but offered his new friend words of comfort. “Well, yes, Neil. But you were the first person on the moon. That has to count for something.”
Defining Imposter Syndrome
As the illustrative example shows, Imposter Syndrome is simply the feeling that you don’t belong. The idea is that everyone in your social circle knows exactly what they are doing, while you just stumbled in by accident.
This is an experience everyone can have at specific points in their careers. However, it is prevalent in people with identities not commonly represented in the field they are pursuing when you are the only woman in a room full of men or the only person of color doing what you do, the odds of experiencing Imposter Syndrome increase substantially.
The problem
Imposter Syndrome is uncomfortable, sure. It sounds quite a lot like the first day of high school. But is that so bad? It can be. For several reasons, people suffering from Imposter Syndrome are less likely to succeed in their chosen field.
They will spend much time and focus on not being “found out.” That’s to say that they will direct a significant amount of energy towards looking like a professional, and perhaps not enough time being one.
The other, perhaps more significant risk, is that they simply won’t want to continue with their chosen line of work. Who would voluntarily feel awkward and out of place every working day for the rest of their lives?
You aren’t the first person to suffer from Imposter Syndrome. You won’t be the last. It’s common. It’s also uncomfortable and can be a considerable roadblock to contentment and career advancement. Below, we examine several ways to confront your Imposter Syndrome as a small business owner and move on.
See with unclouded eyes
One of the trademarks of Imposter Syndrome is that it becomes all-encompassing. You go from being an inexperienced entrepreneur to (from your own perspective) someone who is hardly qualified to walk into a business, let alone run one.
This, of course, is not the case. Instead of allowing your career anxieties to snowball, try to view the situation with unclouded eyes. If you are new to small business ownership, there probably are many things you don’t know or haven’t mastered yet.
While this can make you feel a lack of confidence or even a sensation of not belonging, it is an everyday experience.
Washington University, a prominent college in St. Louis with a well-regarded medical program, examined the occurrence of Imposter Syndrome in recent med school graduates. Many students struggled to feel like doctors despite their extensive training.
Not only did this create a feeling of anxiety on the job, but it also undermined their willingness to continue with the profession they’d worked so hard to acquire.
Participants were encouraged to relax and consider the scope of their education and training. After reflecting on the hundreds of hours spent studying and working within medicine, most people suffering from Imposter Syndrome reported feeling much better.
While you may not have had the same level of training that a new doctor went through, there was indeed a series of steps you took to get to the place you are at now. To overcome Imposter Syndrome, examine what you have done to advance as a professional.
There are sure to be things you do know, skills and attributes that led to your decision to start a small business in the first place. If you are struggling with Imposter Syndrome, consider writing out a list. Document what business skills you are good at and which need work.
Not only will this clarify the issue, but it will also help you grow as an entrepreneur. Everyone needs to learn new things to improve their business. You do much to position yourself for future success by figuring out what those things are.
Share your feelings
Sharing your feelings, whatever the context, is often a potent way to experience relief. In the case of Imposter Syndrome, it allows you to see yourself through someone else’s eyes.
Most people experiencing Imposter Syndrome think or fear that everyone around them thinks they are a fraud. By expressing your concern, you can immediately dispel that notion.
There are right and wrong ways to do this. While it may feel tempting to have a heart-to-heart with someone currently active in your chosen field, doing so carries its own risks.
For example, if you speak with a more established entrepreneur and discover that they haven’t experienced Imposter Syndrome, or at least not experienced it in the way you are currently, it may exacerbate your feelings.
Naturally, you also don’t want to bring these concerns to the public you serve. Imagine a newly minted doctor smiling nervously as they lift the scalpel saying, “Well. Let’s find out if I know what I’m doing here.”
Bring your concerns to someone you can trust to provide honest feedback. They will be able to provide you with an outsider’s perspective and, hopefully, leave you feeling significantly more confident.
Celebrate your success
People suffering from Imposter Syndrome are usually very quick to write off their successes. When something goes right, it’s a coincidence or a one-off. When something goes wrong, it confirms everything they ever suspected about themselves.
Naturally, this is an unsustainable dynamic.
Celebrating your success allows you to understand your professional life in a much broader context. When people congratulate or compliment your work, remember what they say. By dismissing positive feedback outright, you deny yourself any possibility of fitting in and lose out on valuable feedback.
Of course, you don’t have to become arrogant or unpleasant to start celebrating your success. It’s not about developing an inflated image of yourself. It’s about taking an honest look at the good and the bad, using both to inform your overall perspective.
Perfection is unattainable
One of the reasons people experience Imposter Syndrome in the first place is because they start holding themselves to an impossible standard. You ignore all the other professional development milestones, constantly striving for perfection.
One of the best ways to overcome Imposter Syndrome is to recognize success as occurring on a spectrum. It’s not a pass/fail scenario but rather a long road of progress.
Start by taking a comprehensive look at your goals. Examine what you hope to achieve. Acknowledge the ways you meet these achievements, come close to meeting them, and then take an honest look at your failures.
The result? A much more honest understanding of where you are as a professional. It’s good to set a high bar for yourself—indeed this can inspire skill development and progress. However, you will never feel like you belong if perfection becomes your standard.
Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness is a bit of a trendy phrase that gets used almost beyond the extent of its literal meaning. Traditionally, mindfulness simply refers to being aware of what’s happening.
In the context of Imposter Syndrome, it means understanding when and how feelings of not belonging happen.
Without mindfulness, one bad experience can corrupt an entire day. Instead, try to be very conscience of what triggered your bad feelings and how that trigger snowballed into the sensation of Imposter Syndrome.
Did you make a mistake? Did you compare yourself to someone else? Experience disheartening feedback from a customer?
When you understand your triggers, it becomes much easier to address and avoid Imposter Syndrome in the future.
Talk about your failures with other professionals.
One of the most nefarious aspects of Imposter Syndrome is that it can lead to many unfavorable comparisons with other professionals. You look at what the person next to you is doing with envy and feel you will never experience that degree of effortless success.
What you don’t see is all the failures that led to their moment of triumph.
It’s almost unheard of for someone to enter a new profession frictionless. However, when viewing a competitor from the outside, the failures and uncertainties aren’t usually visible when viewing a competitor from the outside. If you can find a professional group within which to discuss your setbacks, you will likely learn that:
- Other professionals have experienced the same challenging journey as you, and
- Some people look at you from the outside and compare yourself unfavorably to your successes.
It’s similar to the experience many people have with social media. When you only see the good aspects of someone else’s life, you don’t realize how much work and struggle go into success. By opening up, you will learn that everyone else is encountering the same roadblocks you are.
Remember: this is a common experience.
Finally, it can also help to remember that this is a very common experience. Most people stepping into a new professional or social space have felt like they don’t belong there. Don’t wait around for someone to welcome you with open arms. That won’t happen.
You can overcome Imposter Syndrome by being a person who belongs where they belong. Run your business well. Recognize the things you do well. Improve on the things you don’t. Repeat.
This may sound simple, but it’s what everyone is doing.
Recognize that Imposter Syndrome is an ongoing struggle
It’s important to understand that you may never wholly reconcile your feelings of Imposter Syndrome. That’s not to say that you will always feel insecure in your professional acumen. More that there will always be a new situation that has the potential to call your credibility into question.
Most people overcome Imposter Syndrome eventually but may have it resurface during certain career milestones. For example, if your small business grows or opens up a new location, you may have a new point of reference for evaluating success.
As your peer group changes, you compare yourself with other professionals. When this happens, unfavorable comparisons can quickly emerge.
It’s essential to advance through your career with calm clarity. Remember that your success is the culmination of hard work and rewards. There will always be more to learn.
However, your perceived shortcomings should not be taken as evidence that you don’t belong. Instead, use these things as motivation. Let yourself be pleased with your achievements, and keep an eye on the horizon for opportunities to grow as a professional.
Are there any benefits to Imposter Syndrome?
While we just spent quite a bit describing how to overcome Imposter Syndrome, it’s worth wondering if anything is gained from experience. When not debilitating, Imposter Syndrome can be a powerful motivator.
To dive back into the literary pool, consider the case of best-selling novelist Dean Koontz. Koontz, like Gaiman, has reported feeling fraudulent in his success. However, this lack of confidence proved to be a powerful motivator.
Because Koontz has advanced through his career with the suspicion that he isn’t as talented or clever as other writers, he has been motivated to work much harder on his books, often logging twelve-hour days to complete a meager five pages.
The result? Hundreds of millions of books are circulating worldwide with the name “Dean Koontz” written in bold on the cover.
Is there a lesson to be learned from this?
Beating yourself up is unproductive and unsustainable. However, constantly striving for improvement can be the catalyst to a very successful career.
There is a fine line. You can’t spend your working days convinced that you are a talentless fraud. However, you also shouldn’t become lax in your professional development. Plant yourself on the fine line between fear and complacency, and you will likely experience a long career full of great success.
It’s also worth mentioning that Imposter Syndrome is a good problem. It means you’ve achieved something special. Opening a small business is an enormous accomplishment—as are all the other successes you will achieve on your entrepreneurial journey.
The struggle now is simply to acknowledge and enjoy your success. As problems go, that’s not such a bad one to have.
Grow in your skills
Furthering your education can help develop confidence while equipping you with the skills you need to advance your small business goals. Getting your MBA is not necessarily the standard by which you must evaluate your success. It is an excellent way to grow further into your skills and refresh your understanding of the industry you already know well.
By continuing your education, you grow in confidence and learn about things that might not have even existed when you first launched your entrepreneurial ambitions.
