What is imposter syndrome, and how do you work through it? Imposter syndrome is this nasty thought pattern that forms where you start questioning your value. Whether or not you’re good enough or the notion of ‘who am I to do this?’. It sucks, and it can be challenging to move past. It’s also (at least from what I’ve seen) a mandatory step in entrepreneurship. And it most likely presents itself at every stage of business. I don’t have any cures for fixing this or riding it from your mind, but I can provide you a few tips that I’ve found helpful when I get in this position.

1. Unfollow and block the shit out of people you find yourself comparing your success/growth to in a negative light. Seriously. Hate follow is not a good habit to form, and trying to copy someone else’s journey is not all that great either. Why? Cause what works for them may not work for you. It’s okay to take notes from people you look up to, that motivate you and help you want to be a better version. It’s not necessary to compare yourself to them. Comparison is the thief of joy.

2. Do your market research, but focus on the end-user. Don’t put yourself down the rabbit hole of focusing too much on what the business is doing. By paying too much attention to what the person or company is doing rather than how it’s helping their customers, you’ll quickly find yourself in that comparison wheel. Instead, pay attention to what questions their customers are asking, what content they’re engaging with, and how it’s serving them. You might find that your competition isn’t even targeting the same people, and you might find that you can present the same information in a better way that speaks to your audience.

3. Just show up. The best way to learn is to show up and do the work. It’s messy, and it’s hard, you’ll make mistakes along the way, but you’ll learn more about yourself. You’ll learn more about what works for you, how you want YOUR business to scale, and how you can serve your people. 

As you grow your business and start working in more market strategy plans for your business, start outsourcing it. Team up with someone who can do the market research alongside you (or for you), so their perspective is more on numbers and less on emotion. It’s not likely they will compare you to someone else’s success. Their priority will mostly be on how they can scale your business. That’s it. Not whether or not you’re good enough. And if you’re working with people who place those thoughts and present those conversations to you – fire ’em. Ain’t nobody got time for that shit.