Nikyra McCann shares with The Savvy Entrepreneur her struggles with mental health & how she’s used that to create a platform to inspire & support others with mental health issues.
She’s living proof that mental health issues are not well-understood — not by employers, not by law enforcement, and not by society in general. She was detained and incarcerated several times when she should have received institutional care because of her mental health issues.
She’s taken those painful, terrifying experiences and turned them into opportunities to help others. She’s become a licensed rehabilitation worker, gives frequent seminars and workshops on mental health, and even has her own public-access TV show.
To try to amplify her voice, she’s created Still Standing Enterprise to educate on mental health issues, as well as provide hope and inspiration.
Although focused at the moment mostly in the Madison, Wisconsin area, Nikyra hopes to partner with more mental health agencies to grow across and U.S. and even become international.
The need is out there — more than 1 in 5 Americans will struggle with mental health issues. The rate of teen suicide is growing. The pain is real, and Nikyra McCann is out there doing what she can to educate and inspire.
Below is a transcript of our interview, but go here if you’d prefer to listen to the audio version.
Doris Nagel 0:09
Hello all you entrepreneurs and small businesspeople out there!
You are listening to The Savvy Entrepreneur Show. If you’re a small businessperson, you are in the right place.
I’m Doris Nagel, your host for the next hour.
The show has two goals: first, to share information and resources. Because I, as an entrepreneur have made so many mistakes. My clients have made lots of mistakes, and I’ve had friends and family who’ve also made lots of mistakes.
If I can help just a couple of you out there to not make some of those mistakes, then I’ve been successful.
The second goal is to inspire. I found at least that being an entrepreneur is often confusing, lonely, you have no idea sometimes you’re on the right track or not, or where to turn for good advice.
So to help with both those goals, I have guests on the show every week who are willing to share their stories and their advice.
My guest this week is Nikyra McCann. She is the founder of a fledgling company called Still Standing that focuses on mental health. And she’s joined me this week to share her journey as an entrepreneur. And also to talk about an issue that – while there is a growing awareness of mental health — still is not really talked about or addressed enough.
Nikyra, thanks so much for being on the show today. Welcome to The Savvy Entrepreneur.
Nikyra McCann 1:37
Thanks for having me, Doris. Thanks for having me on. I’m glad to be here.
Doris Nagel
I am glad you’re here too. Because what you’re doing is so meaningful and important. And I know it’s personally important to you.
But let’s start off talking just a little bit about Still Standing. What does it do? Who’s it designed to help? And why did you decide to found the company? There must be a gap that you thought needed to be addressed?
Nikyra McCann 2:07
I’d like to start with my own personal story. At the age 20. I was diagnosed with a mental illness. I had several hospitalizations, and was put in isolation for 18 hours.
And so I just wanted a platform to give hope and inspiration to others through my story and through my suffering. And I wanted a way to advocate for others through my injustice of my mental health episodes, so that they don’t have to endure my suffering.
So I created Still Standing Enterprises, which is [based in] Madison, Wisconsin. I specialize in mental health and wellness, and I am now a rehabilitation worker with Dane County. I also give workshops and seminars pertaining to mental wellness.
Doris Nagel
If you’re willing, I’d love to hear a little more about the story of the pain that you experienced. Because I think I think talking about it is part of the solution.
At least that’s my perspective. I don’t know if you agree or not, but I think people need to understand the pain that a lot of folks deal with related to mental illness.
And, and lots and lots of people do experience some form of mental illness at some point in their life, right?
Nikyra McCann 3:36
Yes. One in five adults will experience a mental illness in America.
Doris Nagel
I’m almost surprised it’s not higher than that. But that’s still a lot.
Nikyra McCann 3:50
Yes, it is.
And there is a lot of pain and suffering. When I would have mental health episodes, I would end up in jail and not in a mental institution. And my mother had to fight so hard to get me out of jail when I should have been in a mental institution.
My last hospitalization was at the age of 28. I was dragged out of the church by a police officer — literally dragged from the front of the whole church to outside where the police car was parked. I was chained to a hospital bed where I spit in two police officer faces due to fear. I was fearing for my life. What else could I have done? So I spit into police officer faces, and I was charged with two felonies, and so I had to do the first to finish program. The charges were dropped a couple of years ago, but [I can’t forget] the injustice. I had no control over the situation. I was experiencing a mental health crisis.
Doris Nagel
I’d like to think you’re talking about something 50 years ago, but I’m afraid not…
Nikyra McCann 5:08
This was four years ago. Just four years ago.
Doris Nagel
Wow. It just goes to show the lack of understanding and the system’s inability to catch people like you who are just falling through.
And your experience is pretty tangible. And there are lots of other disturbing aspects to the gaps in mental health support. I’m personally disturbed by the fact that I’ve had any number of friends and friends of friends tell me about teen suicides in the family or among friends. In most cases, they say they never saw it coming.
So we’ve got to do more to try to help identify and address some of these issues, right?
Nikyra McCann 5:57
Yes. And the rate of teen mental health issues is going up. I hear a lot more about teens and the youth and just the issues that they’re facing within their homes and within schools, and just everywhere that they go.
So I do believe that now is the right time. It’s been this way for so long that now is the time to help, for the betterment of us all moving forward.
Doris Nagel
I’m struck by the amount of pain that’s in your voice. And, obviously, I’m still hearing the pain in the parents’ voices, talking about their kids.
I myself have dealt with depression, and I’ve dealt with anxiety. And I know lots of people, if they’re willing to bear their soul a little bit, will say the same thing. So it’s pretty clear to me why you’re so passionate about this.
There’s been a lot more discussion about mental health because of COVID and the pandemic. Do you think the increase in mental health issues is real? Or is it just people are talking about them more? Or both?
Nikyra McCann 7:17
I think that the issue was always there, you know, but it was overlooked due to the stigma. People believe that if you have a mental illness, you’re just crazy.
So people don’t want to talk about it. They don’t want to come out about the fact that they have a mental illness, when really, it’s not even about you being crazy.
Sometimes people have chemical imbalances in their brain, and you need to be leveled out so that you can complete your day to day tasks. So it’s not that you’re crazy, or you’re this delusional person, sometimes it can be a physical issue with your brain.
How weird would it be that COVID brought more awareness to the surface on an issue that has been suppressed. But I’m just glad that it is happening now.
It’s better now than later, right?
Doris Nagel
Why do you think we as a society have been so reluctant to openly address and give credence to mental health issues?
Nikyra McCann 8:20
With me, I am a woman of faith. So in my church, they would say that it was a spiritual battle, you know, like it’s a demonic attack, which, in a sense, it was.
But I think that the natural aspect needs to be dealt with also. Like I said, it may be due to a chemical imbalance or something like that.
But I just think that It was just overlooked because of the stigma, really. You have a mental illness, you’re crazy, or you can’t do what you need to do every day, no one wants that over their head. Right? So it’s just the stigma associated with it.
Doris Nagel
As you were talking, you were triggering in me the shame element. There is for sure a shame piece of it.
That somehow if you were only strong enough or smarter, or more together, you wouldn’t have these problems. And I think that kind of thinking permeates a lot of our society. The American culture historically rewards people for toughing it out. Be tough, and be tougher than the next guy.
And mental health doesn’t quite fit in with that very well.
Nikyra McCann 9:48
Yes absolutely. But with me, at my church, I was anointed prophetess. And I had an apostle, who was just there for me during this delusional state in my life, and he just spoke life to me, and anointed me prophetess and told me that I would speak to thousands. And that’s what helped me to get through my delusional state.
And today, well, here I am. Everything that I ever imagined. everything that I was telling people when they thought that I was crazy, [is happening]. I’m going to be on TV, I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that. It’s really happening, right?
So I believe that even with delusion, or people having mental illness, sometimes there’s truth to things. So don’t always think that just because someone has a mental illness,that they’re just crazy or they’re out of their mind. Or that they don’t know what they’re talking about.
Instead, really get in depth with them and try to figure out like, okay, what are you thinking? And how can I help instead of bashing or tearing them down?
Doris Nagel
The other thing you said that struck me as really important is that you were very lucky — you found someone who could be your anchor to help you through the toughest of times.
How do you help people find that anchor? Or maybe that’s part of what Still Standing is about?
Nikyra McCann 11:20
Yes! My mother was also [an anchor for me]. My mother graduated with her Bachelor’s in 2008, and I had my first hospitalization at the age 20. That was maybe a couple years after that she was working in a psych unit.
And so my mother was also my help. I remember times walking down the street, and my mother would be just walking right beside me, even though I was delusional. And she fought in the courtroom. She fought to get the help that I needed, she fought for my charges to get dropped. And so my mother was also my anchor. She was that person that never gave up on me. And she would say, “If you have one person who won’t give up on you, you can do anything.”
And that’s why I wanted to establish Still Standing Enterprise: so that I can be that help for others who need help, like my mother and my apostle were for me.
Doris Nagel
Based on your training and experience with people who have mental health challenges, what are some of the warning signs that maybe friends and family should watch out for?
What advice do you give people about helping to reach out to people who may be experiencing trouble. And maybe they’re trying to hide it because they’re convinced that if they work hard enough at it, it’ll go away? Or they they’re ashamed of it? Or maybe they’re not even aware of it themselves of how bad things have gotten.
Nikyra McCann 12:56
Some signs are that I noticed are not sleeping good, not eating, not taking medications, and those were all bringing me down on a downward spiral.
And I would say to people who have someone who’s going through challenges, don’t be a afraid to just knock on the door. Sometimes if you haven’t heard from them, don’t be afraid to just show up and be present in their lives to help them to get better. Because sometimes that’s what people need — just somebody that cares about them and their well-being.
Doris Nagel
Let’s circle back to your business. There’s so many unmet needs when it comes to mental health.
How did you get started with Still Standing? And how did you sort through all the things that that could be done out there to help with mental health issues?
Nikyra McCann 13:54
When I established Still Standing, I thought about what helped me. In 2013, I did a movie about my life called “Don’t Judge Me,” which was aired at a local theater.
[Through that process], I found that creative things like music therapy, hobbies, writing — different things like that – are what has helped me. So I implement therapy through art and music, seminars for knowledge, and different things like that.
And I thought that if it helped me, it can help others. And so that’s how I started and began to put everything together. And I am now a rehabilitation worker with a county, where I help people with skill development, medication management, physical health monitoring, and some other areas.
And that in itself brings healing to me, having come from such a place of darkness. I went through such a place of pain, such a place of destruction – all the things I went through. And look at me today. Okay, I’ve been in recovery four years. Now I can help others to reach their place of recovery and see better days for their future.
Doris Nagel
How did you get started? What was your first offering? And how did you create it? And how did you find clients and funding for it?
Nikyra McCann 15:24
I have a contract with the county. So that’s how I am paid, and it’s funded through the County Department of Human Services in Dade County.
Doris Nagel
How did you even know that there was a contract [in Dane County] to be had?
Nikyra McCann 15:44
I’m on the committee for Dane County CPS. I was brought to the committee by my previous executive director. I learned more about the process and then went through the process for the contract, and got the contract. And now I’m working with clients.
Doris Nagel
How do you find clients? And what kinds of services you offer to them and how you market those?
Nikyra McCann 16:15
So CCS is its own organization within itself. So they have this like a system where clients come to their agent to their organization. And then I get referrals for clients. So the clients are already there, they want the help, they want to be cared for. And they want to have a sense of recovery within their own lives.
I also get referrals from other agencies for clients to work with me. I work with clients on different things, like helping learn how to grocery shop, or just building confidence, different things like that. So it could be an area they want to learn how to do better, like how to mow the lawn. It could be any sort of skill that they want to build on to get better.
Doris Nagel
Mental health has so many different aspects to it. It’s like a diamond with a whole bunch of different facets, right.
There’s the suburban well to do teens who are suffering from depression and anxiety. There’s college students with test and career anxiety. There’s postpartum moms. There’s a segment of people who are on the streets or have been in and out of the streets who probably struggle with addiction issues as well as health issues.
How have you pulled all that apart to be able to deal with some of the different kinds of needs?
Nikyra McCann 17:49
Not only is it just categorized within different people who are going through different situations, but I honestly feel like mental health impacts everyone.
You might get stressed from just being at work one day. Many clients have trouble dealing with things at work. Many have lost a loved one, and that brings on stress.
So I don’t think it’s about putting it in separate groups. I look at it like it impacts everyone, and just dealing with people on the level that they’re at.
So someone might need something different than someone else. So it’s really just meeting people where they’re at so that they can get well.
Doris Nagel
Where do you see your business going? You probably spend the rest of your days just making a difference in the Madison area in Wisconsin.
But my guess is your goals are a little more ambitious than that. Talk about where you see Still Standing going. What will it look like two or three years from now if you’re successful?
Nikyra McCann
I would honestly like to be international.
Doris Nagel
International? Holly buckets! I thought you were gonna say that you’ll be everywhere in the state of Wisconsin.
Nikyra McCann 19:26
I would love to work on an international level. I’ve already been featured in a newspaper in Africa. And just every time when I go live, so many people from all over the world write me and inbox me.
So I really want to reach and have an impact all over. I don’t think that there’s a limit to it. I want to go as far as I can. Because it’s my passion. And I just really have the desire and I see the great need and want to be that support for others.
Doris Nagel
The need is like a bottomless pit. But you’re one human being though, Nikyra. I’m guessing you’re a very high energy woman who accomplishes amazing amount, but you’re still one person.
What needs to happen with your business in order to become an internationally recognized source for helping people with mental health issues?
Nikyra McCann 20:37
I would say partnering with more mental health agencies throughout the world. And also finding more funding more resources to be able to implement these things and to do the work.
Doris Nagel
Where do you think funding might come from? What have you been thinking about as far as possible investors?
Nikyra McCann 21:04
My key thing is investors. I know that there’s a lot of money in investments. And I know that with my story and my mission and my purpose, someone will want to invest it in and to see to see the impact that I can have on the world.
Doris Nagel
How will you show revenue? Do you think that the contract that you have with public health services in in the Madison area is that the same model you’d like to replicate with public health agencies around the US and outside the US, too?
Nikyra McCann 21:47
So my model today will] probably just be good for Dane County, [Wisconsin]. As I expand and reach out to different and more agencies, I will probably have to have separate contracts with other agencies.
Doris Nagel
I’m sure that can be a long process in some cases. You had an advantage in Dane County and had an inside track of the process there, right?
Nikyra McCann Yep.
Doris Nagel
But I’m sure every agency has their own little quirks and timelines and budget considerations and boxes that need to get ticked.
So I’m guessing sooner or later you’re going to need help with that, right?
Nikyra McCann 22:32
Oh, yeah. Again, just, like I said, expanding my team and sort of having the right team in place to take on the assignment.
Doris Nagel
Do have any stories — besides your own, of course — of people that have been impacted by some of the appearances you’ve made, or talks you’ve done, or the helping hand that you’ve offered?
Nikyra McCann 23:02
Yeah, so I have a few people who have been with me on my journey along the way that have been impacted by my recovery and by my story. And are just receiving their healing and their stability just from where I’ve came from, because they’ve experienced me and my instability and to see the transformation and to recovery until stability. Like, I think that in itself was just enough for people to say like, wow, if Nikyra did it, I know I can do it.
Doris Nagel
I read something not too long ago — I think the article was actually about teen suicide, but was talking about mental health in general. And it said that actually one of the best things — it’s counterintuitive because certainly when you’re dealing with in the throes of a mental health issue, you need help.
But the article said that one of the best ways to help yourself is to actually help someone else. Do you agree with that?
Nikyra McCann 24:15
I really do. I think that’s why peer support is increasing and different things like that. I just believe that.
My healing really came, and it continues to come, by helping others. I think that has been the biggest source of support in my recovery — helping others. Because when I when I think about the pain that I’ve been through, I don’t want someone else to experience that pain.
So when I’m making a difference in their life, and I’m seeing that they’re being impacted in a good way, that makes me feel good. So I totally agree.
Doris Nagel
The other thing that is concerning is that our healthcare system as it’s currently set up is not really very mental health-friendly. Do you agree with that?
Nikyra McCann 25:10
Yes. I experienced that even in my county — Dane County, Wisconsin. When I first had my first hospitalization, I was transported to a mental health agency here in town. But then they closed that facility.
So when I was had hospitalizations after that, I would have to take a two-hour drive there, just to get to a mental health facility. And that in itself was frightening. It’s late at night, I’m in handcuffs, driving through the dark. That was crazy.
So I do believe it’s not just the system but just the knowledge of what people need, really, when it comes to mental health. And I just believe that things need to change.
And once they change, I believe we’ll see mental health get better for everyone if the care system gets better as well.
Doris Nagel
Even people who have health plans, usually their mental health coverage is very limited. Maybe you get six therapy sessions or something, and then you’re on your own to try to pay for it.
And it’s not like a rehab on your knee where you go to a physical therapist six times and they tell you, “Okay, now go home and do your exercises and come back in a couple months for a checkup.”
Nikyra McCann 26:40
Yes, sometimes you’re just on your own. And some insurances are not accepted. And so that disqualifies people from getting treatment. So it is definitely a barrier.
Doris Nagel
So how do we as a society get more funding for mental health and be more realistic about what we need to do to help people with mental health issues?
Nikyra McCann 27:11
Well, I believe the money is there. I feel like with the government, maybe it’s being put into things that that it doesn’t need to go into. So if mental health was a priority, it would get more funding. And then maybe that could help the issues.
I also believe that we can help by changing the laws, policies and procedures to help the with the mental health care system.
Doris Nagel
Talk about how you started your company. When did you get started? And what have been some of the challenges you faced along the way so far?
Nikyra McCann 27:53
I officially started in 2012. But that was just sort of a vision or a thought that I would have over the years.
But I recently just got the legal structure in place September of last year [2021], and it’s an LLC.
As far as some of the struggles along the way, I would say just getting myself balanced, right?
Doris Nagel
I’m laughing a bit because every entrepreneur who is honest and looks themselves in mirror will say they are their own biggest obstacle.
Nikyra McCann 28:37
For me hospitalizations have happened over the years – I would get imbalanced.
But now that I’m in a better place, and I’m getting better each day, I think that my business will be a big success as I continue forward.
Doris Nagel
What things about your past has prepared you surprisingly well to run a business? And what skills have you or gaps are things have you learned about yourself on the journey so far, that maybe you weren’t quite as prepared for?
Nikyra McCann 29:15
I would say that what has helped me to be where I am today has been my story. You gain strength through your story, you gain skills and through what you go through, you gain knowledge to be able to help others.
I believe that just my lived experience has prepared me to be where I am today and the work that I want to do.
One thing that was sort of unexpected or that I need to get more prepared is funding. Because I have such a big vision, a big mission that I want to accomplish, I need that big vision and big mission funding behind me to be able to implement my services.
Doris Nagel
Yeah, that’s for sure. That’s probably the other most common thing I hear talking to entrepreneurs is that they needed a lot more money than they thought.
What resources have you found along the way that have been helpful in your business journey, not so much your mental health journey, but your business journey?
Nikyra McCann 30:29
One of the biggest things that has helped me in my business journey is Google. Yes, Google.
Google, show me all the agencies near me! And Google tells you everything, whatever you need to know, go to Google.
Google has helped me and given me so many resources. So that has been key to my success and being where I am. I’ve found all sort of different agencies through Google.
Doris Nagel
Were there any other entrepreneurs that have been helpful to you along the way?
Nikyra McCann 31:09
Yes, I have a consultant. She has really helped me to get everything in order, everything that I need to do. And really, just a lot of people in the community have been a great support, and I’m just forever grateful [for that].
Doris Nagel
It takes a village, they say, and it really is true.
So you have a lot of things you want to accomplish with Still Standing Enterprises. But are there other things that you are hoping to accomplish in your professional and business career?
Nikyra McCann 31:58
I don’t just do mental health. I have a TV show, which is expanding to New York, and also Chicago and more cities and villages here near Madison.
My TV show is called Still Standing. And being a woman of God, I’ve always wanted to preach throughout the world as a voice for my faith. So there are other things that I hope to accomplish as well.
Doris Nagel
Talk a little more about the TV appearances. That sounds pretty interesting. How did you go about that?
Nikyra McCann 32:42
I just pitched my TV show to Fitchburg fact TV years ago, and I’ve been doing it ever since. And it’s been a great experience.
And then I just sort of pitched it to other stations, and they wanted it. And then now it’s expanded to as I said, New York and Chicago.
Doris Nagel
You make the sound so easy! Is it because the topic is so relevant, or you’re a better salesperson than you let on, or you were in the right place at the right time? What do you attribute it to?
Nikyra McCann 33:26
I just attribute it to God, and him leading me and guiding me and letting me know what doors to go through and what to do. Just letting him be the head of my life and he sort of let me know what I need to do in life.
So I just believe that and it could just be my faith, or just like you said, being in the right places at the right time.
Doris Nagel
Whatever kind of religious orientation you have, a common theme I hear among entrepreneurs is that you need to have faith, whatever that wellspring of your faith is.
You need to have it, because there’s days when things don’t quite go the way you hope for.
You’re really just starting out, but you’ve been thinking about this for a long time. But looking back over your entrepreneurial journey so far, what advice would you give to other entrepreneurs who are thinking about starting a business? And in particular, do you have any advice for women founders, or founders who are women of color, or other folks for whom the path just frankly is a little harder?
Nikyra McCann 34:50
I would say, don’t give up on yourself. And don’t doubt yourself.
It starts with a thought, right? So write it out. Write out what you want to do and what you see in your vision, and then just implement it. Turn it into action.
And I believe that once you turn it into action, as you said, whatever your faith, whatever you believe in, whatever you go to, like, lean on that and just know that you can do it.
And you might have been through so much already in life. You might have had barriers and breakdowns, whatever you’ve been through, but just know that your days can get better. And anything you want to do in life, you can do it
Doris Nagel
You story is so inspirational.
Is there anything that, looking back, you wished you had done differently?
Nikyra McCann
Um, looking back, I would say um, no, that’s a tricky question. Because what happened, happened.
Doris Nagel
People often will say things happened for a reason.
I’m not trying to trick you. I’m just curious if there’s anything in your journey that you feel like would be helpful to share with other people who are thinking about starting a business?
Nikyra McCann 36:12
I will say, “Just go for it.” It starts with that action. I will say go for it. And there’s many possibilities. Do your research, connect with organizations.
If you have a business that’s a mental health research, mental health organization, we have a TV show, implement other resources of TV shows, so just really what area you’re in, expand with other organizations who are like yours to, to so that your business can become more?
Doris Nagel
Yeah. And do work to become part of a greater community of and network, because I do think I do think it’s important to keep connecting with people and to stay connected.
Nikyra McCann
Absolutely.
Doris Nagel
How should people reach you if they’re interested maybe in having you do a workshop or present, or maybe just want to know more about Still Standing Enterprise’s services and how they can get involved?
Nikyra McCann
My website is stillstandingenterprise.com. And I can be reached at 608-224-9656. And we are available to help your mental wellness and recovery services.
Doris Nagel
Well, I am glad that you’re out there chipping away there. It’s just a little overwhelming sometimes to think of all the things that need to be done.
And I am so grateful that you and all of your positive energy are focused on helping helping make a difference with it, because we certainly do need it.
Nikyra, thanks so much for being on the savvy entrepreneur this week. I’m really glad you joined me this week.
Nikyra McCann
Thank you, Doris. Thanks for having me.
Doris Nagel
Thank you!
In the time, we have left this week, I thought that given our focus today on mental health, that we might talk generally about mental health — specifically anxiety and self doubt, and how they affect entrepreneurs.
A lot of the reasons entrepreneurs struggle, frankly, I think, are mental. One common reason they give up — I know because I have given up in the past — is that I stopped believing in myself. Or maybe to be more accurate. I never really quite believed in myself to begin with.
And being a successful entrepreneur is in large part about being a successful salesperson. People think about the sales aspect of starting a business when it comes to pitching — pitching to investors, pitch competitions. For sure selling is really important then, but selling permeates all aspects of starting and building a business,
You need to sell when you’re asking friends and fun friends and family for a money or alone. You need to sell to the bank. If you need a bank loan you need to sell to service providers, especially if you’re hoping to barter services early on when funds are tight or totally non-existent. You need to sell to those first employees to take a chance on the opportunity to be part of your growing idea before it really takes off. Because for them there’s a risk they may not end up getting paid or have to look for a new job if your business craters.
Listen to my interview with Melissa Kehl, the CEO of Rieke Interiors. She talks about how she had a huge cashflow problem at one point. Her business was seriously in need of money. And she owed a lot of money to her suppliers. And instead, she sold to them a package where they would all reduce the amount owed and accept payment from her over time. Now that I think requires some serious selling!
And of course, there’s the big one: you need to convince your customers that they need your products or your services. And that your offer is definitely worth paying for when there are usually lots of alternatives, some of which might even be less expensive than yours or better known.
It said that to be a great salesperson, you need three things: 1)you need a great product or service, 2) you need a great company that sells it, and 3) you need to believe in yourself.
And as a startup entrepreneur, while you may have a great product or service, or maybe it’s just a great light bulb idea. But ultimately, at the very beginning, you have only one of those things you have yourself, you. No one knows your product, yet they don’t know your company. So you have only you and your belief in yourself.
And that’s why it’s so sad that a lot of businesses fail, because ultimately, the founder owner ends up losing faith in himself or herself. So what do you do? What if you find yourself doubting yourself and your abilities?
There are lots of frameworks out there. There’s lots of self help books, inspirational TED talks. You’ll find lots of them if you go looking for them.
But I personally love the framework set out by an organization called SoulSalt. And I’m unabashedly lifting some things from a framework that they have out there on their website. And I would encourage any of you who struggle with self doubt,
In their five part framework, to improve our belief in ourselves the first step is to work on your strengths, not your weaknesses. So make a list of what your strengths are. Most of us already know what some of those are.
But if you’re not sure, there are tools for that, too. There’s the StrengthsFinder 2.0 quiz, it’s kind of fun to do. Or you can make a list of things people have told us over the years that we’re good at. Make a list of your past accomplishments that have made you proudest or brought you the most satisfaction, I’ll bet you’ll start to see patterns.
Then work on those strengths, identify what you’re not as good at that needs doing in your business, and brainstorm about ways to help find, to find places to help you with those. It could be a partner or a mentor outsourcer with a virtual intern with a virtual assistant or an intern.
The second step in their goal in their framework is to be your own coach. To do that, first stop being judgmental with yourself. Then write out the things about your business that you’re not very happy with at the moment, or are not satisfied with. Try to come up with little plans to improve each of those aspects.
The third step in the framework is and related is embrace who you are, stop trying to be someone who’s not you. Look at whether or not you’re trying to meet other people’s expectations. Focus on your core values. Write down a list of things that are really important to you.
Then start to be more observant of your own thoughts and emotions, try journaling. Start noticing where there is a conflict or stress between how you feel and spend your time versus what’s really important to you on that list of core values.
Fourth, continually tell yourself you can do it. Yes, I know this sounds a bit Pollyanna ish. Be your own cheerleader, that sort of thing. But the fact of the matter is, it’s not just wishful thinking. Because if you believe, you can do it. You tell yourself you can do it.
It changes the way you see the world and yourself and a lot of us not just entrepreneurs, a lot of us subtly sabotage ourselves by listening to and even ruminating that downward cycles of thinking and reinforce We’re saying and, you know, self doubt and negative thoughts, you need to stop feeding those thoughts. Do not feed that troll!
You can either see endless possibilities or insurmountable obstacles. And it’s up to you to choose which way you want to frame the issues.
And finally the last step in SoulSalt’s framework is my favorite one: get comfortable with being uncomfortable. And I think this is where a lot of first time entrepreneurs get stuck. It’s awfully easy for us, as human beings who don’t like change all that much to do the same things you did yesterday or last week and tell yourself that you’ll get to that other thing, or that big, hairy goal that you were thinking about next week or the week after, and somehow time just slips away.
Another my past guests, I think set in another way, if you’re comfortable, you are not taking enough risks. I think that’s true of entrepreneurs. I think that’s true, frankly, of all of us who want personal growth. So you need to keep experimenting and trying things.
One idea that of my own that I didn’t see this on the SoulSalt site is to list of all the things that you see other companies doing to promote their products or grow their business.
And that can be all kinds of things. If you start just kind of looking around reading the news, watching the LinkedIn and Twitter and YouTube feeds.
Maybe it’s making a video promotion, or doing live Instagram, or YouTube events, posting goofy stuff on social media, holding contests, partnering with other businesses doing press releases, there’s so many different things that businesses do.
So make a list of them. And ask yourself if any of these just might possibly help your business? And if so, how would you go about doing that?
As entrepreneurs you know, we love brainstorming with others about ideas, but we often suddenly shoot down and sabotage our own our own thoughts, you know, why? Why do we do that? The world is truly full of endless possibilities.
Remember that entrepreneurship is a journey, it’s not a destination. So embrace that journey. Have fun with it, try goofy things, try weird things go out on a limb. Give yourself permission every day to do the virtual equivalent of skydiving, you know, jump out without a you know without a safety net.
For more ideas on how to restore your faith in yourself or maybe build it if you never truly had it in the first place. I really do recommend checking out SoulSalt – they have lots of great, practical suggestions.
Now before I wrap up this week’s show, I want to put in a couple of plugs. First, for my own business and The Savvy Entrepreneur. You can find lots of free helpful information and resources on my consulting website, globalocityservices.com. There’s lots of free blogs and tools, ebooks, infographics, and
You’ll also find an archive of all past The Savvy Entrepreneur shows that are full of tips and helpful suggestions from dozens and dozens of past amazing guests on the show.
I’ve also created now a dedicated web show site, aptly titled thesavvyentrepreneur.org. And I’ll be moving more and more content over there. So keep an eye out.
Also check out to my dedicated YouTube channel called The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show. You can listen to and even download recent past episodes of the show there. Listen to the some of the past shows, like them, and even comment on them, and follow my channel so you’ll be sure to catch future shows as they’re posted.
You will be supporting the work of The Savvy Entrepreneur and also lots of your fellow entrepreneurs, who will appreciate your help in getting the word out there about all the great things that they’re doing, and the phenomenal free advice that they’ve shared.
Thanks so much for listening this week, folks! Be sure to join me again next week.
But until then, I’m Doris Nagel. wishing you happy entrepreneuring!
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