“Pssst. Hey you! Yes, you! Who do you think you are? What makes you so special that you think you can do this?” Every hear those types of voices? Could be from a friend, family member, arch nemesis, or the worst culprit of them all… your own mind!

How do you escape the self-doubt and fear that comes with stepping outside of your comfort zone? Are you being held back by the negativity and paralyzed by the fear of reaching for something great? Even worse, do you know deep down in your soul that you are destined to do something great (like starting your own lash business) that you will never accomplish it because, well, it’s just not “like you”? I’ve been doing this mentoring of lash artists for awhile now and I can tell you one of the common issues that I come across with lash artists wanting to start, build and grow their lash business is fear of failure and not believing in themselves to reach greatness.

Is it because most of us are women and society is still transitioning us out of the home to the working world? Are we still under the belief that the title “Entrepreneur” is typically reserved for a man and that being bold and staking our claim in the world of small business somehow makes us less feminine? Does it make us bad wives or moms or girlfriends or daughters because we love what we do and spend hours outside of “working hours” devoting ourselves to bettering our lash business and ultimately our lives?

How do we tune out the critics and nay-sayers?

Define your “Why”

If you don’t know why you are doing what you’re doing, then every hiccup or obstacle that comes your way, and I promise there will be lots in the Lashpreneur journey, will derail you and make you lose your way. If your “Why” solely involves financial gain, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll burn out and resent your clients, your business and the life you thought you wanted with all of this money. I challenge you to really take some time to clarify the “why” as it will be the defining guide for all of the decisions you make from here on out.

My “WHY” is my family. I opened my lash business when my son was 11 months old, my husband just ended his contract with the military to go back to school and I decided that apparently that was the ideal time to be ballsy and start a new business. The financial pressure I had put on my shoulders (as I had all of a sudden become the sole provider for my family) was insane! I wouldn’t advise that you start a new business out of needing to make a lot of money and a lot of money immediately! But at that time, I didn’t have much of a choice as I knew in my soul I could do it and make it work, and it was actually a motivator for me that failure was not an option! Looking back now and seeing how far I’ve come since signing that first lease to my cozy little office space gives me a HUGE sense of pride in my journey thus far and that despite the immeasurable number of times I thought “What the heck am I doing?”, I’m doing it! I’m living it! Some days I’m even KILLING it! Above all else, I am providing for my family and our future in a way I never thought I would ever be able to do! It’s empowering to say the least!

Lean In

When that feelings of doubt raises the question of “Who do you think you are?”, know that’s your guts subtle way of telling you that you’re about to do something big that’s outside of your comfort zone. Change is happening. Better yet, growth is happening! Push forward in that doubt and fear and take action. The best way to get over fear is to stare it in the face and figure out a way to overcome it to get to the rewards and benefits on the other side. Explore that fear to see if it’s a justifiable fear (like “don’t stand at the edge of the cliff cause the wind could blow and you could die”) or if it’s a fear someone placed in you at a young age that’s still influencing you in your adulthood (“You can’t do this because you failed at it that one thing when you were 6 and were labeled as a failure ever since” or “You’re not good enough, smart enough, significant enough” etc).

LASHPRENEUR LIGHTBULB

What defined your past does not define your future. Your present defines your future and if you know your “WHY”, then use your “WHY” to make a decision for a better future! The next time that question or doubt pops into your head, you simply respond with “I’m Motha-F—ing <Your Name Here>, that’s who” and put your tiara on and handle it!

Find Support

Maybe it feels lonely and isolated to be on your Lashpreneur journey. Maybe that’s because you don’t have a solid group on people in your corner telling you “You can do it!” “Don’t quit now, it’s just about to get SO good!”. I promise you, had I not had the support of not only my family, but a tribe of close lash sisters in my corner believing in me more than I believed in myself, I would’ve shut down my business after 4 months when I reached a pivotal turning point in my business and I didn’t have much hope of being successful. As I’ve discussed before and I’ll keep repeating it, at 6 months into opening my business I was profitable. At 8 months I was full booked with a waitlist. At 12 months I stopped accepting new clients and at 14 months I raised my prices. I would’ve missed out on so many blessings and rewards for my hard work had I thrown in the towel at 4 months like I wanted to. The Lashpreneur journey is full of ups and downs, and that’s 1000% normal. Having a few close people who are always in your corner, cheering you on to get you thru the lows and being the first ones to celebrate with you in the highs can mean the difference between success and quitting. We’re not meant to do this alone!

If you’re craving a supportive community of lash sisters in your corner, or you’re wanting to be of support to others who are in the trenches, join us in our Lashpreneur Community The Lashpreneur Society where I offer business coaching and our community provides fabulous support for our lash sisters!  You can join the waitlist here to be notified of the next opening to join The Lashpreneur Society!

We believe in you, and you should to!

Have a good one!

Tara Walsh, The Lashpreneur