Overcoming the Fear of Rejection as a Small Business Owner
💗 What is one part of yourself you’ve learned to hide because you thought it would be judged?
Anyone on the entrepreneurial path will likely face rejection, again & again & again & again. Many entrepreneurs will tell you: “My brand is ME.” Work is no longer just a job.. it’s our entire lifestyle, personality, life experiences, and interests wrapped in one and presented to the world for judgement.
It can be a vulnerable process. I’ve had people tell me they don’t like my brand because “doll” sounds demeaning or irrelevant. I’ve had groups of haters on TikTok rally against me for sharing my genuine opinions, back when I was running my last small business. I’ve had strangers online tell me that I’d be “much prettier if I smiled more.”
Many times, I doubted myself and my decisions, thinking that maybe I’m just “too much” or that I need to “shape up” because I don’t seem to fit any mold.
Those moments of judgement, scrutiny, unanswered emails, and flat out “no”s never feel good. But rejection is a normal part of any journey where we are putting ourselves out there.
Remember: the ones who judge are the ones who have never authentically put themselves out there. Because those who have, they know that it takes courage to show up as our true selves and be rejected, than to never have tried at all.
It’s okay to not be everyone’s cup of tea… As long as we accept ourselves for who we are, we don’t need anyone else’s approval.
The small business path has helped me develop thick skin, learn to welcome rejection as a normal & healthy part of being a human being, and has taught me to find the balance between welcoming feedback and standing up -UNCONDITIONALLY - for who I am at my core.
- Valerie