Seven reminders for when you’re spiralling into scarcity in your business
Because you didn’t get this far to only get this far...
Entrepreneurship is A LOT.
It asks us for courage, patience, and tenacity every single day and I’ve never met or worked with a business owner who doesn’t get stuck in fear, overwhelm, and scarcity thinking from time to time in their business journey.
What if I never book a client again?
What if my next launch completely fails?
What if I can’t make my enough number this year?
Ten years into my entrepreneurial journey and I still battle with these thoughts and fears and the nervous system activation that comes with carrying all of the responsibility on my shoulders.
And one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned? That it’s my job to hold myself through my anxieties and fears so that I don’t get lost in a scarcity spiral and feel out of alignment with my entrepreneurial spirit in my work.
Because we’re truly lost once scarcity takes the wheel, once we’re showing up for our business from a place of fear and trying to control the uncontrollable.
So here are the seven things I remind myself and my clients of whenever a scarcity spiral rears it’s head, just in case they can be encouraging for you too:
1: If you’ve made money before you can make money again
You’ve already proven to yourself that your business is capable of thriving, that your hell yes people want to dive deeper into what you have to offer through your work. You already have the muscle memory of how to make money in your business - that doesn’t just disappear overnight. You may need to re-route at times or try something new but never forget that you are so capable of making a living from your work.
2: You haven’t had all of your best ideas yet
The best is still yet to come, even if it doesn’t feel like your creativity is flowing right now. Beautiful ideas and experimentations are still ahead of you - you just have to stay in the arena and be available for them when you’re ready for them.
3: It’s okay to look like you’re trying
It’s okay to send that sales email, share that you’re booking new clients, run that special offer, experiment with that new marketing channel or resource. A thriving business doesn’t have to look effortless - taking up space is an essential part of the job.
4: There are a lot of steps before you reach your worst case scenario
If you’re navigating a slower season or a launch that hasn’t reached your usual goals, that’s okay. Whatever your worst case scenario is that your nervous system is now feeling triggered to worry about - there are probably more steps than you can even count right now that would need to happen before it became your reality. Even if you find yourself in a season where you really need some cashflow quick, there are so many things you can intentionally experiment with to support yourself through it. A business doesn’t just fall apart overnight - our worst case scenario is rarely as close to being our reality as we fear that it is.
5: Your courage will fuel your business so much more than fear ever could
Fear is the worst kind of business fuel - we can’t move forward with intention if we’re stuck spiralling in our anxieties and fears. Courage has to be our guide instead and believing in ourselves has to become our number one job. And if it feels too hard to root into that belief by yourself? That’s why we’re not meant to do this journey alone, so find business besties, coaches, guides, and communities to walk with you every step of the way.
A quick note to say: we can work together 1:1 or you can join my group program if you’d love for me to walk with you in your business journey.
I also have a previous post with five beliefs you can anchor to in your business if they can be supportive for you 👇🏻
6: Growth isn’t always linear and that’s okay
Some quarters are slower than others, some years are too. Some seasons we’re full of creative energy and others we’re just doing our best to get through. A slower season isn’t confirmation that your business is doomed to fail - it could be in response to having less time to pour into your business, or prioritising other areas of your work, or a sign that perhaps you need to re-route or experiment with something new.
7: You didn’t get this far to only get this far
Look at everything you’ve already built with your business, every mountain you’ve already climbed, every challenge you’ve already overcome. You didn’t get this far to only get this far - the road may be winding at times but you are still here and figuring it out as you go.
No one can guarantee what the road ahead will look like for us in our business but after a decade now of staying the course and gently thriving in my work (and re-routing when I’ve wanted and needed to, too) I can say without a doubt that learning to hold myself through my scarcity spirals and re-routing back into courage and trust has been an essential part of this journey.
I hope these reminders can gently hold space for you to do the same too.
Remember: it’s okay to navigate anxiety and fear in this journey.
Our job is just to not let our anxieties and fears take the steering wheel and instead let our vision, courage, and creativity lead the way instead.
And sometimes the bravest thing we can do is just choose to believe in ourselves, even with all of the uncertainty along for the ride, and trust in our ability to figure out whatever highs and lows lay ahead.
And if you ever want to dive deeper into what a simple, spacious, and thriving business looks like for you in a way that honours your humanness too? I have an awesome 3-part deep dive kit that’s 100% free for you to work through at whatever pace works best for you.
Until next time,
Jen
Ah you had me at the first line! 'Entrepreneurship is A LOT.' I am just dipping my toe into the water of this creative, freelance world and it is A LOT indeed. I love it, but it is hard work. Thank you for sharing these thoughts: they were very soothing for my scarcity minded soul. I especially liked your point about it being ok to look like you're trying. It was very comforting: I think we value something looking effortless even when it was rather effort-ful!
Oh I needed to read this today, Jen, how did you know?! ✨🌱🙏🏼 x