Ruth Lane Confidence Coach

When I started my nail business, I never advertised. Well, I did, but the bare minimum.

I was embarrassed.

I would tell myself I can't advertise and try and promote myself when there are a million times better nail techs than me.

It was a good 12-18months before I actually started to promote myself properly.

All that time I had wasted set me back financially and also enabled me to keep my self belief low!

When it comes to business, that's one of my biggest regrets...

Not promoting!
Not sharing!
Not telling the world I'm here!

Its so important to remember that even when you start, you need to promote yourself.

You may not be the best yet but you still have bills to pay and a customer/client base to build!

There may be 50 people by you selling the same product or service.
There may be others locally who have 20 years more experience than you.

But....

Trust me....

There is ONLY ONE YOU!!!

Some people aren't your people
Some people will absolutely be your people

But unless you advetise, no-one will know about you to find out!

So..

Advertise your business now.
Advertise your business regularly.
Let the world know you are here and have some fabulous to offer.

If something is stopping you from advertising... let me know in the comments what it is ⬇️

When I made my post about my family trip, I honestly never expected the response I got. (It was also shared on my personal page).

I've had a number of people message me privately to show gratitude for sharing because they feel the same.

To those people... you are truly stronger than you realise! The fact you recognise yourself in my words, thats half the battle.

For years I didn't think I had a problem.
I honestly believed my way of thinking was right.

It's crazy when I think about it now but honestly, just knowing you are going through something that maybe needs a bit of fixing... that takes guts!

So many people blame everyone else for their issues rather than looking internally.

The moment you can hold you hands up and say

'It's me... I need help'

The rest becomes slightly easier.

You are NOT alone.
You ARE stronger than you think.
You ARE worthy of true happiness.
You WILL get the relaxed life you deserve.

Just start by taking the next step.

That step will be different from one person to the next.

But... don't continue anymore feeling this way when you don't deserve to.

You've lived in the shadows long enough.

Now is your time ✨️

*Vulnerable post time*

So, I've never hidden the fact that I suffer with anxiety but my sense of self changes when I become emotionally attached to someone.

I've been this way since I was 18, when I was already clearly feeling unconfident with no self-esteem and then it got made a trillion times worse when I broke up with my boyfriend at the time and it really wasnt the nicest break up.

I'm now 44 and in that time, romantic relationships have been hard. They've suffered greatly and, with each one, I've been tested and pushed to my limits.

Romantic relationships drain me mentally.

When my anxiety is in full swing, I get stressed and overwhelmed and that comes across to other people as moodiness and being rude. It's never how I want to come across but some situations are truly hard to manage and sometimes, I remove myself to protect myself. Some people may call that avoidance.... I would say the same... and, well yes, we'd be right 🤪

But, having a very patient and supportive partner in Michael, I've been able to grow internally. I've been able to improve my confidence and self-esteem without any pressure. He understands me because I've always been 100% honest with him and he's never told me I'm too much or being silly or anything else that makes me feel worse than I already do when it comes to my lack self confidence.

Yesterday was a huge huge win for me. Going out with our two boys, laughing, joking, getting tired and feeling grim in the heat... to most people that's normal, to me... it's a new feeling.

It showed me how much my confidence levels have improved.
It was a sign that I'm truly learning to love myself.

Absolutely, there were times I just wanted to hide in a corner but instead, I held my head high, put trust in myself and did it!

Was it easy... absolutely not! But I still did it!

Yesterday I proved to myself that it is possible, even after 26 years

We can always find reasons to hide and be 'safe' but now it's time to find reasons to put ourselves out there and enjoy life and be happy.

I'm so proud of myself for how far I've come 💪

Social media....

Who uses it and loves it? 💙

Who knows they should use it but doesn't do it enough? 💜

Show us the right heard in the comments.

Are you 💙or 💜?

Hopefully in your business you have a financial goal.

Something to aim for.

Something that makes you smile but also it's a little bit scary.

But... you also need to make sure you have an idea of how to get there and a reasonable timescale.

Saying you'll earn £50k next month when you are only on £10pm now could be setting yourself up to fail.

And even though you won't have thought 'actually, it was a little unrealistic, so let's go for £2k in a month instead.'

You'll automatically go to 'that's it, I'm rubbish, I failed, I knew I couldn't do it....'

And that's it.... confidence, self belief, and mindset GONE!!

So... set those financial goals.. short and long term but, back them up with a plan.

And remember... plans change and sometimes we don't each our goal.

The key is kindness, to ourselves, along with the genuine belief in the goal we are setting.

Don't set a goal because it sounds impressive, set a goal because you truly want it and know you can achieve it!

Have you set financial goals in your business? I'm not asking you to share them, just if you've set them?

Be honest and tell me...

When was the last time you increased your prices?

This post is for you if you've ever apologised for yours prices!

I used to do it all the time when I started as a Nail tech.

I'd tell my client the price and then I'd follow up with....

'Is that okay?'

I honestly look back now and can safely say that was confidence levels were low in my ability as a Nail tech. And, what I was really saying was...

'I know, I know, it's alot of money'

(It most definitely wasn't though!)

But ultimately, I was asking their permission for me to charge them.

And, I know I'm not alone in this.

I hear business owners apologising for their prices all the time or desperately trying to justify their prices....

'I know it's a bit expensive but.....'
'Maybe I can give you a discount...'
'Sorry its so much...'

But remember, when you are apologising for your prices or trying so hard to explain the charge, you are putting doubt in people's heads and they'll end up questioning even if they didn't before!

Your price is not to apologise for!!

So from now on...

Say it.
Then stop talking.

Let the potential client or customer decide if its right for them.

Your confidence in pricing won't come when you charge more and more sometimes, it just grows when you say the price and stop.

Have you ever or do you now, apologise or over explain your pricing?

As always... no judgement.

Another question...

What would you charge if fear wasn't making the decision?

And I don't mean what you think people will pay or what some people may believe your products or services are worth...

I mean.. what's the figure that you'd charge if those nasty voices in your head weren't sticking their oar in?

Write that number down and put it where you will see it daily!

I have no doubt that number will be uncomfortable to write at first and maybe even uncomfortable to see....

But...

The more you see it, the more comfortable you become with it.

Remember... we don't build confidence overnight... its built when we repeat actions or have repeated exposure to things that currently feel scary.

For now.. Start getting comfortable with the number the reflects where you'd like to confidence to catch up to 💪

A very important question for all you self employed folks or business owners...

Can you, hand on heart, say that you absolutely charge your worth?

No judgment either way - pricing can be a really scary part of running your own business.

In the comments....

Give me a 😁 for 100% charging your worth.
Give me a 😳 if you know you should perhaps charge more.

It's Friday which, for many parents, is the last day of the school year for their kids.

It can also be a scary time for newer small business owners because they need to juggle between child care and keeping their business afloat.

Who is feeling a bit anxious about it?

And, if you've been there, done that... what advise would you give to those who are feeling that way now?