How to Stop Imposter Syndrome as an Online Entrepreneur

You have heard the stats that the online education industry is projected to be over 375 BILLION by 2026. 

You see other people crushing it online and living out their dreams. 

You know if they can do it, you can too too… but that darn internal nagging voice keeps popping in your head telling you all the reasons why you should be doubting it is possible for you. 

One day you are on top of the world - petal to the metal and feeling like you can do this.  

Then the next day or week (or hour) that dang inner critic creeps into your mind and reminds you of all your inner fears - and before you know it you are doubting your ability to really make your dreams come true. 

If this sounds familiar you are not alone and you are most likely struggling with Imposters Syndrome. 

This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.

What is Imposter Syndrome?  

What is Imposters Syndrome? Well the simple definition - is your inner critic and your subconscious mind convincing you that you are not ‘worthy enough’, good enough and deserving enough to be successful in your business. 

Imposter syndrome are those moments when you truly question why anyone would want to learn from you? Listen to you?  Or buy something from you. 

Imposter Syndrome is when you doubt your abilities, your accomplishments and your talents and feel like a ‘fraud’ and constantly doubting yourself.  

Imposter Syndrome is a HUGE reason why businesses fail. 

As I have ventured on my entrepreneurial journey - I know ALL too well this inner critic called Imposter Syndrome. And the thing is Imposter Syndrome doesn’t hit me in my entrepreneurial journey it also hits me in my motherhood journey, my marital journey and pretty much on any new adventure I go on. 

Imposter Syndrome takes up so much valuable energy - yet it is something SOOOO MANY online Entrepreneurs and Creators struggle with. 

The sooner you learn how to manage your imposter syndrome the sooner you will see massive success in your business. 

Top three Imposter Syndrome Beliefs

Forbes recently published an article speaking to the top three Imposter Syndrome online Entrepreneurs and Course Creators face. They are:

1. There are way more qualified people out there than me, why would anyone listen to me? 
2. Would someone actually pay me money to teach them something?
3. What if I get judged or they do not like my content? 

I have thought all of these thoughts MULTIPLE times. Multiple, multiple multiple times. 

And throughout my journey - both professionally as a Social Worker, as an online Entrepreneur and as an avid self help student, I recommended starting with the 5 steps below to go that layer deeper into getting over your imposter syndrome for good. 

Not only will you find more success and wealth in your business, but you will also find more happiness, joy and presence in your life. 

5 Steps to Stop Imposter Syndrome and Silence your Inner Critic

Step One: Become aware of your beliefs and negative self talk

First you have to understand that everything you say to yourself in your mind is based on beliefs that you hold about yourself in your subconscious identity. 

As individuals we all grew up and were indoctrinated to be and act a certain way. We learned these beliefs from our families, relatives, friends, TV, school, religion and social media. 

Did you know that Neuroscience tells us that up to the age of 8 or 9 years old we are continually ‘downloading’ information in our our brains - just absorbing things from the people around us and the environments we were raised in. After 9 years old, our beliefs about the world are deeply ingrained in our subconscious minds. Just like you learned how to walk, run, ride a bike or drive, these skills which once were foreign to you, simply became a subconscious habit, ingrained in our subconscious mind. 

This is the same with your beliefs and perceptions about yourself and the world around you. Deep - I know. But by understanding these beliefs you have are made up and that you can CONSCIOUSLY CHOOSE to change them, to reprogram them, to make new ones, you are going to sta in the perpetual cycle of ‘being stuck; or not where you want to be in your life. 

Step 2: Be the scientist of your thoughts

Now that you have ‘called out your beliefs’ and you are aware of the ones you keep having over and over again… now you have to start calling them out and asking yourself where they may have come from so you can start debunking them. 

When I was a kid I went to a catholic school. A few times a year we went to ‘confession’ where we sat in a confessional booth and told the Priest our sins.  I so vividly remember when it was my turn to go next I told the teacher I did not think I had any sins and that I could not really think of anything “bad” that I did. At that point she said to me, “Lora… EVERYONE sins, there has to be something you did bad.” As a 7 year old kid… I remember thinking of  “bad” stuff I must have done…. well I guess I was a little mean to my big sister when I told her to stop calling me names….I guess cried the other day when I lost at baseball….I guess didn’t want to hug my Uncle who kind of smelled and made me uncomfortable….and BAM in that moment my brain perceived that I was ‘bad’ for doing normal kid things, for expressing emotions, for setting boundaries with people I was not comfortable with, for standing up for myself.  

This is just a personal example to give you an idea of where beliefs may stem from. For me, this belief of being ‘bad’ is something I have had to work on to reprogram when I do stand up for myself, when I do express emotions and when I do set healthy  boundaries. The thing is...I am no longer that child who was told I was a ‘sinner’ and ‘bad’. I no longer have to hold onto those beliefs that were pushed upon me. I can choose to let these indoctrinated beliefs go. 

Once I shone a light on this significant belief that was imprinted in my subconscious mind when I was small, I was able to take the power away from the belief and begin to reprogram it with other beliefs. How? Keep reading…  

Step 3: Consciously decide to stop buying into the beliefs

Okay now that you know the belief you have playing on repeat, you have a general idea of where it may have stemmed from (there may be many, the key is to not get stuck on this, but rather acknowledge it as just part of your story), then you have to consciously choose to stop believing it. Say it out loud. Write it down. I CHOOSE to no longer believe this thought. I am no longer that child, I create my own beliefs and live by my values. 

Once you give your subconscious mind this command you can begin to move forward. 

Step 4: Start Creating New Beliefs

In order to let go of the beliefs that are no longer serving you, you must begin to re-frame and create new beliefs. This is going to look different for everyone… but some ideas to start with are:

• Take time to journal around the thought and belief - self-reflection is one of the most powerful tools in your self development toolkit. 
• Find evidence against your belief - has there been a time in your life where this belief was not true? Is there someone you look up to who does not hold this belief? 
• Invest in therapy if it is bringing up a lot for you and you need professional help to sort through it. 
• Incorporate practical strategies like affirmations, mantras, visualizations, manifesting. 
• Learn how to Re-Frame your Beliefs.  This helps you to shift into a growth-mindset, challenge your beliefs and go that layer deeper.  Need some guidance on how to do this? Check out your Free Workbook to help you learn how to re-frame your self limiting beliefs below!  

Step 5: Keep At it

The last and final step is - to keep at it. It took decades to build these beliefs - although it will not take decades to reprogram them (if you commit yourself to this), it still does take some time and conscious effort on your part to be intentional about being aware of them and beginning to choose different thoughts. 

If imposter syndrome is keeping you down then I encourage you to download my free worksheet to help you reframe those negative beliefs. It is a great starting point in learning how to catch yourself and reframe your imposter syndrome when it pops up. 

Bonus tip for Online Entrepreneurs and Creators to Overcome Imposter Syndrome

The inner work mentioned above takes time. Incorporating a positive mindset into your business and working on your internal self is a never ending life skill. 

This is something you can do in conjunction with starting your business! Another way to build up your confidence and stop the imposter syndrome is investing in products that build your confidence not break it. As a new Course Creator or online entrepreneur the online world can feel overwhelming AF. On top of busting through your imposter syndrome you have to learn the ins and outs of websites, social media platforms, and all that techy stuff. 

Before I started my business I was so uncertain how the heck I would figure out all this online stuff I almost gave up…. However when I invested in ALL-IN-ONE tools it made my life soo much easier and gave me the confidence to keep pushing forward. 

If you are not techy, do not want a MILLION programs on your to do list and want to actually spend your time creating and doing the inner work, versus doing all the tech stuff, then I highly recommend the following three programs to get up and running. 

This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.

1. Kajabi - Kajabi is where I host my website. I am so un-techy it is not funny. Before running my business I despised anything to do with thinking of coding, websites or anything online. When I tried to start a wordpress blog, I also gave up just trying to understand all the widgets, add ons, plugins, or whatever they are called that I almost quit. Then I was introduced to Kajabi. Que the angels singing. An all-in-one platform to host my course, payments, my blog, my membership - pretty much everything. And the support - second to none. They are such a supportive community and an AMAZING place to host EVERYTHING you need for your online business.  They even host a 28 day challenge to help you make your first $1000 online. Click HERE for your special 28 free day offer to try it out and see if it is a fit for you! 

2. Pinterest - Pinterest is my #1 source for all traffic and sales and it is FREE. People you NEED to get on Pinterest. Pinterest is like Google for people who are looking for inspiration and ready to spend. Did you know Pinterest has over 400 MILLION monthly active users? 400 MILLION!!!  With Generation Z, Millennials women and men driving the growth and looking to buy. Pinterest is NOT a social media site it is a SEARCH ENGINE. Do you know how hard it can be to get someone to click off social media sites like Instagram or Facebook? Why? Because those are SOCIAL platforms, people go to watch and mindlessly scroll...they are not usually in active buying mode. Whereas Pinterest they are SEARCHING for something specific. Pinterest is designed to lead customers to your product. Starting out on Pinterest however can be a bit overwhelming if you are a newbie. The GREAT NEWS is though that this platform can be learned easily and with the tools below you can create easily and quickly! I was able to grow my Pinterest audience from 0 to over 700,000 views in 1 month!! Below are the two tools I HIGHLY recommend when starting with Pinterest.

a) Tailwind Plus and Tailwind Create - What the heck is Tailwind? What the heck is Tailwind Create? OMG it is THE tool you need for all your pin creation, scheduling and Pinning needs. Seriously. In order to be on Pinterest you need to make ‘Pin Images’ if you are not a graphic designer and have no idea how to make a graphic - let alone a “pin’ sign up for Tailwind Plus and Tailwind Create. This tool has saved me hours upon hours of creating images and content and has driven thousands of visitors to my site, my email list and my other social media platforms. Start your FREE trial today - No Credit Card Required! 

b) Canva - Okay Cana is another AMAZING program if you want to make stunning images for any social media platform. While Tailwind focuses more on Pinterest (however it’s Instagram capacity is growing), Canva is another program that you can use for other social media platforms - Things like Insta, FB, Linkedin, websites - pretty much any design you want to make you can make it through Canva. You can also make pins through Canva, but honestly Tailwind Create is such a time saver, I personally prefer Tailwind Create for all things Pinterest and then Canva for everything else. I suggest you try both programs and see which one you prefer. They both have their pros and cons… but are both amazing to have either separately or together. I think they work in beautiful harmony for all my graphic design needs. It makes me look professional, lets me test things out and does not take a lot of time. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP >>

The key to beating Imposter Syndrome is to commit to the inner work as you grow your business while investing in tools that will help make your life a whole lot easier as you navigate the online world. Building confidence internally and externally is the key to running a successful business online. 

I hope these strategies have helped you embark or develop your online dreams. 

Now go crush it! 

Xo