Every day I talk to people who want new results in their business. And many of them are looking for that “magic bullet” – the beautiful new business card or website or business-building strategy – something external to them that will magically create the business they want.

But here’s the thing – none of those things will work if you haven’t started with the needed foundation – YOU and how you are showing up in your business. And that requires one very healthy foundation of self-esteem!

So let’s take a look at 5 signs that your self-esteem is actually hurting your business success.

Sign #1: You have clients you don’t enjoy working with. Ok, so it’s true that when most of us start a business, anyone with a pulse and a wallet will do, right? But once you’ve gotten beyond that first 6 months or so in business, taking on clients you don’t enjoy becomes a real problem. And you wouldn’t be doing this if you thought enough of yourself to send such clients to someone else!

Sign #2: People you want as clients aren’t buying from you. Since you’re one of my readers, you’re probably interested in selling higher-end products and services. The thing about selling high end is that you have to show high value in your sales conversations. And that requires asking tough questions and taking the risk that people might get triggered. If your self-esteem is lacking, you will not take that risk.

Sign #3: You allow your clients to run the show. This can look like anything from them telling you what hours you “have to” meet with them, to not making payments on time, to them trying to control the way you work with them. In extreme cases, you start to feel a lot like you did when you were working a job – only now it’s your clients who control your every move! This is a boundaries issue, and boundary issues are almost always caused by low self-esteem. It’s been interesting in my own journey to see that the more work I do on myself, the more I keep healthy boundaries with my clients. Because, believe me, they will challenge you on this!

Sign #4: You’ll do almost anything to be liked. This one can look like keeping your fees low, ridiculously over-delivering, choosing “being nice” over holding your clients accountable, or even “backing down” when a client gets triggered and tries to blame you. And this has many causes, since many of us (especially women!) were raised to “play nice.” Unless you consciously change this, it’s very easy to get to the point of valuing being liked over almost anything else, including effectively fulfilling our big vision! If you have self-esteem issues, this one can really hold you back.

Sign #5: You blame anything or anyone. This one goes to the heart of business success, or any success for that matter!Until you step into full responsibility for every thought, feeling, and result in your life you are staking your claim in powerlessness. Because if you believe other people can “make” you feel a certain way, or think a certain way, or that others are responsible for your results, the solution to your problems always lies outside of you. And outside of your control. If you’re not feeling good about yourself to begin with, blaming others can become a very destructive habit.

If you see yourself in any of the 5 signs above, may be time to work on you. Until you have the self-esteem needed to grow a successful business, business growth will be a constant struggle.

Stay tuned as I’ll be sharing additional solutions for each of these 5 issues in my next article!

Is your self-esteem costing you money in your business every day? Apply here for a Multiply Your Income & Impact call with Debbie!

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