Here’s How You Boost Confidence As A Sole Trader

You aren’t alone if you struggle with self-confidence. Even the greatest leaders experience that little niggling moment of self-doubt. As a sole trader, you might find yourself under even more pressure to present a confident persona to the world, for the sake of your business and your clients. Here’s how you can boost confidence as a sole trader.

Let Your Actions Speak

It’s often actions that make the biggest impact on your clients, rather than what you say or how you say it. Take confidence in your abilities by following through on projects you know you can deliver. You won’t need to invest too much time in speaking the loudest if you are letting your actions paint you in the best light. Your business should be you playing to your strengths, so focus on doing what you do best rather than listing the things you could do better.

Learn from History’s Great Leaders

Focus on the stories you admire about great leaders throughout history. Try not to be overawed by their big gestures, and instead focus on the little stories that the history books might gloss over. Leaders like Mayor LaGuardia made their historical impact through actions like paying for a woman’s loaf of bread, showing compassion and gravitas. Through looking at these small gestures, we can see how we can make the biggest impact on clients through improving our daily interactions.

Be Prepared

There’s always a certain amount of anxiety associated with delivering a project or speaking to a client when you’re not exactly sure what you’re doing. Increase confidence by blocking off time to research and make a plan of action. If you find you’re bogged down in admin and don’t have time, it might be worth looking at ways to identify your goals and create more time for yourself.

Dress To Impress

Even if you’re sitting in your home office and don’t see another living soul, you’ll feel far more powerful when you’re dressed to impress. Make sure you take time to mentally prepare yourself for the day ahead by putting your ‘powerful self’ on when you wake up in the morning. Think of someone you’ve always considered confident, and try to mimic them in their stances too. 

Have a Life Outside Work

You are more than the hours you put in. No matter how much money you earn, who’s going to be there at the end of the day if you’re out before 6 and back in the twilight hours? Build-in time with the people you care about to do the things you enjoy. Take up a hobby, or go on holiday. You’ll find you have far more interesting things to talk about and are a happier and more outgoing person as a result.

You can be confident in your abilities without being the loudest person in a room. More importantly, every sole trader experiences a strong sense of impostor syndrome. Try to avoid comparing yourself to others and you’ll find your confidence growing in yourself and your business.