Put yourself out there and do things that scare you
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
It was Sunday evening, my kids were asleep and my wife and I were peacefully enjoying the heavy snowfall from the comfort of our sitting room.
At that moment of peak relaxation, I got a text from my business partner: “flight cancelled, won’t be home for the TV broadcast.”
We were slated to do a promo for our flannel business on the local Fox affiliate the next morning.
Suddenly, the scene from Wayne’s World started playing in my head; where Wayne walks out and Garth has to do the show on his own, saying “I’m having a good time… not.”
I’m just the finance & accounting guy, he’s usually the pitch guy! I’ve given presentations before, both online and in-person, but this was TV.
It reminded me of the first time we borrowed money to buy a company. The sheer size of the price tag and the intensity of the loan documents (hello personal guarantees) were terrifying.
(Don’t get me wrong, the SBA 7(a) program is a wonderful tool, but the personal guarantees can cause sleepless nights on occasion!)
Looking back on that situation (hindsight is 20/20), we wouldn’t be where we are today without that first push of our snowball.
So here’s the point: Do things that scare you. Put yourself out there.
Back to the story…
What I did (and how to respond to fear)
After letting my mind drift to worst case scenarios, I regained a sense of clarity on what to do next.
I did what business owners do: I formed a plan. It’s the best way to defeat those moments of crippling business anxiety. In my case, I listed 5-10 talking points for the TV segment, asked my wife if she’d tag along to model some flannel in place of my partner, rounded up as much flannel shirts, pants, blankets, and accessories I could find, and practiced a few talking points.
Preparation is the antidote for panic.
- Make a big list – all the facts, everything that could go wrong, actions you could take, etc. – get it all down on paper
- Find your desired outcome – what does “good” look like
- Start lining up the actions you could take to counteract those “what could go wrong” outcomes
- Practice (if the situation allows for it) – a “dry run” is powerful
So what happened?
We nailed it. The show went well, no stumbles or awkward moments (at least I think). You can judge for yourself:
Everyone (business owner or otherwise) can benefit from taking the occasional “leap of faith” risk. Think of them as reps; each time you put yourself out there, you get a little better at it the next time around.
Here’s to a successful 2025 and an even brighter 2026.