What holds you back as an entrepreneur? Let’s find that out through this Mastermind Monday with our guest Emily Harman!

BE SELF-AWARE

As business owners, we all do a lot of things, but you should also take a break for some time. Don’t just push, push, and push. You should also realize the things that you need to do to strengthen your self-awareness. 

Consider that the best leaders are self-aware. They understand themselves and they assess the things that hold them back. And with that, they know what are the things needed for the growth of their business, as well as themselves. 

“I’ve spent the past almost two years… becoming a lot more self-aware, and understanding myself. And, you know, we’re always growing, we’re always expanding, we’re always evolving into a new version of ourselves.”

POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE AND YOU2

Positive Intelligence is a book and a coaching program that makes an assessment of what your top 10 saboteurs are. 

If you visit the website, it will tell you about your saboteurs and identify which you are stronger and weaker at. 

For instance, in Emily Harman’s case, she is an achiever, people pleaser, and restless. 

Knowing this is pretty important because by knowing your saboteurs, you can make changes on how you do things. Your hyper achiever self might push you to do more work, but what you really need is rest.

Besides, this can also be helpful in a team setting because by knowing what yours and others saboteurs are, you can make necessary changes on how you can deal with each other. 

Meanwhile, another book that you should also read is called You2 by Price Pritchett.

In this book, the author talks about watching a fly that is trying harder and harder to fly through the window, when really a few flaps of the wing down, the door is open.

That example can relate to how you run your company. You might have not accepted a handful of business partnerships thinking that they will just take advantage of you, when in fact they just want to help you grow. 

So, if you want to reassess how you do your business, read the resources above as these really answer the question, “Are you really seeing the other way to do it or are you just acting on your limiting beliefs?” 

ADVICE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

1. Know your ‘why.’

Knowing yourself and your ‘why’ is important, especially in this lucrative but challenging marketplace of government contracting. 

Are you just here to get rich quick or are you building generational wealth? 

If you’re thinking of the former, then it’s going to be very hard for you to lead a company in the long haul. However, if you think of the latter, then you can adjust your mindset and strategy to really achieve your goals. 

“Knowing yourself, and knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and knowing what your mind is telling you, and being aware of whether or not you’re listening to your mind is all really important stuff.”

2. Be with people who point out the truth.

Be with people who won’t just say ‘yes’ to everything you do and ask. These people should be able to point out the truth and the things that you did wrong. 

This is pretty important because you’re building a business. You don’t need people who always say yes. Rather, you need people who will tell you things that could have been done better. 

This way, you know what not to do next and what you should focus on. 

RESOURCES

If you want to learn more about what is holding you back as an entrepreneur, then check our full Mastermind Monday video with Emily Harman.

You can also visit the GovCon Giant website or the new GovCon Edu where you learn everything about government contracting!

What could hold you back as an entrepreneur?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DcxuHQF6Gg