10 Smart Tips on How To Improve Your Confidence!

how-to-be-more-confident

how-to-be-more-confident

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the Create & Cultivate conference hosted in San Francisco.

I’ve never been to anything like this conference, but I couldn’t wait to soak in the energy, talent and creativity of 1300 plus women who are turning their passions into careers.

For one of the panels, 5 top content creators and influencers shared their tips for building a business based on their personality – which is pretty much what most bloggers and content creators are trying to do.

Between these 5 women, they have a combined follower count in the millions.

MILLIONS.

They seem like the perfect people to give the rest of us tips on how to cultivate confidence.

How To Be More Confident in Business:

If you’re putting yourself or your content out there on the web and/or social media, there can be a lot of fear associated with that vulnerability.

Plus, no one is immune to the pangs of Imposter Syndrome.

So, how exactly can you be more confident – in yourself, your work, your social media – when facing the unknown reaction of the public?

Here are the 10 golden nuggets I gleaned from 6 incredible women in business:

1. Don’t look at your competitors.

I was surprised to hear this advice – especially since so many will tell you to keep an eye on the competition so you can use things like the “skyscraper method” to get ahead or to not repeat what’s already being done.

In this case, though, looking at your competitors constantly will do a number on your confidence.

You’ll get insecure, slow your roll, maybe even change directions from your original ideas, all things that can derail you from following your intuition.

2. Confidence starts with you.

This idea came up over and over. Confidence starts with you.

Don’t expect other people to make you confident.

If your confidence is in the hands of Instagram algorithms or fickle likes and page views, your confidence will rise and fall with the tides. This instability will only cost you in stride and momentum.

Know your worth, stay focused on your own path, and forge ahead.

3. Embrace the chaos.

The higher you climb, the stronger the breeze.

We recently bought a home that is higher up on a hill than we have ever lived. Every rainy, windy, or stormy day, I am astounded at how loud it is. I have never in my life heard wind howl like it will through our patio. It can even be scary and hard to sleep through.

The same goes in business. The higher you go, the stronger the winds, and sometimes, that means the scarier it will be to keep going.

Embrace the chaos, allow that energy to create momentum. Allow it to drive you, rather than derail you. Work with it, not against it.

4. Have a clear plan.

This may sound simple, but the advice was to go deeper. This isn’t your typical to-do list.

Have  a very clear, micro plan of what you want to accomplish and stay true to it.

That means, what are your specific goals?

Then, what systems do you need in place to be able to reach those goals?

Is there a task you find yourself repeating over and over? It’s time to automate that task somehow or consider outsourcing it.

Consider every detail of your brand – from the fonts you use to the color palette.

Then, if something comes your way – you will be able to quickly assess if it does or doesn’t fit your business plan.

5. Don’t give up.

We’ve all heard this one, too, but when it comes to content creation and the influencer world, it’s more true than ever.

I wrote down the quote:

“Everyone is going to try; the ones that don’t give up will actually succeed.”

Deep, right?

So, don’t look at all the other influencers and get insecure. Go into content creation KNOWING that EVERYONE is going to try. Even people better looking and more talented than you.

But, the only ones who will actually SUCCEED are the ones that don’t give up.

how-to-be-more-confident

6. Stay in your lane.

One thing that came up in multiple panels was the idea of staying focused on your own goals and becoming an expert at those things.

There will be a lot of opportunities and ideas that come up as you continue moving forward and up.

Only choose those that you can really be the best at. Stay in your lane. Don’t try to be everything to everybody all the time. Don’t take on every brand deal.

Focus on the partnerships, collaborations, topics, and activities that are true to your brand, your style, and will build your business.

7. Follow momentum.

Whatever is working – do more of that.

Whatever you are naturally good at – do more of that.

Whatever you are passionate about – do more of that.

8. Hire people with great attitudes.

There comes a time in every business when you need to outsource or bring in people to scale your business.

Whether you use freelancers (such as myself) or hire staff, you will need to be able to read between the lines of their resume and really assess if someone is a good fit for your business.

The advice here was excellent: hire people with good attitudes.

There will be hard days. There will be tough times for your business. Hire people you want to see everyday – good or bad.

And then, in the wise words of Planoly founder, Brandy Pham, “Be slow to hire and quick to fire.”

9. Be honest and transparent.

If you’re hiring someone, be extremely honest on what the job hours really are and the types of client interactions they will have.

If you are working with a brand, be clear on what you will deliver, what you need to do your best work, and other particulars that you don’t want to surprise them with later.

If you are negotiating a deal and they push back on your price, be clear about why you charge what you do.

People appreciate honesty and transparency and it will only help build your brand’s reputation over time.

10. Act on intuition.

You know that gut feeling you get when you have a really great idea?

Then, that sinking feeling when your next door neighbor just doesn’t get it?

Keep moving.

Act on your intuition.

Sometimes, I’ll have an idea for a blog post. I’ll do some keyword research and all signs will point to a big fat zero return on that investment. Every metric will scream at me that if I write that blog post on that topic, it will fail.

But, if that gut reaction is strong enough – I write it anyway.

Those are always my most well-received posts.

When it comes to posting on social media, designing content, making decisions for your brand, or working with a client, take time to get that gut instinct and then go with it.

how-to-be-more-confident

The Influencer Panel:

It was such a treat to be in a room with so many boss babes.

These 10 tips on confidence from top influencers was really motivating for me and I hope they are for you, too.

Here are the 5 panelists who inspired this post. Check them out on Instagram!

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I hope you loved this boss babe fueled post.

I’ll be sharing more lessons learned from this conference in upcoming posts.

With keynote speakers like Giuliana Rancic, Jenna Dewan and Kourtney Kardashian – there was a ton of great information shared that I think you’ll love.

Get out there and slay it, boss babe.

You got this.

Have a fabulous day,

E

how-to-be-more-confident

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2 Comments

  1. Amanda
    September 23, 2019 / 12:44 pm

    I love tHis!!!

    THANK you

    • Erica
      Author
      September 23, 2019 / 1:01 pm

      Yay, I’m so glad you liked it! I think we can all use a confidence boost and could learn a thing or two (or twenty) from major boss babes. Thanks for reading!

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