I have a top 10 list of fears, and clogging a toilet at someone else’s house is solidly ranked at #4. Not even kidding. I will do anything to avoid this scenario. Early exits from dinner parties, secret trips to hotel lobby bathrooms, 50-flush strategies that would make water conservationists cringe. My avoidance techniques are borderline magical.
But then it happened.
In the early years of my marriage, at my brother-in-law’s house, I faced my nightmare. There I was, staring into the bathroom mirror thinking, Well, this is my life now. I’ll just live here. Maybe redecorate.
And then came the dreaded walk of shame.
“Um… do you have a plunger I could borrow?“
I wanted the floor to swallow me. I was sure this would go down in family history. “Remember when Chris clogged the toilet?”
But you know what happened?
He handed me the plunger. I fixed the problem. Life went on.
Nobody died. Nobody judged me. The world kept spinning.
Turns out, I survived.
Why Do We Fear Business Failure So Much?
And you will too.
Whether it’s your first quiz funnel that flops, a launch that falls flat, or a post that gets crickets. Whether someone says no to your offer or your email gets ignored.
You’ll survive.
All those elaborate perfectionist strategies you’re using right now to avoid failing? They won’t matter when the fear actually happens. Because business, like bathrooms, has its awkward moments. And most of them pass a lot faster than you think.
You can spend months perfecting your quiz questions, tweaking every funnel step, obsessing over what might go wrong.
But at some point, you have to flush. (Sorry, had to.)
The Key to Overcoming Fear of Starting a Business
Business fears feel enormous in your head. Like they’ll wreck everything.
But when they actually happen? They’re just a normal Tuesday.
That failed launch? A data point.
Those crickets? Insight into your audience.
That “no”? A redirection to your right people.
The plunger conversation was awkward for 30 seconds. Then it was over.
Business “failures” feel devastating until you realize they’re just part of the process.
What Are You Avoiding Right Now in Your Business?
- Starting your quiz because it’s not perfect?
- Promoting your offer because rejection stings?
- Showing up on video because you might stumble?
- Emailing your list because you don’t know what to say?
How Do You Push Through Business Fear?
The truth is, you don’t need to eliminate the fear to take action.
You just need to act despite it.
The most successful women I know aren’t fearless.
They’re courage-full.
They feel the fear and do it anyway.
They launch imperfect products that they improve later.
They send emails that don’t convert perfectly.
They try new strategies that sometimes fail.
They ask for help when they need it.
And they survive.
Every single time.
