ANNOUNCING: The Candid Confidence Project
b'It doesn\\u2019t matter how long you\\u2019ve been in business\\u2026\\n\\n\\n\\nAny entrepreneur can suffer a crisis of confidence.\\n\\n\\n\\nLate last year, I felt woefully unprepared and underskilled for the task I had in front of me. I felt like I had been faced with setback after setback, with defeat after defeat.\\n\\n\\n\\nI\\u2019d spent 2 years trying to build what I saw as the answer to a huge, painful problem for small business owners. And I just couldn\\u2019t seem to get traction.\\n\\n\\n\\nI believed in the idea, the people, the systems, and the plan more than ever but I lost confidence in my ability to execute it.\\n\\n\\n\\nI was able to keep up a brave face for a long time\\u2026\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2026but in early November, I collapsed in tears.\\n\\n\\n\\nMy faith was gone and, without it, I didn\\u2019t know how to solve the problems in front of me.\\n\\n\\n\\nIt was finally at that point that I reached out to my crew. I came clean. I got really honest. And I laid it all out for them.\\n\\n\\n\\nFor me, getting honest was the path forward.\\n\\n\\n\\nYes, my supporters comforted me, gave me new ideas, and asked tough questions. But I had to get really, really honest first.\\n\\n\\n\\nWithout getting honest about how low I was, I couldn\\u2019t have accepted their support. I couldn\\u2019t have taken different actions. I couldn\\u2019t have made the big decisions I needed to make.\\n\\n\\n\\nAs you know, honesty, transparency, and candor are very important to me.\\n\\n\\n\\nIt\\u2019s our goal here at What Works to create a safe space to get real about the ups and downs, ins and outs of small business ownership.\\n\\n\\n\\nHonesty creates a space for us to examine what\\u2019s really going on and what we can do about. Honesty helps us identify the real challenges beneath the logistical obstacles we wrestle with on a daily basis.\\n\\n\\n\\nHonesty levels the playing field.\\n\\n\\n\\nHonesty helps you see that your challenges and my challenges aren\\u2019t so different after all\\u2014even if they present in different ways.\\n\\n\\n\\nIt\\u2019s time for us all to get open and honest about confidence.\\n\\n\\n\\nWe decided that this August, we want to tackle a candid conversation about confidence in a\\xa0big\\xa0way.\\n\\n\\n\\nAnd so, we created The Candid Confidence Project.\\n\\n\\n\\nWe know you have big goals for the rest of this year. There are numbers you want to hit, things you want to create, and relationships you want to nurture. And, we know those goals can often make you question your ability and readiness.\\n\\n\\n\\nThe Candid Confidence Project is designed to guide you through examining your own stories about confidence, how you handle insecurity, and how you find the drive to level up.\\n\\n\\n\\nHere\\u2019s what\\u2019s coming:\\n\\n\\n\\n* Here on the podcast, we\\u2019ll be sharing a new candid conversation about confidence every Tuesday and Thursday in August, kicking off on August 1st with my own reflections on confusing status with confidence.* We\\u2019ll also be sharing written stories from successful small business owners every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.* Plus, we\\u2019ll be hosting a public conversation about confidence each weekday in August on our Instagram account, @explorewhatworks.\\n\\n\\n\\nThe Candid Confidence Project is not about the leap to get started\\u2026\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2026it\\u2019s about finding the confidence to continue, to change your plan, and to do hard things.'