Can I take this all the way, by myself?
I had a coaching call today with a couple of The Boyes Club members. We were almost at the end of our call when one of them shared something that stopped me in my tracks. She said she wasn’t sure if she was the right person to take her business all the way.
She believes in her product. She believes in the concept. But when it comes to herself, she wasn’t so sure.
She talked about how she isn’t good with numbers, doesn’t understand analytics, and avoids whole areas of her business because she doesn’t feel capable. She admitted that sometimes she wishes she had a business partner who could handle the things she struggles with. And I felt every word of it - because I’ve been there too.
Two years ago, I went into business with a friend. I’d worked for myself as a marketing contractor in the past, but after having my children, and taking a decent break from work to raise them (then going through a separation), I felt completely daunted by the idea of being self-employed again. I thought I’d lost my edge, lost my mojo. I didn’t feel relevant anymore. I didn’t feel good enough to go out on my own.
The only thing I was really lacking was confidence.
So I stayed in my job.
When this friend of mine - who was already out there freelancing - said she was looking to partner with someone, it felt like the perfect opportunity. Honestly, it would’ve taken me a few more years to build up the courage to go it alone. Partnering up just felt safer, less vulnerable.
We worked together for a year. A lot of things didn’t run as smoothly as they could have. But I hung onto the partnership because she handled the numbers, the paperwork, the admin - the stuff I had convinced myself I couldn’t do.
I told everyone I was the “ideas” person. A dreamer. A creative. Not a business mind. Not someone who gets stuck into the nitty-gritty. So I avoided it. I believed I wasn’t capable.
But as time went on, I realised I wasn’t happy with how the business was being run. I wasn’t happy with the decisions being made or the fact that I wasn’t steering the ship. I was in the passenger seat of what was supposed to be my own business.
Eventually, I came to the decision to go out on my own because the alternative was untenable. And it was terrifying.
I had gaslit myself into thinking I couldn’t send an invoice, manage tax, or write contracts - because it allowed me to justify having a business partner. But once I was solo, I had no choice. Because when it’s your business and there’s no one else to do it, you have to figure it out.
For the first year, I kept it all very surface level. I stayed in my comfort zone, took on more retainer clients, picked up content creation work, but I wasn’t really growing the business. I was playing it safe. I didn’t see myself as a ‘real’ business owner. It was just how I paid the bills. I never imagined it would become something bigger, with employees or serious revenue. It was just simmering.
That’s where I see a lot of my coaching clients too - at that simmering stage. The business is running, but it’s stagnant. Even if things look okay on the surface, there’s no growth, no movement. But we’ll come back to that.
Eventually, I hit a ceiling. I couldn’t take on any more clients. I had no more hours left in the day, and that was as far as I could go without changing something. So I took a tiny, terrifying baby step toward growth by taking on ongoing marketing coaching clients.
And that’s the thing - growth is scary. Betting on yourself is scary. Believing in yourself is scary.
But I did it in a way that felt manageable for me. I dabbled outside of my comfort zone. Even then, I wasn’t really tracking my numbers, I wasn’t setting goals, and I certainly wasn’t holding myself accountable. I was just hustling and hoping.
And that’s another place I often find women with small businesses: hustling and hoping. No targets, no accountability, just putting in effort and hoping for the best.
It’s why so many people feel they need a partner - or at least, make the excuse that they’d be doing better if they had a partner (guilty!). Someone to crack the whip, to look over their shoulder, to grow alongside them. But the truth is, for many of us, bringing on a partner doesn’t make sense. It’s not always necessary.
What is necessary? Accountability.
When I started The Boyes Club, it was because I knew how isolating being in business alone can be. You’re toiling away in your own little silo with no one to cheer you on, no one to bounce ideas off, no one to guide or support you. I wanted to meet women in small business, right there, in that pain point. To offer something that makes you feel less alone.
But more than that, I’ve realized that support also needs structure. It’s easy to set goals. It’s a whole other thing to track them, to hold yourself accountable to them, and to own it when you fall short.
What truly changed the way I saw my business was setting goals, and holding myself accountable to them.
When I started setting achievable goals - and actually hitting them - everything changed. My trajectory shifted. I started to believe I was capable, because I had evidence. Real proof. Maybe I was actually the perfect person to take this all the way.
And you don’t need to aim for the stars right away. I’m the first person to tell you to set a goal, then halve it. Then halve it again - at least to start out with. But if it’s achievable and you follow through and nail it? That’s the most powerful thing you can do for your confidence. Because once you prove to yourself that you can do it, the next step feels less scary. And then the next. And the next.
Setting those goals helped me see my business as legitimate. It helped me see myself as legitimate. It doesn’t mean the limiting beliefs are gone. I still have to wake up and choose to believe in myself every day. But now, I know I have something to anchor myself to - those goals, that accountability.
And that’s exactly what I want for the women in The Boyes Club. To not just believe in their ideas, but to believe in themselves as the person who can take it all the way.
Because you, my friend, are the perfect person for the job.
I’ve decided to add a new layer of structured accountability for Boyes Club members after this chat (that’s the cool part about running this biz on my own, I can evolve it whenever I like to meet members where they’re at!) - and will be rolling out monthly report meeting sessions and a goal setting framework for all members.
You can join the club now, with 25% off the first month, using the code: TRYITOUT. New members in April will also receive a one-page digital business audit, valued at $225! You can find out more about The Boyes Club here.