While fears will vary from person to person and situation to situation, they must all be addressed and overcome if success is to be achieved in any area. For business owners and entrepreneurs, this is especially true in five areas.

1. The Fear Of Rejection

Whether you are talking about an award winning screenplay or an innovative tech gadget, every person who has ever created a product, envisioned a service, or had an idea has had to overcome the fear of rejection. Why? Simply put, it is because not everyone is as smart as you are. Not everyone that you pitch your idea to, let read your manuscript, or present your business plan to is going to see the potential. In many cases, it may just be because it isn’t what they are looking for. In other cases, they might just be too much of a dumb ass to see a good thing when it comes along. Regardless, though, being able to overcome a thousand “no’s” to get to the successful “yes” is key. If you believe in what you are doing, keep doing it until you find that someone else who believes in it too.

2. The Fear Of Financial Decisions

Money talks, right? And for many entrepreneurs and up and coming business owners, it seems that there is never enough money in the coffers to get your voice heard. Even those who have managed to get funding for their start-up company or product launch often find that keeping a business afloat until it takes off can be much more expensive than they originally thought. Because of this, many just don’t even try to be successful. They let the fear of making financial decisions hold them back from even trying. While the complexities of managing the money can definitely be stressful, it is a necessary evil that must be dealt with. Oddly enough, though, being able to overcome your fear of making the wrong financial decisions when you are a small business is really just a training camp for being able to make the right choices with money on a large scale.

3. The Fear Of Expansion

There is a quite common misconception in the world of entrepreneurship that expansion is on everybody’s to do list. While it is probably true that most people who start their own business hope to one day be able to move from their garage or basement to a more conventional business locale, the truth is that expansion scares the shit out of a lot of people. In many ways, the thought of expanding or branching out with your business is almost as terrifying as starting the business to begin with. People are afraid to move from a “known” thing to anything “unknown”, no matter how great it looks on paper. Additionally, many business owners are afraid to expand for fear that they will lose some of their control. Because many small businesses and start-up companies were literally created from the ground up by a core group of people, letting newcomers into the group is a bit like letting your teenager take the car out on their own…scary. But to be successful, you cannot let this fear paralyze your business. New ideas, product offerings, and expansions will always have some kinks to work out, but without freshness and innovation, even the greatest of starts and successes will disappear from the map without a trace.

4. The Fear Of Leadership

While the thought of being a leader often is surrounded with glamorous sentiments, for many people it can also be quite daunting. As a leader, you are responsible for those under you and for the outcome of decisions that you make. There is sometimes no one else to turn to when you face a challenge, no additional upline to direct a problem to, and the decisions that a leader makes will generally be those that matter. Leadership, if truly defined, would include a lot of hard work, the carrying of more stress than other positions, and a responsibility to the company and those which work there. Despite all of these things, though, leadership is also a privilege and a position that allows for immense impact on the organization. Truly great leaders are the ones who conquer their fear of making a mistake and dive head first into the shit pile with one thing on their mind… do their best and make a difference.

5. The Fear Of Success

Who the hell would be afraid of success? Well, believe it or not, the fear is real. As people begin to finally see the light of day at the end of their proverbial tunnel, the imagination begins to play out scenarios that can be quite intimidating. These include thoughts that a person will “change” when they become successful, that they will taste success but not be happy or satisfied as they dream, or that they will just barely tap into the height of successful living and then have it taken away from them. In short, any major success changes the game, and game changes are often difficult to swallow… no matter how great they appear. The key, though, is to overcome and not let outrageous “what is” scenarios rule your mind. Sure, bad things could happen…but so could great things. Figure it out when you get there… and in the meantime… enjoy the ride.

“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.” ― Lucius Annaeus Seneca