Are you Outsourcing your Power in your Business?

You give away your power in your business when you rely on others to tell you what to do.

When you start a business, there’s a lot you don’t know. Especially if you’ve never started a business before, and you have a lot to learn!

Nearly everyone hires a business coach or mentor at the start. And this is a great idea!

Finding an expert to support you in achieving your goals can be extremely helpful, especially if you are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or aren’t sure where to start. 

Hiring an expert to help on it’s own isn’t an issue. It’s a smart decision when you don’t have the skillset, information, or tools to do the job yourself.

But sometimes, a new business owner can become dependent on experts when making key business decisions — to the point where they are outsourcing their own personal power.

What’s wrong with outsourcing your power in your business

If you’re not careful, you might put the expert on a pedestal and start doing everything you’re advised, without question, neglecting to utilize your own intelligence, experience, and intuition.

When you hand over the reins of your business to an expert, you can find yourself in a business that doesn’t feel like yours and feeling totally out of alignment with your true self.

But this doesn’t have to happen. Instead, you ensure that you stay in the driver’s seat of your business and utilize your own intuitive power to make decisions, without outsourcing your power.

Signs you’re giving up your power in your business

You probably have a sense as to whether or not you’re giving up your power, but here are some common signs:

Sign #1: You look outside yourself for answers and run every business decision by someone else.

One thing you need to be comfortable with as a business owner is making decisions, even with little to no information at times. When you find yourself outsourcing each and every decision in your business, that’s a sign you’re giving away your power.

Sign #2: You do absolutely everything an or expert says.

Even if something feels “off” or you vehemently disagree, you go with whatever the expert says. You trust since the expert is successful, that you can be, too, if you just follow their steps exactly. You might even override your own gut feelings in favor of the expert advice.

Sign #3: You assume an expert knows you better than yourself.

Good coaches can do wonderful things for you and your business. But when you assume they know more about you than you know about you, you set yourself up for failure. Your lack of confidence in yourself leaves room for someone else to come in an influence your business without you even realizing what’s happening.

With any of these scenarios, what’s missing is the use and reliance upon your own intuition, intelligence, and experience. You’re discounting what you know about what is right for you and your business and letting someone else call the shots. These are all signs that you’re giving away your power.

The problem with giving away your power

So what’s the big problem with giving away your power? It can result in you losing track of your own thoughts and feelings when it comes to building YOUR business.

Here are some things that can happen when you’re not grounded into your own mission, vision, and values:

You become a shadow of the expert you’re following. Rather than aiming to be the best version of yourself, you’re trying to be the next Marie Forleo or Amy Porterfield (even though you’re vastly different.)

You neglect your own inner power by not utilizing it. Instead of making decisions based on your intelligence, experience, or intuition, you override them.

You stop enjoying your business. You want your business to be a reflection of you and showcase your skills and talents. You won’t shine if you hide behind someone else’s expertise.

A key aspect of learning and growing as a business owner is learning to trust yourself and rely on yourself to make the best decisions. Obviously, if you outsource your decisions, you don’t experience this growth.

How to hire an expert without giving away your power

It’s not that you should never hire anyone for help, or trust them when you do hire them. But don’t stop trusting yourself.

Pay attention. Choose who you hire wisely. Do research, yes, but always run things by your inner guidance system, especially when choosing who to work with.

Know yourself, your strengths, and what skills gaps you need help in filling. This will help ensure that you’re hiring the right type of expert for your needs.

Hire someone with whom you can communicate openly, so stuff doesn’t get shoved under the rug, feelings don’t get hurt, and problems get addressed in real time.

Understand the role of the person you are hiring. Are they advising you on what you should do or are they invested in helping you figure out what is best for you? Own your expertise in your business, even though you are still learning.

How to reclaim your power in your business

If you realize you’ve been outsourcing your power and not stepping up to the plate in your own business, don’t worry, it’s not too late. Here’s how to get back on track:

Remind yourself that you’re the boss. Everyone you know can give you advice, but the buck stops with you. Assume the role of key decision-maker in your business and life.

Pause and take a step back once you get advice. Take a moment to see how it lands, how it feels, and do a gut check before implementing any advice.

Don’t neglect the gut feelings you get of “this feels wrong.” Don’t do something that feels out of alignment or integrity with yourself. Get curious about what feels wrong.

Ask your own intuition and “higher boss” for guidance when you’re unsure. This doesn’t mean you don’t consult anyone else, but make sure you always consult yourself.

Notice and celebrate the decisions that feel right. When you’ve made a boss decision, give yourself credit for it. Running a business is not for the faint of heart and requires your skin is in the game.

You can reclaim your power in an instant, and over time you’ll become even more confident in knowing what’s right for you in your business. You’ll be able to more easily say no to things that don’t fit and say yes to those that do.

Reminder: It’s your business.

When you rely on yourself to be the decision-maker and call the shots in your business, you utilize and strengthen your own confidence and intuition.

When you trust yourself and own your expertise, you make business decisions that are aligned. When you make decisions that are aligned, things flow more smoothly in your business.

When you take ultimate responsibility for your business and you assume the role of CEO, you create a business that looks and feels like you, from the inside out.