Sue Clement is a Business Strategist who helps entrepreneurs expand their visibility, increase their impact and profitably scale from six to seven figures.
When I started my first business, an employment agency, I struggled greatly. I was hanging on by my fingernails when the dreaded phone call came.
“Sue, your rent is ninety days late. If you miss your payment on Monday, the Sheriff will padlock your business doors.”
I was instantly thrown into “deer in the headlights” panic mode. Fear stuck deep, and then shame rolled in. What would I tell my employees and clients?
That was nearly thirty years ago. I’m relieved to say that after numerous sleepless nights, I got better at running my business and turned it around. In nine years, I grew the revenues to 5.2 million dollars and then sold the company.
I’m often asked how I went from the brink of bankruptcy to creating a profitable, thriving business. The biggest shift came quite unexpectedly. Driving to my office, swaddled in fear of failure and shame, like a lightning bolt of inspiration, the thought “I am not my business” boomed loud in my head. In that moment, I untangled my identity from the business, releasing myself from the potential failure. Yes, my business may fail, but I wasn’t going down with it. This simple thought broke me free from the confines of fear. I became bolder, took more risks, and gained the confidence to sell to bigger companies and projects. Almost overnight, I was transformed into a self-confident businesswoman on a mission. And it worked.
After selling my company, I started Business Coaching. For the past twenty years, I’ve helped struggling entrepreneurs transform into successful CEOs with profitable businesses. I’ve found at the heart of success, or failure, is fear. Fear is a sneaky devil, often cloaking itself as doubt, procrastination, perfectionism, confusion, or shiny penny syndrome. And I’ve experienced them all! Success comes from the ability to call fear out, to stop playing small, and to be brave enough to go all in. Ultimately the best antidote is action, no matter how tiny. Having the tenacity, commitment, and mental toughness to fall in love with the process and do the work is key.
Remember, no matter what life throws your way, you are stronger than you think and more resilient than you believe.
Connect with Sue:
Website: https://sueclement.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howtogetclients
