Overcoming Fear & Showing Up Confidently in Your Business

Does the fear of showing up online keep you stuck? Whether it’s going live, posting on Instagram, or worrying about trolls, fear of visibility holds so many entrepreneurs back. In this solo episode of Penny for Your Shots, I’m breaking down why this happens and how to push through it so you can grow your business with confidence!

✨ What You’ll Learn:
✅ Why our brains resist visibility—and how to overcome it.
✅ The truth about trolls (and why they don’t matter).
✅ How to simplify your social media strategy without being online all day.
✅ Why trying to please everyone leads to frustration—and what to do instead.

Episode Index:
⏱️ [00:02:10] The fear of being seen—why it happens & how to break free.
⏱️ [00:07:45] Social media struggles: How to stay visible without feeling overwhelmed.
⏱️ [00:14:20] The truth about trolls: Why their opinions don’t define your success.
⏱️ [00:21:00] Focusing on your ideal audience instead of trying to please everyone.
⏱️ [00:28:35] Final thoughts: Small steps to boost your confidence today.

🎧 Listen now and take the first step toward showing up confidently in your business!

👉 Need more support? Check out my coaching programs: https://www.pennyforyourshots.com/coaching 

#EntrepreneurMindset #WomenInBusiness #Visibility #Confidence #SocialMediaGrowth #Podcast #FemaleEntrepreneurs

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Penny Fitzgerald: Hello, I've begun teaching my next round of serving superstars, and I'm doing a bit of coaching for female entrepreneurs. I'm hearing some common themes and struggles and wanted to share them. when we realize we're not alone in some of the things we encounter, it gives us a little strength, right?

[00:00:56] And it would be fantastic if I can help more of you out there. What I'm hearing from many of my people is resistance around being seen. It sneaks up in different forms. Some don't like a particular platform. They might be comfortable on Facebook, but hate Instagram. Or they're okay doing posts, but not reels.

[00:01:15] Or they're fine with posting about products or services, but don't want to show anything about themselves. Most absolutely hate, or at the very least, get the willies about going live. Some will create and record a video and then re record it multiple times until it's perfect before posting it. Sometimes they record it and then never post it because it wasn't perfect enough.

[00:01:38] Does that sound familiar? Some are afraid of being out there because of a genuine concern for the safety of their kids, or their family, or themselves. Most don't like the idea of being a target for the trolls.

[00:01:52] Many of my students say, I don't know what to come up with and post about every day. How do I come up with all that content? And I feel like I'm on social media all day long. I don't have time for all that. All of this, it's really our ego. It's not about vanity. It's our brains trying to keep us safe.

[00:02:10] When we do something new, it's uncomfortable by definition. It's out of our comfort zone. Our brain signals a warning. "Danger, Will Robinson", and that's okay when we're being chased by aliens or when we're in an actual emergency or dangerous situation where we need to be vigilant about our surroundings.

[00:02:29] But as entrepreneurs and really as humans. We're actually trying to grow, to become better leaders and better people. We're trying to serve more people, have a greater impact, or to grow our business. And then when we do the thing that makes us stretch a bit, it just feels weird because we haven't done it before, or we haven't done it in this way before.

[00:02:52] Our brain says, Whoa, there Nellie, we're not going live. We're not doing that. Not today. What if some yayhoo sees it and makes a nasty comment? We might even think, I don't know what to say, or I don't like the way that sounded, or I'll just throw in this little laundry first, I'll get to it later, or another day.

[00:03:15] Does that sound familiar? When we wait for another day, Or don't ever get around to it. We stay safe and that keeps us small. We don't grow into who we are meant to become. We don't serve our people. We don't reach our goals and we don't have a greater impact on this world. Let me address a couple of the fears head on and give you some practical advice.

[00:03:40] And thank you for listening, by the way, even though you didn't ask for it. Worrying about what to post or coming up with tons of content. Those are things that I teach in my classes. And I'd be happy to help you with that too. If that's something that you struggle with. It's also not about being on every platform.

[00:03:57] It's not about jumping on the latest trend or adding the newest platform to your list of places to post. Don't get hung up on trying to be everywhere. It's way more important to determine where are my people hanging out? What's their love language and where do they go when they want to find out what it is that you do?

[00:04:15] Where do they buy the products or kind of find the services like yours? Where do they chat with their friends? Look for two to three platforms where your ideal clients hang out. And that's where you want to be, by the way, if you're thinking, but I don't know where that is, I can help you figure that out too.

[00:04:33] If you feel stuck, just go with your gut. That's something and any action is better than staying stuck and taking no action. So you're going to choose two to three platforms, not just to sell your stuff, but to make real connections, to meet new friends. To provide value to people about the things that you have expertise in.

[00:04:53] To become known as the gal to go to when your people need you and want what you have. The other piece of that is to be visible on those two to three platforms. Even if it means learning how to do something new, like a reel. And by the way, that's not hard. I'm happy to show you some trips, some tricks and tips on making that easier too.

[00:05:14] And even if it means going live and getting uncomfortable. That's part of being visible too. There are tools and systems that allow us to be more efficient. We can automate a lot of the tasks and schedule the posts, and I can show you how to use these tools and spend less time on social media. Another fear I'd like to address is the one about the trolls.

[00:05:34] You know, they're out there. They're probably living in their mom's basement. I bet they would love one 10th of the courage that you have to try to do what you're doing. They're just projecting onto you what they're not willing to do themselves. So they poo poo it, or they try and poo poo you and they stay super duper tiny and sad with their secret desire to be more and become something that they and their mom can be proud of.

[00:06:01] It's really sad when you think about it. And what about those other people? The ones that may judge you for what you do, like your cousin or your high school teammates or the neighbor down the road. Well, you're not going to please everybody. Back in the day, when my traveling vineyard team was at or near its largest, we were the best team ever, and we had so much support for each other.

[00:06:24] My leaders and I worked together to grow. We collaborated on many things that benefited everyone. However, I tried to lead by committee. I wanted everyone to be happy. So I asked if there were things that I should or could change for our team. I learned several valuable lessons from this. One, many of the people who respond to surveys and questions, the squeaky wheels, just like to squeak.

[00:06:50] Everyone wants to feel seen and heard, and there are ways to listen and to see other people without implementing their ideas. And probably the biggest lesson learned was that in a team situation, what one person likes, another person will not. And you will not please everyone. Look at the data for information, consult with people.

[00:07:11] If you think it will be beneficial, but be a leader and choose based on all the info and the choice needs to be aligned with your life and your values for sure. Don't make choices based on someone else's opinion about your business. They're not where you are. You are the leader of your business.

[00:07:29] Especially it's a solopreneurship. Is that a word? It is now. Anywho, you've heard it before. And if you haven't felt it firsthand, let me tell you again, and a little louder for the people in the back. If you try to please everyone, you'll please no one. And you'll be very sad. So what's the best thing you can do?

[00:07:54] Live your best life. What makes you happy? What do you love about your career? How do you serve? Who do you serve? What makes you light up when you serve them? Let that be your guiding light. If you need help with any of this or support in taking more steps towards your older, wiser self, I'd be honored to support you.

[00:08:15] Reach out or check out my website for more ways to work together. And if you should encounter any trolls, go ahead and block them. Cheers, my friend!