How Fear Can Sabotage Your Business Success

The Rationality of Fear

Imagine discovering a new truth today that challenges your deeply held beliefs, values, and attitudes. This new idea could necessitate changes in your lifestyle, habits, attitudes, and values. For many, the prospect of such changes is too terrifying to contemplate. Consequently, they avoid learning and any activities that might introduce new ideas, preferring to remain set in their ways and resistant to change.

The Necessity of Learning for Success

Whether offline or online, a business must continue to grow or risk stagnation and eventual demise. Growth and learning are inextricably linked; without new ideas to explore and implement, there can be no growth. Many new business owners, particularly on the web, tend to focus on maintaining their business rather than growing it. While this approach may generate some income, it does not lead to growth.

Fear as a Barrier to Growth

Consider a scenario where testing on your website reveals that a navigation bar at the top of your page is more effective than one in the left column. This change doubles page views and increases sales. However, you've always believed that a navigation bar on the left is the best approach. How do you respond to this new information? Some people might ignore it for various reasons:

• They don't want to modify all pages on their site and deal with the uncertainty of the impact on the overall site.
• They refuse to change their convictions, which can be a painful process.
• If something as fundamental as this to a website has been proven "wrong," it leads to questioning other aspects of their site and business.

The fear and uncertainty that arise from this questioning can be overwhelming, leading some to avoid reevaluating other elements of their site and business.

The Consequence of Stagnation

In the above scenario, the prudent move would be to shift from your long-held belief of a left navigation bar and place it at the top. The risk involved is minimal, and if a major issue arises, you can easily revert to the previous layout. Refusing to make this change leads to stagnation and eventual decline.

Overcoming Fear is Easier Said Than Done

Business owners may fear change more than others because they have more at stake. Their livelihoods, homes, and lifestyles could be at risk if they make a mistake. The adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is often used to justify resistance to change. While this may be true in some cases, it's not universally applicable. Change involves risk, but without it, there can be no growth.

Harnessing Fear for Growth

Fear should serve as a cautionary tool, but curiosity and creativity should take precedence. These powerful tools can generate new ideas. Exploring and implementing these ideas is essential for growth. Without this mindset, growth is impossible.