Categories: Podcasts

#119: Overcoming Fear & Anxiety About Your Business

EPISODE #119

Overcoming Fear & Anxiety About Your Business

Guest: Kathryn Langsford

Owner of Photos by Kathryn
Vancouver, Canada
photosbykathryn.com

DATE: April 25, 2024

As we wrap up another incredible season of The ReWork podcast, I want to send you off for the summer with a little dose of inspiration to keep you motivated and empowered. Today, we’re joined by a ReWork favorite guest, Kathryn Langsford, a seasoned portrait photographer and entrepreneur who’s here to share her advice on overcoming fear and anxiety about your business.

We all grapple with fears about our businesses.

It’s unavoidable.

And with the state of the world, it almost feels irresponsible NOT to be fearful. However, operating from a place of fear has never and will never serve you in a positive way.

There are actionable practices that can help prevent anxiety about our business from sending us into a self-defeating spiral.

In this discussion, Kathryn and I discuss how to get out of your own way and put practical actions in place to move forward—even when we’re super scared. From her almost 25 years of experience in the industry AND just LIFE, Kathryn has learned the importance of self-care, human connection, and taking action, no matter how small, to keep her momentum going.

So as we head into the summer, consider these strategies for managing your own anxiety and navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

The importance of making time for yourself
Ways to identify anxiety and fear and what to do about it
Strategies in moving forward in spite of your fear

Here’s a glance at this episode:

[3:16] – Kathryn has been in business for almost 25 years and ATJ has been in business for almost 20. They’ve been through ups and downs.
[5:40] – Self-care is crucial. Kathryn makes sure that she has a lot of time for herself.
[7:26] – Regularly making time for connections is important.
[8:52] – During periods of extreme stress and even grief, Kathryn went into these phases of prioritizing self-care. Now, she integrates it into her regular living.
[11:58] – The bottom has never fallen out so far. Take that high level fear out of a situation.
[15:44] – Feelings are not facts.
[17:06] – Taking action, even a small action, is forward momentum.
[19:31] – For ATJ, the summer is time to get ready for a busier season. Everyone’s slow times might be different.
[21:30] – Kathryn describes the schedule she maintains every month that has benefitted her wellbeing and her business.
[24:14] – We are the ones in our own way.
[26:14] – For a long time, Kathryn was convinced that successful business owners didn’t take weekends off.
[28:14] – There are many things that we have no control over. It is freeing to know and accept that there are some things we cannot change.
[30:16] – Fear kills so many parts of what we need to have a successful, thriving business.
[31:32] – It is so beneficial to have a friend in the business.
[34:20] – Be careful who you spend your time with. It is really easy to surround yourself with people who will pull you down.
[36:43] – A great way to boost your confidence is to reach for the low-hanging fruit.
[40:13] – If summer is your slow season, make a list of the things you can do to prepare for busier times.