You’re staring at your laptop, watching the online orders pile in from your website when suddenly imposter syndrome creeps in.

But you just launched your brand new jewelry line and people are loving it! You’re looking at the back end of your website, watching the online orders trickle in and customers adding more to their shopping bags. Your heart feels warm with all the love you’re receiving from this new product launch.

But then that little voice pops into your brain and whispers “you don’t deserve this.”

You plug your ears and think to yourself, “Yes I do, I worked really hard on this.” But that little whisper keeps saying “your jewelry isn’t good enough, people will hate it when they get it.”

You squeeze your eyes shut because the voice is all too powerful and feels true. That, my friends, is called Imposter Syndrome…or so we’ve been taught to believe.

Imposter Syndrome – What is it?

We all know that voice – the little whisper that tells us that we aren’t good enough. It tells us that the work we put in isn’t enough.

Imposter Syndrome often bleeds into various aspects of life, particularly within the small business community where a pervasive sense of inadequacy often arises due to our smaller scale.

However, this blog post doesn’t aim to simply encourage you to “cheer up” and dismiss the impact of imposter syndrome.  Instead, I want to shift your perspective. Consider this: perhaps what we’ve perceived as imposter syndrome is, in reality, a product of what society has ingrained in us all along.

Let’s dive into the origins of this term. Historically, within corporate America, many women have struggled with a pervasive sense of inadequacy, which was later coined as “imposter syndrome.” Over many years, women who have demonstrated strength and resilience have faced persistent micro-aggressions, often manifesting as stereotypes. Women in corporate settings were relegated to roles like secretaries, supporting male leaders, or confined to tasks revolving around decoration and organization. Even in contemporary sports, the perception persists that women aren’t the strongest or most captivating athletes. It’s no wonder that women began to feel less than worthy.

Feeling Unworthy as Business Owners

As small business owners, our experiences often don’t look like the typical office culture. Most of us operate from an in-home office, tethered to our laptops. Yet, despite this, we still have persistent feelings associated with imposter syndrome. These feelings often surface during our daily scroll on social media. We see other creators in our niche crafting stunning projects or witnessing online coaches who have superior technology to cater to their clients.

While our work setting might look a little different than the conventional office space, we continue to feel the sentiments of imposter syndrome. With the never-ending amount of information the world wide web provides us, we feel inadequate. However, it’s important to note that these feelings aren’t solely your burden to bear. These sentiments trace back to an era when women were undervalued in office environments. The longstanding inequities experienced by women in the workforce laid the groundwork for the emergence of “imposter syndrome.”

Thus, rather than acknowledging the systemic disparities, we have been led to believe that our feelings are self-imposted – a mere case of “Imposter Syndrome.”

In fact, the term slaps a big fat band-aid over the extensive history of women being unfairly treated in the workplace. Now, with the new age of social media, professions such as influencing and running a small business often aren’t treated like real jobs. Unfortunately, these roles, which are often occupied by women, lack consideration and recognition. 

Think of this example: how many times has a family member asked “how’s your little business going?” … I rest my case. 

So what are we really feeling?

Imposter syndrome leads us to believe our feelings of insufficiency are solely due to our personal shortcomings, neglecting the true reasons behind these emotions. Rather than exploring the systemic roots that cause these sentiments, we tend to internalize them and fault ourselves for our lack of resilience. 

So if it’s not imposter syndrome, what is it? It’s the ingrained systemic messages perpetuating the belief that women inherently fall short. However, instead of scrutinizing the system, we internalize and blame ourselves for the anxiety we experience. 

How can we move past these feelings of inadequacy that has been coined as imposter syndrome?

First off, write down a list of your accomplishments – big and small. For example, let’s say you reached your goal of 100K followers on Instagram, but are starting to feel like you don’t deserve it. Make a list of your day-to-day accomplishments that contribute to your follower count:

1. I posted a static grid post today and 5 story posts.
2. I engaged with 10 accounts within my warm market.
3. I posted 5 Reels this month, which resulted in 100 new followers.

Suddenly your accomplishments don’t feel so out of the blue – you now have written proof of how you got to where you are today.

Now, I’m not saying that imposter syndrome doesn’t exist at all. Many of us, men and women, can experience a great work & small business environment and still let our anxiety get the best of us.

Your imposter syndrome is valid

This leads me to my second tip for moving past feelings of inadequacy: understand the historical content behind your very valid emotions. Recognize that women experiencing a genuine sense of not feeling ‘good enough’ often stems from historical sexism and ingrained stereotypes. We are in unique positions as small business owners because most of us are our own bosses. Despite this, we still feel sentiments of imposter syndrome.

As an industry that is primarily women, we are often not taken seriously.  So, the next time that persistent voice whispers that you’re not enough, don’t automatically label it as imposter syndrome. 

Instead, delve deeper into the roots and reasons behind these feelings. Compile a list of your accomplishments to serve as a powerful reminder of the journey that led you to your current goal. 

Did you like this blog post? Send me a DM on Instagram at @5to9socials and share your thoughts!