At a glance: Many established business owners aren’t stuck because they lack skill, experience, or opportunity. They’re stuck because they fear their own potential. This post explores how to step into your potential, how confidence and strategy work together, and what it really takes to invest in your next chapter without waiting another decade to do it.
Do you fear your potential?
This past month, I had a number of calls with business owners who have some big hopes and dreams for the next chapter of their lives.
Most of these people were in their 50s, have done okay, but deep down inside, they know they are capable of doing more than they are doing in their business right now.
They are thinking about the next decade and how what they do over the next ten years will directly impact their contribution, impact, and retirement.
Here’s what I have noticed.
They all need the same thing.
To start the next chapter, they need to step into the ring more fully, they need to be louder and prouder about their work, and they need the courage to invest in themselves.
They need to act with confidence.
What got you where you are right now won’t get you to the next level. To do that, you need help. You need to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.
On a practical level, you need someone to help you map out the strategy, someone to encourage you and eliminate doubt when it creeps in, and a team that can help you to execute.
You need to believe in yourself.
The first sale always starts with you. And that is never more true than when it comes to investing in your future.
Investing can be scary, because what if it doesn’t work?
But what if it does? What if it completely changes the trajectory of your business and the contribution and impact you’re capable of having?
If this resonates with you, and you, too, are thinking about your future, here are three things you can do:
- Remind yourself of the hard things you’ve accomplished over the last ten years. You have what it takes to do more hard things.
- Find someone who believes in your potential and can help you build the plan. When you have clarity of vision, aligned with your purpose and values, you generate the energy you need to get out of your comfort zone.
- Ask yourself who you want to become. People have said to me, “You’ve changed,” at different stages of my professional journey, as if it’s a bad thing. You’re meant to change. Who are you becoming next? Connect with that person and your future potential and stop fearing it.
Remember when you were a kid and you wanted to be a ______?
You didn’t let fear of your potential creep in then. Don’t let it creep in now.
Be decisive. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll be able to make a difference.
And if I can help, hit reply and let me know. I love doing in-person, full-day strategy sessions to help people with this, and I also offer a 90-minute Action Accelerator if you are looking for a way to dip your toe in the pond of your future.
What you don’t want to do is stay complacent. Life is too short for you to play small.
A LIVE 5-MONTH COHORT WITH LISA LARTER · STARTS AUG 4, 2026