First, congratulations on your great business idea. We all need a place to start, and you have found it.
The most important thing to understand is that all the things you need to overcome shyness are skills that we can acquire or learn. Many of these skills are available for purchase or can be attained for free. Others we can learn to do ourselves or hire others to what they do best. Millions of self-help books have been written and are readily available.
As an example, public speaking is a skill we can learn, or we can hire a pitch person to sell our idea (product/service.) You can become a member of Toastmasters (www.toastmasters.org) to learn to be our own pitch person. Other ways to promote our business are to hire a Public Relations Company, a sales team, or purchase print media. Also the Internet is a great tool for selling our business ideas when you have a defined result that is measurable and manageable. Many shy people are finding the Internet to be a great place to market their ideas.
You can hire someone to create a website, or you can learn to create your own using an Internet template. Be sure that you will be able to access the target market for your idea. Do your efforts allow your target market to see your idea quickly and easily? What is your offer to get them to buy? Building this model is key to your success in selling.
To build self-esteem is a key to overcoming shyness. It is important to understand why we are here. This can be the deepest part of your being, your soul, and your faith. Whatever your belief system, something, someone, somewhere, somehow you got this great idea. This idea is meant to be shared. Often when an idea like yours comes along it becomes a challenge to get it to the market place because we are shy and afraid. We are challenged to grow and that is a good thing!
Fear or being afraid can manifest itself in many ways. Fear of failure. Fear of success. (Do I deserve to be successful?) Much like jumping from a perfectly good airplane for the 'thrill of sky diving,' the same can be said for overcoming our fears of moving our ideas forward when starting a business. We need to take that leap of faith to leave our secure area of expertise and dip our toes in the waters of potential success. The difference with our business is we can try and fail while living to tell the tale.
Know that you will fail. You will dust yourself off and do something different. Doing something different is the first key to success. It is also the first sign that you are measuring and managing your business. Continuing to do the same things over and over again looking for different results is the first step towards insanity. Knowing that you failed is a good thing. We all do it. Failure should be encouraged as long as we understand that success is as close as the next attempt. One way to succeed sooner than later is to work with others who have had success in business. Look to people in similar fields to ask for advice.
Fear can also come from being in a space of discomfort. Earlier we spoke of public speaking. Interacting with peers in a social environment can challenge some new business owners. It can be helpful to take control of your thoughts in cases like this. Being able to imagine yourself in calm settings can help a new business owner leap over hurdles that could create fear. One business owner was terrified to speak in front of peers in the business community. When I suggested that she imagine herself in her most comfortable place, she was able to deliver an eloquent presentation without signs of nervousness or fear.
Shyness can cripple, much like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. The good news is we can choose to remain shy, or we can reach out to learn the skills needed to overcome our shyness. Once we decide to overcome our shyness we can learn the skills necessary to bring our ideas to the business community and reap the rewards of success.