Quiet confidence in small businesses

Confidence comes up more than almost anything else in the work we do.

Not in-your-face, full of bravado or bold claims (there are plenty of podcasts full of this 😉) but in the quiet moments, like the client who asks “will anyone actually care about what we have to say?”. We’ve heard every single version of “fake it ‘til you make it” and we’ve even said it ourselves on those days where imposter syndrome creeps in.

Confidence, we reckon, is simply the assurance that comes from knowing your value.

It’s trusting your instincts and saying yes, or no, when the easier thing would be to go with the status quo. It’s showing up for your business with the same energy on a Tuesday in November as you do when you’ve just landed a brilliant client.

That confidence doesn’t need to be said out loud, but it’s said nonetheless by showing up in the way you work:

Confident businesses say no to the wrong clients

Not because they’re waiting for something better, but because they know the wrong fit costs everyone in terms of time, energy and goodwill, and detracts from the work they can do for the right ones.

Confident businesses price what they’re worth

They don’t charge what they think people will accept, or simply to get a foot in the door. Value costing is being upfront, quoting and invoicing for what the work is worth, delivered by people with genuine expertise.

Confident businesses don’t apologise for who they are

Their marketing sounds distinctively like them, not a diluted corporate version that, quite frankly, could belong to anyone else in the same industry. They know what makes them stand out and they say it.

Confident businesses show up even when it’s awkward and uncomfortable

They know what they stand for, what they believe in and they share a strong opinion. They’re not afraid to disagree or to ask “a silly question” – and show up consistently, even if it’s to have a difficult conversation.

Confident businesses don’t have all the answers

They make space for honesty, showing the process as well as the result. They say “I don’t know, let me find out” and admit when something didn’t work as planned.

Confidence in small business is built the same way external trust is built – it’s slow and through consistency. The businesses we most admire have a grounded sense of who they are and what they’re here to do, and those are qualities that we look up to.

We’d love to know your thoughts. What does confidence look like to you?

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