Click here if you would rather listen to this article.
[audio:https://kendall.audioacrobat.com/download/b71855ec-90b9-7c99-c702-b7bf475da691.mp3]
There’s no question about it: if you’re running a business (or thinking of starting your entrepreneurial venture) then debt is likely something that’s on your mind.
I’m always shocked when financial experts like Suzie Orman advise that you save a year or more of expenses before starting your business. If I — and the hundreds of women I’ve coached to be successful in business — followed that strategy, we wouldn’t HAVE any businesses!
Businesses are traditionally started and grown on loans, and your entrepreneurial venture is no exception. And this can be a positive reason to create debt.
Whether you’ve borrowed money from a family member or from your savings accounts or you’ve used your credit cards to fund the startup and growth phases of your business, a growing business needs working capital. When I first started my business I relied on money from the sale of my house to cover my bills while I learned how to market my services.
Surprisingly, there are many reasons why it can make sense to create debt for your business. But for most women, debt stirs up feelings of guilt or failure, which can chip away at your confidence in making choices about where and when to invest in growing your business.
What’s important to remember is that debt, like money, is just another mirror of how much you believe in YOU.
The main point is not whether or not you have debt, but how you handle it. Here are some of my top tips for handling debt with confidence and clarity:
Tip #1 – Begin By Forgiving Yourself
In almost every case, debt was created for reasons that felt right and necessary to you at the time. Rather than blaming yourself, be honest about what your reasons were, the underlying emotions that were influencing those reasons and what you were trying to achieve with your purchases. And then let it go.
Next, rather than wasting time agonizing over the past, put your focus on taking action and begin reducing the debt. Every time we make choices from this empowered place, we strengthen our heart and spirit to continue taking positive, proactive steps forward.
Tip #2 – Have a Debt Power Payoff Plan
If you want to be debt-free with confidence, you need to stop pretending it doesn’t exist and instead, tackle it directly. This will help you feel in control and puts you in the driver’s seat of your finances. From here you can make informed, conscious choices about money and investing in your business because you’re able to see the entire picture.
And if you decide to take on new debt, start early on with a plan for repayment.
For example, if you’re borrowing to invest in a training course or in mentoring, I recommend applying a portion of the new income you’ll be making towards paying back the amount borrowed.
Viewed in this way, creating debt is an investment in YOU and in your business. Using this strategy you’ll be able to quickly pay off the amount borrowed, making it a wise and valuable investment that will pay you back in increased income for years to come.
Tip #3 – Don’t Shy Away From Creating Appropriate Debt
This is the time to trust yourself and be willing to keep moving toward your dreams.
Freezing with fear about creating debt is a mindset that will start to creep into other areas of your life and business. Being stuck is not a place from which much gets accomplished, including actions that will bring in money.
You’ll feel more confident in your financial decisions if you’re willing to use your intuition. This is a Divine Feminine gift we all have (women and men) and you simply need to begin tuning in and trusting it to support you in how you grow your business.
Remember that you must invest in yourself and your business if you want to grow!
There’s no value in resisting, ignoring or panicking over debt as you’ll find it creates a similar pattern that will appear elsewhere in your life.
Instead, focus on investing in smart ways to help grow your business. From this new and empowered position with money you’ll quickly find yourself generating the kind of income you’ve dreamed of!
