WHEREVER asks Holly Matthews author of ‘Find Your Confidence: The No-Nonsense Guide To Self-Belief’ – is being successful a case of “smile and fake it ‘till you make it”?

Starting a business takes more than just a good idea – it takes the confidence to put yourself out there and take risks. Once you find your confidence, however, you’ll find you make decisions with conviction, move through obstacles, and stand tall when things get tough.

Of course, it’s not that confident people never feel fear – of course they do – but when they do, they’ve developed tools to support themselves and over time they build trust that they will ‘find a way’.

Having worked with entrepreneurs for the last 10 years the confidence ‘dips’ and fears I see come up frequently are:

• Fear of taking the leap
• Fear of public speaking
• Fear of networking

The good news though is that being confident is available to all of us, it’s not a ‘some people are born with it’ kind of situation and you can learn, grow and develop your confidence at any point.

Taking the Leap

Start before you feel ready: Confidence comes through action, not before it. Waiting until you feel 100% confident will only delay your success. Take the first imperfect step and watch as each small action builds your confidence over time.

Surround yourself with cheerleaders: Surround yourself with people who believe in you and your vision. A network of like-minded entrepreneurs, mentors, or friends can bolster your self-belief and encourage you to keep going.

‘Fake it ‘till you make it’ gets a bad rep in my opinion. As an actress most of my life I have learnt to ‘pretend’ as a tool and it has opened many doors for me. As long as we work on building our true inner self belief alongside the ‘pretend’, we most definitely won’t be ‘faking it’ for long.

Networking

Shift the focus: Instead of worrying about how others perceive you, focus on them. Ask questions when meeting new people, listen, and show genuine interest in their stories. This not only takes the pressure off you but makes you more memorable. Have a purpose (or mission if you want to feel more James Bond): When you enter a networking event with a clear goal in mind, you feel more grounded and confident. Whether it’s to meet three new people, learn about a particular industry, or find potential clients, having a purpose keeps you focused and less anxious.

“Confidence isn’t just a nice bonus – it’s the game-changer that separates dreamers from doers.”

Practice makes perfect: Like anything, confidence in networking comes with practice. The more you put yourself out there, the easier it becomes. Don’t be afraid to practice ‘fake’ conversations before putting yourself in new environments either. Each new experience will build your networking confidence.

Public Speaking

‘What you say creates the way’: Stop telling yourself you aren’t a good speaker; ‘I’m just not good at public speaking’, ‘I just know I’m going to forget all my words’, ‘other people are just naturally good at speaking’ are all sentences that can be popped in the bin because we are affirming what we don’t want. Change to ‘I’m excited to share my story’ or ‘every time I speak in public I build my confidence’.
Play ‘wing it’: An actor game that you can play with a friend. Choose three objects and talk about them for two minutes. This teaches your brain that even if you don’t have all the answers, you can find some words and it helps to build your brain’s trust that you can.

Let go of perfection: The most interesting speakers will make ‘mistakes’, and stumble over their words. There’s something endearing and human about our fumbles, so give yourself permission to be ‘flawed and fabulous’.

Confidence isn’t just a nice bonus – it’s the game-changer that separates dreamers from doers. It’s what turns your ideas into action, your setbacks into comebacks, and networking into real connections.