EP179: The Power of Big Thinking: Overcoming Fear and Embracing Change with Andrea Liebross

Yeah, so I coach entrepreneurs and I got into this because I worked in a corporate role for a while where I was, according to them, recruiting and hiring and training new. contractors, independent contractors, which really were in a sense, franchise owners. So each of these people that they hired on were starting their own business in a sense. We could get technical, but that's what they were doing. And I stayed with this company for about 10 years. And after 10 years, I had had enough of the corporate whatever. And I left. And then in assessing, like, why did I stay? What did I enjoy about it? Well, what I really enjoyed was helping these business owners get past what I now call the messy middle. So this is where, you know, you've started your business. You got, you probably started this business because you were wanting to do something you loved to do, not necessarily because you wanted to be a business owner. And yep, maybe you're seeing some success, but you're really wanting to get to that next level and it starts to feel and get messy. You don't know how to do it. You start to feel a little guilty too, because maybe it's even going to take more time than you're already putting into this business. And it's that time is going to be taken away from other things. So how do you work through all that? How do you decide where you want to be on the other side? So now what I do is virtually, I work with business owners all over the world, really, to help them get through this piece of the puzzle, to develop a new business plan, because 99% of them don't even have business plans that they look at. And to eventually scale and not just work on growing, but work on scaling.

I started this business in 2018. So it's been a solid six years. I have my own podcast in 2020. It's called She Thinks Big. And then I released a book last year, also called She Thinks Big, that became a bestseller. So things have sort of evolved for me too.

Yep.

Yes. You know, you start to wonder, like, is this even worth it? I mean, maybe I should just go back and work for someone else or nothing's wrong right now. You know, but why does this feel so hard? You know, so that's exactly what I'm talking about.

Very similar. That's exactly what I'm talking about. So you start to kind of question things, how you're doing things. You're questioning that. But then you're also questioning using your own. I call it your three most valuable resources are time, money and energy. So, you know, you're putting all of your time, money and energy into your business. And then the other side of your life starts to suffer a little. And so then you flip flop back to that. And like you said, it's just a vicious cycle.

Yeah, I think that the energy aspect, when you're spending, and I don't want to say too much because that's all relative, right? But when you're spending energy on this, we'll call it the crazy cycle, you get into a place where I call it stuck stress. So when you're in stuck stress, it feels heavy. Right. It feels like you're carrying a big, you know, like you're carrying something on your back all the time. It feels like there's a lot of confusion. What should I be doing differently? Is everything okay? You also can't really access, I say, your genius brain. So you can't make, you can't make sound decisions. You can't come up with new ways of doing things. Thus, you're stuck in this cycle. And the longer you stay in it, the heavier and harder it gets. when people start to get some tools in their toolbox, literally and figuratively, then they can move into what I call progress stress. So like life's stressful, let's face it, right? It's never going to be, you're never going to just be lying, you know, on a float in the middle of the ocean, like for days and not worrying about anything. But so you're always going to have this baseline level of stress. But if it could be progress stress where you can make smart decisions, you can take, you can make moves forward so that that sack that you're carrying becomes a little lighter. You can access all of the resources, energy resources you have to do the right things and not just everything. Life gets a whole lot easier.

Right. There is, I identified in my book, nine common fears of entrepreneurs. You know, fear of success is one of them. So what if I take on this big job and I actually do a great job? What am I going to be able to handle what might come afterwards? But then there's also fear of failure. What if it doesn't go well? What if I actually make a mistake, literally, you know, because in your business, you can you can mess up, right? You can always usually fix things, but you can mess up. What if that happens? So just fear of change in general, whether it's. for the good or the bad, is create stuck stress. So that because then you usually don't do anything, you just stay put.

does. It does. I mean, this is the way we've always done it kind of thinking, or I've never done it that way. So I'm not sure. Okay. Or this. may or may not work, like the doubt piece of it. The fear of those three kind of aspects of change do keep a lot of people stuck. And in the end, they recognize it. Like a lot of people recognize that eventually, but sometimes it's too late. So I'm always of the philosophy, it's like, what's my next best step? Like I always have trying to think, help my clients figure out what's the next best step? What's the next best step? You really shouldn't be standing still. You should always be trying to figure out that next best step.

Yes, that's so true. It's interesting, too, because we've talked about you weren't charging enough. So part of you was like, oh, my gosh, I got to get this going. Like, there's so much opportunity that I'm missing. Then you're like, yeah, but what did I? I already I already missed out. So there's the good with the bad. Right. So I like to say the past. So you were thinking about the past and how why didn't I do this before? Right. The past can be a teacher, but it is not a fortune teller. Okay. It's not a fortune teller. It doesn't have to dictate what happens in the future. And I think, you know, I do a lot of talking about what is big thinking and big thinkers are people who can access the future. You like the guy who is charging enough or even charging more or is the most sought after. person in the, in the area. So who cares what he's charging? So big thinkers can access the future you who is doing all the things and is creating that success they want, and then kind of borrow the energy from the future you to decide what to do today. Right? So if you make decisions all based from the past, but this is the way we've always done it kind of thing. don't want to change anything, then you're really never going to get to that place that you want to be, where that future you is, if we're thinking about future you as a success.

I 100% would agree with it. I think a lot of people too are just like, hey, I'm just trying to get through the day. Like, I can't worry about the future. I can't go talk to future you, man. I'm just trying to get through today. And they're missing out on so much. So one of the ways that I say, how do you find this future you or how do you actually like access it is to really consider all of your thought options. Okay. So just like there's more than one way to, um, hang a picture on a wall, there's more than one way to think about something. So you could going back to the, um, charging enough, you could, your one thought is, oh my gosh, I have been missing out for so long. What's wrong with me. Okay. That's an option. Or you could say, well, I'm glad I figured this out today because I got years ahead of me. So like two different, same, same situation we're talking about, two totally different ways of thinking about it. So you've got to get really good at accessing all of these, what I call thought options. Cause you know, like it's 95 degrees out. You could think, oh my, I'm so happy. It's warm. I mean, I hate those snowy days. They're tough to work in. Or you can think, damn, this is hot. Like, I don't want to be out here. Or you could think this is perfect. Like, so you get all the options there. Which one are you going to choose? Like, it's like, which, which tool are you going to take out of the toolbox? Which one are you going to choose? That's going to help you decide how to move forward.

this sucks. Right, right. Your brain automatically goes to what it's used to. Because your brain, it's like its job is to protect you. Its job is to, it's three jobs actually. How can I make this easy? I want to stay comfortable and let's be efficient. Okay. So if you're someone who's used to thinking like 95 degrees is a super duper hot, I don't want to be out there. Then that's what you're used to. That's where your comfort level is. Right. You're kind of like, that's the way I think about things. So, Hey, so you though. Those three things, it's called, they're called the motivational triad if we want it to get all like sciencey. You know, our brains were developed like caveman era. And so caveman era, all they were trying to do was to stay safe, make things easy and efficient and comfortable. Like we're not living in that era anymore. We don't have to, we don't have to think that way anymore. So I always like to say, hey, thanks so much for reminding me that 95 is really hot. However, I'm going to think about this. in a way that's like works for me, not against me, because at least I can be outside and it's not, you know,20 below. So you've got to kind of decide, like, how do I want to approach this? And even though your brain goes on default, you're better than that now. Like you're beyond that. So you're going to kind of have to remind that you have to remind yourself of that.

totally does. I mean, it's thinking big. You have to be able to embrace what I call the unknown. So I say there's five kind of common principles of thinking big and they roll out of the acronym of trust. So T is that thought options. We just talked about thought options. R, you have to identify what's the real problem. So big thinkers can identify what the real problem is. And 99% of the time, the real problem isn't really a problem. It's just a negative feeling that you don't want to feel. Okay. So you don't want to have the hard conversation with someone to tell them that your prices are increasing. Okay. Like there's no problem there, except that you don't want to feel that uncomfortableness. Right. Because what's the worst thing that they say? Like, no, sorry, I don't want to work with you. Okay. But there's someone else that does. Like, and is that you're going to feel shitty for a day because you quote unquote lost that opportunity, but you're going to find another opportunity. Okay. So the real problem is really just a negative feeling. Big thinkers know that. The U in trust stands for embrace the unknown or embrace uncertainty. So this kind of goes back to like, you don't really know what's going to happen tomorrow, or you don't really know what's going to happen when you tell them that your price has increased. You can hypothesize, but you honestly don't know. And you've got to be okay with not knowing, right? You've got to be okay with that sort of uncertainty, that uneasiness, that uncomfortableness. If you're going to grow or think bigger or scale or whatever, you've got to be okay with that. So that's what the U stands for in trust. And I think a lot of people, this is where they... A lot of small business owners, this is really the crux of it because you got into what you're doing because you're comfortable doing it. So you know you have the skills to build a house or you know you have the skills to renovate or whatever it is. That's the comfy part. The uncomfortable part is this business part where no one really taught you how to do this. So the embracing the unknown or the uncertainty. is where a lot of entrepreneurs kind of fall off the tracks. Like they can't do it. I don't know what you think about that, but.

is. So you have to kind of recognize too that it is all just emotion. And we like, we know how to do emotions like we're humans. Like we got it down. So the U is embrace uncertainty. S in trust stands for secure support. So how. or what is supporting you in your own growth. So yes, you could have a team of people and they're supporting you in one way, but who's supporting you as the business owner brain, right? That's a whole other level of support. And then the last T in trust stands for take action. So what I mean by that is like listening to a podcast, reading a book, asking a million people, like those are all ways that you're kind of gathering information. And you're taking action in an information gathering way, but that's really passive action. It's just like you're in the knowledge phase. You've got to take massive action. You actually then have to go do something different. You have to change probably something if we're talking about growth. So moving or shifting from just passive action to massive action, that's the last or one of the... One of the things that big thinkers do, that's what that last T in trust stands for.

know. I can tell you got your, you're busy over there.

It's true, isn't it? It's totally true.

Right. See, but you had created this whole like story in your head, right? Of what was going to happen. And it was all about you like being ready for it. so that you didn't feel that crushed or you didn't feel, you know, defeated. And then? Yeah.

Right. It was that easy. Isn't that

There's no real problem. It's just the, you know, the real problem. If there was one with that, they would be like, nope, I don't want to meet or I can't meet or see you later. Right. Like that's, that's it. There's nothing like, I always say like, what's the worst thing that can happen?

So that's like, goes back to the thought options, right? Are you giving equal airtime to both possibilities? Like your brain is going to the, I don't know, you know, they're going to say no to this trip charge, but are you giving equal airtime to like, Oh, okay, whatever. They don't even comment. Right. It's just next. Yeah. Yeah.

Yes. And usually the whole reason that they would object to say, no, I don't want to. like, no, I don't think I'm going to move forward with coaching is the whole reason they need it. So it's kind of, it's like, you just reached out to me to, and cause you were curious as to how I might be able to help you. And you probably think I might be help, be able to help you create better systems or implement something different in your business to give you a jumpstart. And now you're saying no, cause you're not really sure. If, you know, you're ready for the change or. This, these systems are actually going to work. And then I'm always like, well, is the system you're using right now going to working so well? No. Cause you just reached out to it's like, so the whole reason they say no is usually the whole reason they need it in the, in the end.

It's crazy how that works, right? Yeah.

So being a CEO in my book is really when you've gotten to the place where you're trading time and money for energy. Okay. So if you think about this, when you're an employee, okay, you're trading time for money. This is kind of the most traditional work model. Like you exchange your labor for financial compensation. Okay. And when you're in that place, you know, you're trying to, um, and maybe even enhance your skills. You're trying to figure out like how the time you spend can be. best equate to the money. So in that scenario, you're really an employee. Okay. Then you might like upgrade a little bit where you start to trade money for time. So now you've become an entrepreneur or a business owner and you're now thinking, okay, how can I strategically use financial resources to free up time? So you might start to hire. more people to be kind of more of the doers, I'll call it in your business, so that you have more time to be the thinker, okay? So that's when you're now, you're trading time, or sorry, you're trading money for time. But when you get to a place where you're trading time and money for energy, okay, now you're the CEO. Now you're the one that's kind of the optimizer. So this really reflects where you're committed to both yourself, person and your business, both equally. It's less about like a formal business role. And it's more about almost a lifestyle choice that you're, where you're focusing on enhancing the vitality of the business. You're enhancing the, like your own vitality, like your own energy so that you can have, you're more capable of performing better across. like all aspects of life in business. So it's an interesting way to think because the traditional is like, let's just trade time for money. Like I give you my time, you pay me. Then you can kind of get a little crafty. All right, I could probably spend some money to gain back some time. And then when you get to be CEO, that's really where you're trading time and money for your own energy. I don't know what you think about that, but that's kind of how I start to think about this. And too many people just get stuck. Sometimes you're stuck in that employee mentality. And sometimes, you know, you can get stuck in that entrepreneurial mentality. To get to that CEO really takes a whole different level of mindset. It's a different mindset level.

know. He might. I think he's going to space. That's what he's working on next, right?

So he can think about, or we spend energy on something else, right? Like what's his next project. Right. Right.

Like you're not, you're not grinding away. We'll call it like you're grinding away at different issues or different problems, which might be like, how do I form new partnerships? Or, you know, should we be prospecting a different type of client or customer? Like your level of thinking and your. Energy is put towards other things, not just serving a client or serving a customer or, you know, the back end of your business. We can all get so sucked into that. You've now spent some money to have other people doing that kind of thing. And you don't have to have a huge business to have a CEO mindset. Like you don't have to have 20,30,200,2000 people under you. It can just be a small unit, but it's really how you think about things. You're much more strategic in your thinking.

is. So you've really got to go back to that motivational triad where it's like, you know, I want the confidence piece. Your brain wants everything to be comfortable and easy, efficient. If you're going to be a CEO, things necessarily aren't going to be comfortable and easy and efficient. So you've got to increase your risk tolerance is one thing. Okay.

Well, I think you have to kind of think like, go back to that question, the age old question. What's the worst thing that could happen? Okay, you go bankrupt. I'm throwing that out there. Like, that's the worst. Okay, first of all, that's not happening overnight, number one. Number two is, okay, if you went bankrupt, like, you would figure it out. Like, you would figure out what to do, what the next thing is. Would it be fun and enjoyable? No, but like, you would figure it out. So increasing risk tolerance is honestly something you have to practice. You've got to practice, like go back to increasing your prices or trip charge. Like there was a little risk in that, but you tried it out. I'm sure after you did that $25 trip charge, I'm going to guess, yes, right? It went up. It went up, right? Now it's $50 trip charge now, whatever. So there's your, this is like a practice makes perfect sort of situation. You've got to. continue to practice taking risks. You know how people say, like, they use the term serial entrepreneurs. He's a, like, Elon Musk. Okay. Serial. Yeah. Cause guess what? He's gotten really good at taking risk. That's why he's a serial entrepreneur. Cause he's just like willing to try the next thing.

Yes. And. Something like that. You know, and what does fail mean? Like fail means like it didn't generate as much revenue as you thought it would. Fail means you broke even. Okay. Maybe fail means you, you went bankrupt, but like you figured it out. You're still alive here. Right. So that's, it's just something that you have to keep practicing and you can do it in little ways too. I mean, you can practice it in your personal life. You can practice having harder conversations. So. It's a, it's a practice makes perfect situation.

Yes.

It was. When I start working with a client a lot, most of the time we do what I call a vision into action intensive. So it's like taking your vision of where you want to go, turning it into some action steps. It's a form of a business plan. And I require that the goals that they set for the year be smarter goals. And I don't know if you're familiar with that term, but not just smart goals, but smarter goals. And one of the R's in that smarter framework stands for risk. Goal has got to be a little risky or else like you would have already done it or it's something that you just do automatically. So that's also training your CEO brain a little bit, giving that some practice in just even formulating ideas that inherently have a bit of risk in them.

We could do several episodes.

I would say one of the books that really aligns with kind of what we've been talking about today is The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. It's got a picture of a goldfish in a fishbowl on the front. And it really talks about how, you know, we've got those invisible glass ceilings and taking leaps, taking risks, thinking bigger.