A Year of Change ( and fear)
This past year I built a house, got married, merged families—and still launched my business. I felt plenty of fear, but overcoming fear to start a side hustle became my daily practice. I kept asking, What if I succeed? That question pulled me forward when “wait until life calms down” tried to hold me back.
What Fear Really Means
Fear isn’t failure. It’s feedback.
It’s your mind’s way of saying, “Hey, this is new. This could change things.”
Most people feel that signal and slam the brakes. I almost did, too. I convinced myself that failure would be embarrassing, expensive, and public. But one thought kept breaking through the noise—What if I succeed?
That question flipped everything.
Because what if success didn’t just change my situation… but my entire family’s future?
The Confidence Myth
We tend to imagine successful people as fearless.
They’re not. They’re just practiced at moving with fear instead of waiting for it to disappear.
Confidence doesn’t show up before you start—it grows because you start.
When I launched my first page, it wasn’t perfect. My copy was rough. My layout looked like I’d built it with duct tape. But I hit publish anyway.
And something incredible happened.
I didn’t suddenly feel fearless—but I did feel free.
That one imperfect step gave me momentum.
The next page looked better. The next email sounded stronger. Fear slowly turned into fuel.
Three Ways I Learned to Move Through Fear
If you’re standing where I was a year ago—staring at a blank screen, wondering if you’re cut out for this—here’s what helped me take that first real step:
1️⃣ Shrink the Step
Don’t think about launching an empire. Think about doing something small today.
Fifteen minutes is enough. Set a timer, pick one task, and finish it.
Progress doesn’t come from intensity—it comes from consistency.
2️⃣ Borrow Belief from Others
When you’re new, it’s easy to feel lost. That’s why I leaned into mentorship and community through Launch You.
They gave me a roadmap, accountability, and—most importantly—belief before I had my own.
You don’t need to go it alone. Surround yourself with people who’ve already done what you want to do.
3️⃣ Simplify the Tools
You don’t need to master everything. Just use tools that make the process easier.
- WordPress for a simple, professional-looking hub.
- Convertri to drag, drop, and launch pages without coding.
- AWeber to send your first automated emails and stay in touch with your audience.
These tools took “tech overwhelm” off my plate so I could focus on building, not debugging.
What Happened When I Moved Anyway
Once I stopped trying to feel ready and just started, everything changed.
My schedule didn’t get lighter. Life didn’t slow down.
But my confidence started to rise—and so did the results.
Every new skill built momentum. Every small win stacked on the last.
And now, looking back, I realize the thing I feared most—failure—was never the real threat.
The real danger was doing nothing and staying exactly where I was.
If fear is standing between you and your side hustle dream, remember this:
You don’t have to be fearless. Make overcoming fear to start a side hustle feel normal.
Ready to Take Your First Guided Step?
If you want a clear path, real mentorship, and a supportive community to help you build your side hustle the right way, I recommend starting with Launch You — the program that gave me structure, clarity, and belief when I needed it most.
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