The biggest challenge is not always what you think

As many of you know, I am currently organising the Online Business Growth Summit, bringing together expert speakers from around the world to help entrepreneurs create scalable income streams and build businesses that give them more freedom.

It is the biggest project I have ever undertaken. There are speakers to coordinate, systems to build, marketing campaigns to create, partnerships to manage and countless moving parts behind the scenes. While I have thoroughly enjoyed creating it, the experience has highlighted something I was not expecting.

The biggest challenge has not been the technology. It has not been the marketing and it has not even been finding speakers. The biggest challenge has been becoming the person capable of leading it.

For years, I have been very comfortable being the person who does the work. I enjoy creating content, building courses, supporting clients and helping people behind the scenes. I have always seen myself as a team player rather than a leader.

However, running a summit is different.

A summit requires vision, visibility, decision-making and it requires leadership.

That has stretched me in ways I did not expect. Not because I do not want to do it but because it is requiring me to step into a bigger version of myself.

The Be, Do, Have model

One of my favourite personal development concepts is something called the Be, Do, Have Model.

Most people approach success backwards.

They think that when they have more money they will invest more in their business. They think that when they have more clients they will become confident. They believe that when they have a bigger audience they will start showing up consistently.

The problem is that growth rarely works this way.

The model actually looks like this:

Be → Do → Have

First you become.

Then you do.

Then you have.

The results come last.

Many entrepreneurs spend years waiting to feel confident before taking action. They wait until they feel ready before launching something new. They wait until they feel certain before making decisions.

The reality is that confidence is usually the result of action rather than the reason for it. People become confident because they take action repeatedly. They gain experience, learn from mistakes and build trust in themselves along the way.

How this shows up in business

This shows up in almost every area of business.

Take online courses as an example.

Many aspiring course creators tell themselves that they will create a course when their audience is bigger. Others tell themselves they will launch when they feel more confident or when they know more.

Successful course creators rarely wait until they feel ready. Instead, they begin acting like someone who is building a scalable business. They start creating, validating and testing. They make progress before they feel fully prepared. The same is true whether you are creating a membership, launching a digital product, starting a podcast or growing your personal brand. Growth often begins with an identity shift.

The identity gap that keeps entrepreneurs stuck

I think this is where many business owners get stuck.

They know what they want… they want more freedom, more impact and more income. They want a scalable business model, a successful online course, a thriving membership or a collection of digital products that generate income beyond their time. Yet they continue operating from the identity of the person they were when they first started.

They still see themselves as the freelancer, the solopreneur, the service provider or the person who has to do everything themselves. Then they wonder why growth feels difficult. Growth often requires an identity shift before it requires a strategy shift.

You have to start seeing yourself differently before your business can grow differently.

Who do you need to become?

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is this… who do you need to become in order to create the business you want?

Not what software do you need.

Not what funnel do you need.

Not what marketing strategy do you need.

Who do you need to become?

Perhaps you need to become more visible. Perhaps you need to become more decisive, more consistent or more courageous. Perhaps you need to trust yourself more or become more willing to let go of control. The business you want may already be available to you. However, it may require a version of you that you are still growing into.

Growth is often uncomfortable

One of the biggest lessons I have learned while creating the Online Business Growth Summit is that growth is rarely comfortable. In fact, discomfort is often a sign that you are expanding. It is a sign that you are stepping beyond who you have been. It is a sign that you are becoming the person capable of creating what comes next.

If you are feeling stretched right now or if you are finding yourself outside your comfort zone, that does not necessarily mean you are on the wrong path. It may actually mean you are exactly where you need to be. The process is often much simpler than we make it.

First you become.

Then you do.

Then you have.

Sometimes the most important business growth happens long before the results arrive because the real transformation is taking place within you.