Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Ever felt like a fraud, even at your best? That nagging fear inside your head that you’re not good enough, that you landed here by mistake, that your success is nothing more than good luck or a fluke. Good ol’ imposter syndrome.

I’ll let you in on a secret - we’ve all got it. Every day I hear from entrepreneurs of all sizes saying that what’s going on inside their head is what’s holding them back the most. Let’s talk about it.

When I beat out all my competition, became the #1 brokerage in New York City, and sold my business for $66 million, I was written up in all the papers. “She’s a genius!” “She’s revolutionary” “She’s this…she’s that.” But do you know what was going through my head? That the whole thing was a fluke! That I was just lucky to hire the right people, find the right offices, promote the right people. It was a fluke that I was able to fight my competitors and win the #1 market position despite the Old Boy Network fighting against me. You could stand that and say to me, “Barbara, you really believe that?” And I could swear on a stack of Bibles and say I did.

Or take for example my first day on Shark Tank. I was so scared! I didn’t say anything the first day and was sure I would be fired. My mom gave me the great advice to think of her and my dad on my shoulder cheering me on, and I felt them and that helped me get through the first week. But you know what? 16 years later I’m still scared to death! I’ve got imposter syndrome each day I walk on the set - proving that it’s invisible to the next guy.

Imposter syndrome gets a bad rap. I seek out entrepreneurs who are insecure, because I know I’ve got myself a winner. They have the ambition, and they’re going to work twice as hard. It’s one of the great upsides to feeling like you’re an imposter. The way I see it, self-doubt is a human element that keeps you on the straight-and-narrow.

The more successful someone is, the more self-doubt they have, because that’s what drives them. And the best way to build your confidence is not by succeeding again and again, but from learning you can out try anyone. For me, I’m constantly motivated by my insecurity. It drives me to over-prepare and work harder than the next guy to prove myself.

So the next time you hear that little voice creeping into your head, embrace those insecurities. Welcome it in and use it to show the world what you’re made of.