Why do we play small in business, even when we know we’re capable of so much more?
I’ve had a bit of a revelation recently. And it’s made me feel both excited and slightly terrified.
I realised that I’ve been playing small in my business.
Not because I lack ambition. Not because I don’t have the experience or skills. And certainly not because I don’t have big ideas.
But because, somewhere along the way, I’ve started putting limits on what I believe is possible for me. And the strange thing is, I hadn’t even noticed I was doing it.
It all started with a conversation about whether I should raise investment for Flowelle, the software business I’ve been building in my 50s.
Suddenly, I was questioning things I’d never really considered before.
Could I build a much bigger business? Could I attract investors? Could Flowelle become something truly significant?
And perhaps the biggest question of all… Am I the one holding myself back?
Because sometimes our biggest limiting beliefs aren’t about what we can do.
They’re about what we believe we’re allowed to achieve.
And that’s what I want to talk about in this podcast episode
The conversation that changed how I see my business
A few days ago, I had a conversation about Flowelle.io, the software business I’ve been building.
We were talking about whether it could attract investment. Whether it was something I could scale. Whether I could build it into a much bigger business.
And suddenly, I started thinking about Flowelle in a completely different way.
Because I know Flowelle is a kick-arse brand.
I know there’s a need for it. I know the people I want to help. I know what I’m creating and why it matters.
I’ve spent years helping other people build their businesses. I’ve created websites, sales funnels, courses, memberships and marketing strategies. I’ve written a book about making money while you sleep.
I’ve got the experience. I’ve got the determination. And I’ve got a business I genuinely believe in.
So why was the idea of taking it to the next level making me feel so uncomfortable?
Why did the thought of raising investment, building a team or growing something really significant feel like something other people did?
Not people like me.
And there it was: the invisible ceiling.
Not one somebody else had put above my head.
One I’d built myself.
Have I been thinking like a freelancer instead of a founder?
This was probably the biggest realisation for me. I’ve been incredibly busy recently.
I’ve been building websites for clients, creating their branding, writing their copy, putting together funnels and helping them turn their ideas into businesses.
And I absolutely love doing that. There’s something wonderful about taking someone’s messy collection of ideas and turning it into something beautiful and functional.
But the issue is that I’ve been spending so much time helping other people grow their businesses that I’ve stopped giving my own business the attention it deserves.
And I’ve been thinking about money in terms of what I can personally deliver.
How many clients can I work with?
How many websites can I build?
How much coaching can I fit into the week?
It’s a very different mindset from asking: What could I build that grows beyond me?
And that’s where Flowelle comes in.
Because Flowelle doesn’t have to be limited by the number of hours I have available.
It doesn’t have to depend on me personally delivering every single thing.
It could become something much bigger. But only if I allow myself to think about it that way.
I’ve been asking myself, “How can I make more money this month?”
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When perhaps I should also be asking: “What could I build over the next five years?”
That’s a completely different question.
And it leads to a completely different future. I’d forgotten to dream bigger…
The fear of wanting something bigger
There’s something quite vulnerable about admitting that you want more.
Because once you say it out loud, there’s the possibility that you might not achieve it.
And that can be frightening.
It’s much safer to say you’re happy ticking along. That you’re not particularly ambitious. That you don’t really want anything bigger. Because then nobody can accuse you of failing.
I think I’ve been doing a little bit of that. I’ve been protecting myself. And after the last few years, I can understand why.
But I don’t want the difficult things that have happened in my life to dictate what I’m capable of creating next.
I don’t want to reach another five years down the line and realise I never explored an opportunity because I was frightened of failure.
I don’t want to decide that investment, partnerships or scaling a business aren’t for me before I’ve even investigated them.
I want to be able to walk into those rooms.
I want to have the confidence to pitch my business.
I want to know that I belong there just as much as anybody else.
Whether I ultimately choose that path is another question entirely.
But I want it to be a choice.
Not a limitation.
If you want to tap into your intuition and be bolder and braver, read this…
If you’re feeling stuck or lost, this may give you some inspiration and ideas…
I don’t want a bigger business if it means a smaller life
Now, there’s something else I need to say.
Because I can already hear people thinking that playing bigger means working harder, hustling more and building some enormous business that takes over your life.
And that’s absolutely not what I want.
I wrote Make Money While You Sleep because I believe in creating income that gives us more freedom.
I love being able to go running, swim outdoors, spend time with my son and have a life beyond my laptop.
I’ve worked incredibly hard over the years, and I don’t want to create another version of the rat race for myself.
I don’t want to be exhausted, stressed and permanently attached to my phone.
I don’t want to build a bigger business that gives me a smaller life.
So perhaps playing bigger isn’t about working more hours.
Perhaps it’s about thinking differently. Building systems. Creating recurring income. Getting help.
Finding people who are brilliant at the things I’m not. Allowing the business to grow without everything depending on me. And being ambitious about the impact I want to make, not just the amount of work I can squeeze into a day. Because success, for me, has always been about freedom.
And I don’t want to lose sight of that.
What if you’re playing small too?
Maybe you’re reading this and recognising something in yourself. Perhaps you’ve had a difficult few years.
Perhaps your confidence isn’t quite what it used to be.
Perhaps you’ve been so busy looking after everyone else, paying the bills and keeping life moving that you’ve stopped asking what you actually want.
Or perhaps you’ve built a perfectly good business, but deep down you know you’re capable of creating something more.
I want you to ask yourself a few questions.
Where am I playing small?
What have I already decided isn’t possible for me?
What would I do if I stopped worrying about what other people thought?
Who could help me achieve something bigger?
And what would I dare to dream if I wasn’t so frightened of disappointment?
Because here’s what I’m beginning to realise.
Maybe the next version of our lives doesn’t require us to become completely different people.
Maybe we don’t need to be younger, cleverer, richer or more qualified.
Maybe we just need to stop underestimating the people we’ve already become.
At 51, I’m certainly not finished dreaming.
In fact, perhaps I’m only just getting started. And I’m rather excited to find out what happens next.
