As business owners, we sometimes tell ourselves things that are counter-intuitive to us being able to achieve the visions we set out when we first became entrepreneurs.

These things we tell ourselves are often not verbalised – you might not even be aware of them – but they are dictating the way you work and the life you lead.

Here are some of the self-limiting beliefs that we pick up from business owners:

1. “I’m not clever enough.”

If you were to ask Lord Alan Sugar if he considers himself ‘conventionally clever’, there would be no doubting his response: “no”.

A few years back, the British business magnate was talking to the Telegraph about the value of a university education. “All it is, is a badge that shows they have a brain,” he said. Perhaps not the most considered response but when explaining his answer, he made a good point about what it means to be business smart. He said: “When you become an expert is when you start rolling up your sleeves on the shop floor.”

We can become too hung up on being book smart, when being business smart is what really counts.

2. “I’m bound to fail.”

Fear of failure is what drives all business owners. But it can become a problem if it prevents you from trying new things and growing your business, stopping you from achieving your dreams and taking your life to where you want it to be.

So, while it’s healthy to harbour a fear of failure as it will inspire you to work with a real sense of purpose and efficiency, you need to be conscious of it constantly clouding your thoughts.

3. “No one understands what I’m going through.”

Being a leader can be a lonely business, whereby you feel like you can’t reach out to anybody for support as they wouldn’t understand what you’re going through. In fact, it’s just a matter of finding the people who have ‘been there, done it’, whose advice and experience can alleviate some of the negative feelings and emotions you’re feeling.

4. “This is as good as it gets.”

We’re often told “you can’t have it all” – but there’s nothing stopping you from trying to achieve it “all”, whatever you define that as. For many business owners we speak with, having it all means running a successful business as well as spending lots of time with family. However, often they find that the former hampers the latter, leaving them concluding that “this is as good as it gets”.

As far as we’re concerned, no business owner should have to make a choice between business and family – there’s always a way to do both successfully. Sometimes what it takes is having somebody objective look at your situation – from both a personal and a business perspective – and identifying ways you can make it happen.

Agnentis Partners is currently offering a complimentary one-hour coaching session to those business owners who have decided it’s time to make a change.