“I’m not good at this” may be costing you

When I started my first business, I had zero background in sales.

And honestly, I hated it.

Networking felt awkward. Pricing conversations made me nervous. Whenever possible, I found something else to work on.

There was always something productive available: improve the website, organize files, read another business book.

The problem was that none of those activities required me to sell.

So I created a vicious cycle.

I avoided sales because I wasn’t confident. Because I avoided it, I didn’t get enough practice or feedback to improve. Then the few uncomfortable sales conversations I did have became more evidence for the story I was already telling myself:

“I’m just not a salesperson.”

But I had a business to build.

I had a young family and was the sole provider. I had made a commitment to my business partner. And I had already decided I wasn’t going back to my corporate career.

Avoiding sales forever wasn’t an option.

So I started learning from people who were better at it than I was. I took advice. I practiced. I made mistakes. I adjusted.

And gradually, something changed.

Not my personality. My interpretation of the difficulty changed.

“I’m not good at sales” became “I haven’t learned how to sell yet.”

That distinction may seem small, but it changes what you do next.

If you believe you’re simply bad at something, avoidance makes sense.

If you believe it’s a skill you haven’t developed yet, learning makes sense.

I saw the same thing happen with networking and negotiation. Skills that once made me uncomfortable eventually became capabilities I could rely on.

I didn’t become confident first.

I learned first. Confidence followed.

This matters especially for experienced professionals considering entrepreneurship.

You may have spent 5, 10, or 20 years becoming excellent at your craft. Then entrepreneurship suddenly asks you to sell, market, negotiate, create content, manage finances, and make decisions with incomplete information.

You’re going to be bad at some of those things initially.

That isn’t evidence that you’re not entrepreneurial.

It’s evidence that you’re a beginner.

So when something feels difficult this week, catch yourself before saying:

“I’m not good at this.”

Try asking:

“What do I need to learn to become better at this?”

The answer to that question gives you somewhere to go.