The Courage to Be Yourself—The Key to Business Success | EP 472

If you’re trying to build your business by following someone else’s formula, you’re already at a disadvantage. The most successful entrepreneurs aren’t just strategic—they’re authentic. They create brands that are aligned with who they are, and in doing so, they attract clients who are an easy yes.

In this episode, we’re breaking down why authenticity isn’t just a buzzword—it’s your biggest competitive advantage. You’ll hear the real story of a founder who tried to replicate someone else’s success, only to hit burnout fast. And you’ll walk away with a simple exercise to help you build a business that actually fits you—one that’s sustainable, fulfilling, and built for the long haul.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, uninspired, or unsure why your business isn’t gaining traction, this is for you. Remember, your people can’t find you if you’re hiding.

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Episode Transcript

Sheila (00:02):
If you're not showing up as yourself, your business is
already at a disadvantage.
Because here's the truth Peopledon't buy from businesses.
They buy from people, and in aworld where we're constantly
bombarded with content, the onlyway to stand out is to stop
blending in.
Hi welcome to the Connect withSheila Botelho podcast.

(00:24):
I'm a self-care strategist andsuccess coach and I'm committed
to helping you reconnect to yourpurpose, elevate your
well-being and build yourversion of a happy, successful
life.
You're listening to a mini-sodewhere I share an insight
designed to help you live intowhat lights you up this week.
Today, I want to talk to youabout the courage to be yourself

(00:45):
in business, why it's thesmartest, most profitable
decision you can make, and howto avoid the mistake that keeps
so many founders stuck,exhausted and uninspired.
If there's one pattern that Isee over and over again, it's
entrepreneurs trying to buildbusinesses that don't actually

(01:07):
align with who they are.
They see someone crushing itonline, building a brand,
selling out offers, attractingall the right people, and they
think that that's it.
That's the model.
That's what I need to do, buthere's where things start to
unravel.
I once worked with a client whohad been in business for a few

(01:27):
years but felt stuck at aplateau.
She started following a bigname entrepreneur who had a
highly successful personal brandand she was convinced that if
she just mirrored what thatperson was doing, she'd break
through to her next level.
So she went all in.
She adopted the same messagingstyle, she structured her offers
the same way, even trying tomimic the same brand aesthetics

(01:51):
and content style, and at firstshe saw some traction.
People were engaging and therewas a little spark of interest.
But here's the problem shedidn't have the same story as
the person she was modeling.
She wasn't fully aligned withthe way that business was built
and because she was makingdecisions based on what worked
for someone else rather thanwhat actually made sense for her

(02:12):
, she quickly lost momentum.
When it came time to beconsistent, to show up every day
, to market, sell, buildrelationships, she burned out
really fast.
She lacked motivation.
The energy just wasn't therebecause, deep down, she wasn't
fully bought into the businessshe was trying to build.
She was just after the results.

(02:33):
And here's what happens whenthere's a disconnect between you
and your business.
People feel it the clients sheattracted were not the right fit
.
They weren't resonating withher because she wasn't even
resonating with herself.
So we took a step back.
That's when she came to workwith me.
We looked at all of this and westripped everything away that

(02:54):
she had tried to copy andinstead we focused on what
actually lit her up, what shewas obsessed with talking about.
So like what was the work shewould see herself doing for
years, even when things got hard, and that is when the shift
happened.
It took a little bit of timefor her to gain clarity, but

(03:15):
once she started building abusiness that aligned with her
her skills, her values, hervoice she started attracting the
right clients.
Her brand felt like home to her.
And while no business is evercompletely linear, there were
ups and downs and they willcontinue to come and go.
Everything became a bit easierto navigate because she was

(03:36):
fully invested in the work thatshe was doing.
So if you're listening to thisand wondering am I actually
building something that alignswith me?
Here is a simple exercise foryou Take five minutes and write
down the answers to these threequestions.
One, if money wasn't a factor,what kind of work would I choose

(03:58):
to do every single day?
Two, what do people constantlycome to me for that I love
helping with?
And three if I could onlycreate one type of content for
the rest of my career, whatwould I never get bored of
talking about?
Understanding that, just likemyself, you do have permission

(04:22):
to change.
So this might be a stretch, butthink about it right now if you
had to really narrow it down.
That third question theseanswers will give you clarity on
what truly energizes you,because that's where your most
successful business will comefrom.
Now let me be clear.
You should absolutely allowyourself to be inspired by

(04:43):
people doing incredible things.
There are so many wonderfulexamples of people building
amazing businesses, and I loveto look around and celebrate the
success of other people.
And you know what you get toborrow ideas, you get to study
business models and applystrategies that work for you.
There are frameworks that aretransferable in business.

(05:03):
That's just the truth.
But one thing that is nottransferable in business that's
just the truth.
But one thing that is nottransferable is who you are.
There is only one you and ifthis business is something
you're truly committed tobuilding for the long haul, take
the time to ask yourself whatmakes me different.
Why would people want to workwith me specifically and, my

(05:24):
goodness.
Why are people working with youright now?
What do people appreciate aboutyou right now, where you are?
Because that your story, yourvalues, your perspective is what
will set you apart in aseemingly saturated market, and
that is where you want to focusyour attention.
The courage to be yourself iswhat will make or break your

(05:47):
business.
So where can you start showingup more fully today, if this
episode hit home for you andyou're realizing it's time to
build a business that feels asgood on the inside as it looks
on the outside, I've gotsomething for you.
The Seasons Growth Acceleratorwas designed exactly for
entrepreneurs like you, founderswho want to scale with

(06:08):
alignment, impact andsustainability, without running
themselves into the ground.
Head over to the show notes tolearn more about how this
program can help you createsuccess your way, where your
strategy, your business modeland energy are fully in sync,
because when your business isbuilt to support you, everything
flows.

(06:29):
Check it out and see if it'sthe right next step for you.
Thank you.