Seeking approval for every small decision you make in your business is a little trap that’s easy to fall into. Entrepreneurship is filled with decision making. Big ones, small ones, we’ve all got to make decisions in our business. Whether you’re thinking about starting a YouTube channel or even re-branding your entire business, choices have to be made.

It’s normal to want to get advice from others when making decisions. Ask their opinions, get their insights. But at the end of the day, only you can step forward with the choice. Only you have the final say.

Over-reliance on other people’s input can be difficult to deal with when it comes to making decisions in your business. Do you really need someone to help you make this decision, or are you simply seeking approval from them? Do you need someone to give you more information so you can make a better choice, or are you unknowingly asking their permission to move forward? Here’s how you know.

I spoke about this on an episode of Brand Your Brain – My podcast for the non-glamourous entrepreneurs like me. Listen to it here.

Do a self assessment

When you’re making a business decision and you feel the need to ask someone for advice, ask yourself why. Are you asking for advice and expertise because you lack knowledge in the area? Or are you asking for advice because you need someone to agree with what you’ve already decided.

Make a list of pro’s and con’s (lame, I know, but hear me out)

If you hire a coach to help you with something, it’s usually because you don’t know what you’re doing and need someone to give you their expertise. However, if you’re stuck making a decision, make a list of pro’s and con’s. It’s less about what’s on the list, and more about the list itself. If you can create a solid, balanced list of pro’s and con’s, that probably means you’ve thought about it enough or are educated enough to make this decision alone.

Hiring an expert is important if you need it.

I’m not telling you to never hire help if you need it in your business. But there’s a difference between hiring someone for something you don’t have knowledge in and hiring someone because you see them as an expert and want them to affirm your decision.

If you’re stuck making a choice, and you can’t think of the pros or cons, hiring an expert can be great. They can give you the pro’s and con’s and give you a recommendation on what to do for your business. But they can’t make the choice for you. That’s in your hands. So again, if it’s a small decision that you’ve thought about it enough, you’ve researched enough and you’re educated enough on the topic, then you can probably make the choice alone

Have you been through this before?

I know when my business was going through a bit of a refresh, I hired a coach to help me. Now, a year later I’m doing the same. My business has grown and my brand needs to grow with it. I thought about hiring a coach again to help me. But, I’m a brand designer. I do this for my clients all the time so why was it so hard for me? I thought back to the coaching sessions I’ve had in the past and asked myself:

1. Last time I had a call with a coach, did I learn something new?
2. When they recommended what to do and why, did I think “Oh wow, I didn’t consider that” or did I feel relieved?
3. Did the things they told me give me a new perspective that I hadn’t thought of myself?
4. Did the advice they gave me echo my existing thoughts?

I was able to recognise that I already knew the answer, but wanted someone to agree with me before moving forward. I didn’t need someone to give me a new perspective or new advice because I’ve been there before. I just was scared to take the next step and needed someone to tell me I was doing the right thing.

Signs you’re seeking approval instead of needing advice

Some really common signs that you’re seeking approval rather than actually needing advice are:

1. Constantly asking for advice for small decisions you could make alone
2. You’re dependent on others for the confidence of your decision
3. You change your mind based on other opinions even when they don’t bring any fresh knowledge or perspective to you
4. You’ve made your pro’s and con’s list and it’s clear what’s best for you, yet you procrastinate getting started until someone else says it’s a good idea.
5. You feel a bit uneasy when you get mixed opinions from people, even if you were happy with your decision before.
6. You only feel relieved after getting positive feedback from someone else

Making a decision in your business can be scary

But when you feel like you can’t make every, small decision yourself, it’s a sign of approval seeking rather than actually needing someone to do it. Do you need knowledge or expertise? Or do you need reassurance?

I spoke about this on an episode of Brand Your Brain – My podcast for the non-glamourous entrepreneurs like me. Listen to it here.