Breaking Through Your Business Plateau

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1. Are you ready to grow? Examine your mindset. Many people become stuck simply because they are not ready to grow. A number of fears could be holding you back.  Are you afraid of success? Afraid that people won't like you if you're too successful? Are you so comfortable in your current situation that you don't want to risk facing change?

Such thoughts are common and are nothing to be ashamed about. I would venture to say every entrepreneur, even the most successful ones, has encountered these types of mental blocks in their business growth. It's just that the successful ones had a way to get around them.

To face these fears, try starting a business journal. Take a piece a paper and draw a line down the middle so you have two columns. In one column, write down all the reasons why you want to break through this plateau and reach your goal. Then in the second column, write down all the reasons why you do not want to reach your goal. Yes, something will bubble to the surface—don't brush this off as being silly. Whatever bubbles to the surface will give you the next clue as to what you have to do to get rid of the obstacle.

The other thing you can do is to hire a coach. Coaches are great for helping you get past your blocks.

 2. Do you know what you need to do to grow? You can get past all the blocks you have, but if you have no idea what you need to be doing to be successful, then you're not going to get very far.

If you feel like you're ready to step out in a big way, the next step is to do some research.

Mentors can be helpful in this stage. Seek out those before you that have reached the goals you aspire to reach, and form a relationship with them. Network through industry events, connect with them via Facebook and LinkedIn, and even invite them over for lunch. Take their knowledge and use it to your benefit.

3. Are you about to break through? If you are mentally ready for the journey, you've done your research and you're still stuck at a plateau, you many be in that "uncomfortable" space right before you're going to break through. Hold on tight—you just need to go a little further. This one is probably the most frustrating of all. It is as if  you're at mile 23 of a 26-mile marathon. You've done all of this work to get to mile 23, but the last three miles are the hardest you'll ever walk. But keep going, you really are almost there.