As founder of Not on the High Street and small business marketplace Holly & Co, you’d imagine that superstar entrepreneur Holly Tucker has always oozed confidence, so it came as a surprise when the 48-year-old admitted it’s taken her 20 years (and two wildly successful businesses) to overcome imposter syndrome.
“I’ve been talking about imposter syndrome for two decades,” she tells HELLO!. “Women feel like they have to have imposter syndrome, otherwise they’ll be labelled as arrogant,” Holly laments. “But we’re not born feeling like imposters and I want to change the narrative and remind everyone that we as a group actually have a lot of power.
“It wasn’t a lightbulb moment that made me reject the notion of imposter syndrome; it’s been brewing, and I don’t want to still be talking about it 20 more years from now,” she says.
Her latest venture, Holly & Co, shines the spotlight on small businesses, in particular, female-founded ventures, with 95% of the retailers on the site founded by women. On top of that, 80% of the business founders listed on Holly & Co are aged 40-65, showing it’s never too late to follow your dreams.
With two successful businesses under her belt, here Holly shares eight pieces of advice to help women in business banish imposter syndrome for good.
How to banish imposter syndrome
1. Labelling is unhelpful
Even the notion of imposter syndrome is unhelpful, according to Holly. “Imposter syndrome is a self-fulfilling prophecy,” she says. “I’d never heard of imposter syndrome until 20 years ago, and then immediately felt that I had it.”
© Emilie Dorange2. Naivety is a godsend
People often think of naivety as a weakness, but Holly says it’s actually exploration and curiosity – especially when it comes to starting your own business. “It’s your naivety that means you have the unique fingerprint on your business,” she says.
3. Not knowing is great
Rather than fretting about not knowing the answer, Holly says being unsure is fantastic because it means that you’re going to find a new way of doing it, encouraging creativity and problem-solving. “I’m addicted to problem-solving,” she jokes.
© Emilie Dorange4. That said… Don’t try and be the expert
“I see so many women deciding not to launch a business because they don’t understand the numbers side of entrepreneurship, but there are so many people who do understand numbers. If you struggle with something, or don’t enjoy it, hire someone who does rather than stressing yourself over it.”
© Emilie Dorange5. There’s no such thing as an overnight success
You might think something is an overnight success, but Holly says there’s normally at least a decade of behind-the-scenes work going on.
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6. Rough around the edges is good
“It’s roughness and imperfection that makes someone somebody that I want to know,” says Holly.
Find out more about Holly & Co
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