Today’s guest post is written by Pamela Wright.

“Maybe you should call Bill. He has more experience with this than I do.”

“I can give you the name of a person who can do this for you. He’s a lot more expensive than I am, but he is worth it.”

“I learned everything I know from her. I’m sure she is available.”

These are some of my favorite things to say to potential clients when I am feeling inadequate for the task.

The problem?

I’m not inadequate for the task. I’m not even so overworked that I can’t take any more clients.

The real problem? It’s not that I’m afraid to fail; I’m afraid to succeed.

You see if I succeed, then I have to live up to everyone’s expectations of me. If I stay at a level of occasional clients, all my friends and relatives look at my business as a hobby. (more…)