You started your service business for freedom. Freedom from a rigid nine-to-five, freedom to do work that matters, and, let’s be honest, freedom to earn more than a salary ever allowed. But here’s the question most service business owners eventually have to face: are you building a business, or are you just paying yourself a better wage?

There’s a question worth sitting with for a moment: when something goes wrong in your business, what’s your first instinct? Do you think, “That didn’t work, what can I learn from it?” Or does the inner critic jump straight in with “I’m not cut out for this”? The answer reveals a lot. And it’s the foundation of one of the most powerful shifts any business owner can make, developing a growth mindset. What Is A Growth Mindset? The concept was introduced by psychologist Carol D