Breaking Your Unconscious Income Cap: A Scaling Leader's Guide
- (Admin) The Thrivology Company
- Apr 10
- 9 min read
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Breaking Through Your Unconscious Income Cap: How Scaling Leaders Can Reach Their Next Level
Ever feel like you're hitting an invisible ceiling in your business, like there's an unconscious income cap holding you back from reaching that next level of financial abundance? You're working hard, putting in the hours, yet something feels…stuck. Trust me, lovely, I getget it.
As a mum of four, navigating the beautiful chaos of family life while scaling multiple businesses andand pursuing my PhD (yes, all at the same time!), I've bumped my head on that ceiling more times than I can count. One minute I'm trying to map out a new marketing funnel, the next I'm rescuing the TV remote from a precarious perch atop our six-year-old's elaborate Lego castle, all while Espresso, our hyperactive Miniature Pinscher puppy, uses my ankles as a chew toy. It's a lot. Just the other day, I was trying to record a training video for my Launch Programme members, and my toddler decided it was the perfect moment to stage a dramatic protest against wearing trousers. Let's just say the outtakes were…interesting.
But here's the good news: that ceiling isn't made of concrete. It's made of mindset. It's built with those sneaky little limiting beliefs and mindset blocks we all carry around, whispering doubts about our worth and our potential. And guess what? We have the power to dismantle them, brick by limiting brick.
The Scaling Leader's Dilemma: Why Hard Work Isn't Enough
Scaling a business isn't a sprint; it's more like a marathon where you occasionally have to hurdle over rogue toys, duck under a toddler wielding a sippy cup of juice, and dodge the persistent nudges of a puppy demanding a belly rub. It isn't just about hard work. It's about efficient, energized effort – fueled by the right mindset.
As women entrepreneurs, we're often conditioned to believe that sheer effort is the key, the "hustle harder" mentality. & believe me, I've bought into that myth before, burning the midnight oil while the baby monitor serenades me with a lullaby of gurgles & snuffles.
But as I’ve discovered in my own journey, & what my research into Black female entrepreneurship continually shows, hard work alone isn’t enough. In fact, my research often highlights that women, particularly mothers, are exceptionally skilled at hard work, juggling multiple demanding roles simultaneously. One key statistic that emerged from my doctoral research was that over 70% of the Black female entrepreneurs I interviewed reported working over 50 hours a week, yet nearly half felt their income wasn't reflecting their effort. This highlights a critical disconnect: many of us are pouring immense energy into our businesses, but without the right strategies, systems, and mindset, we're not seeing the financial returns we deserve. For sustainable business growth, hard work must be combined with smart strategies & efficient systems. It has to be smartsmart work. It requires a fundamental shift in mindset, a conscious alignment with the leader you’re becoming – the woman who effortlessly commands higher income & confidently steps into her worth. Like wealth creation expert Myron Golden says: "To become the tree, you have to cease being the seed.” This speaks to the idea of evolving into the next level version of yourself, ready to receive the abundance you deserve.
Unmasking the Mindset Culprits: Common Limiting Beliefs Around Income Cap
So, what are these pesky mindset gremlins that keep us playing small? Here are a few usual suspects I've encountered in my own journey & while coaching incredible women like you:
The Imposter Syndrome Siren Song: "Who am I to charge premium prices? Someone will discover I'm not reallyreally an expert." (Newsflash: you areare an expert. Own it. Your expertise is your unique blend of skills & experience. Plus, remember, it’s about the transformation you deliver. Ask yourself, "What's the real value of the change I create? What do II feel it's worth?")
The Scarcity Mindset Sabotage: "There aren't enough clients for everyone. I have to hustle & compete for every crumb." (Abundance is everywhere. Shift your focus to serving your ideal clients, & trust they will find you. This reminds me of a time when I launched my first online course. I was so worried about the competition that I priced it ridiculously low, thinking I needed to undercut everyone else to attract students. Ironically, this made my course lessless appealing. It wasn't until I raised my prices & focused on the unique value I offered that I started attracting my ideal clients.)
The Perfectionism Procrastination: "My offer isn't perfect yet. I need to tweak it justjust a little more before I can launch/raise my prices." (Done is better than perfect. Progress, not perfection, darling. Get your offer out into the world, gather feedback, then refine. Think of it like planting a seed in your garden - you nurture it as it grows, not wait for it to become a fully grown tree before putting it in the ground. I've learned this the hard way, endlessly tweaking my website copy for weeks, only to realize that launching with an "imperfect" version and gathering user feedback was far more valuable.)
The "More Money, More Problems" Myth: "If I earn more, I'll just have more responsibilities, more stress, more problems." (More money can actually create more solutionssolutions & more freedomfreedom when managed wisely. It can give you the resources to build the support system you need, delegate tasks that drain your energy, & focus on the work that truly lights you up.)
Sound familiar? Many ambitious women carry these limiting narratives, often unconsciously. My own PhD research, specifically focusing on the challenges & triumphs of Black female entrepreneurs, continually shows me how pervasive these limiting narratives can be. But acknowledging them is the first step to rewriting the script. A key theme emerging from my research is the power of mindset in overcoming systemic barriers & creating one’s own definition of success.
Reframing Your Reality: Practical Strategies for Breaking Through Your Income Cap
Ready to shatter that income cap & step into your full potential? Here's how:
Identify Your Mindset Blocks: Get brutally honest with yourself. Journal, meditate, talk it out with a trusted friend or coach. What limiting beliefs are holding you back? What negative self-talk pops up when you think about earning more? Pinpointing these mental culprits is the first step to neutralizing them. This is all about gaining clarity & taking responsibility for our internal world - the foundation of the Focus pillar in our Business Flourish Framework. For example, I used to tell myself, "I don't have time for journaling." But when I actually scheduled 15 minutes each morning to simply brain-dump my thoughts, I started noticing patterns in my negative self-talk that were holding me back.
Challenge the Narratives: Once you’ve identified those limiting beliefs, don't just accept them as truth. Question them. Are they reallyreally true? Or are they just old stories you've been telling yourself? What evidence do you have that supports these beliefs? Often, you'll find they’re based on fear, not facts. It's all about "becoming the tree & ceasing to be the seed,” as Myron Golden so eloquently puts it. I remember catching myself thinking, "I'll never be able to charge premium prices." When I challenged that thought, I realized it was based on my own fear of judgment, not on my clients' actual willingness to invest in valuable transformations.
Reframe Your Thoughts: Consciously replace those negative narratives with empowering affirmations. Instead of "I'm not worthy of charging premium prices," try "I provide incredible value, & my clients are thrilled to invest in their transformation." This is about deliberately shifting your self-perception & aligning with the successful leader you are becoming. One of my clients, struggling with visibility, shifted her affirmation from "I'm afraid of being seen" to "I am powerful, and my message deserves to be heard." This simple reframe had a profound impact on her confidence and content creation.
Focus on Value, Not Just Effort: Yes, hard work is important. But it's not justjust about how many hours you put in. It's about the valuevalue you create for your clients. Are you focusing on high-impact activities that generate real results for them? Are you leveraging systems & tools (perhaps some clever AI via Fusion - automating those tedious tasks so you can shine your brilliance where it matters!) to maximize your efficiency & create more time for strategic work? This is working smartsmart, not just hard. This reminds me of a time, early in my entrepreneurial journey, when I was trying to do everything myself – from designing graphics to scheduling social media posts, all while wrangling four kids & two very energetic Miniature Pinschers. I was exhausted, & my business wasn't growing. I even tried a fancy new project management tool, thinking it would solve all my problems, but I ended up spending more time trying to learn the tool than actually getting work done! It was only when I started implementing simple systems & outsourcing some tasks that I truly started to scale. Streamlining is key, loves. For example, using a scheduling tool like Calendly freed up hours each week that I could then dedicate to creating high-value content & coaching my clients.
Embrace Imperfect Action: Perfectionism is the enemy of progress. Don't wait until everything is "just right" to launch, raise your prices, or scale your offer. Take imperfect action, learn from the feedback, & keep moving forward. As success coach Jim Rohn said: "Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.” This highlights the power of small, consistent actions over sporadic bursts of intense effort. What would happen if we applied my daughter's bike-riding breakthrough to our businesses? She finally mastered it not through intense practice sessions, but through playful exploration with friends. Maybe sometimes, it's about taking the pressure off to find the fun, & then suddenly, it all clicks. The key is persistence – & celebrating every small win. Ironically, after I started embracing imperfect action, I found my "mistakes" often led to unexpected innovations and deeper connections with my audience. One slightly "off-brand" Instagram post, for instance, sparked the most engagement I’d ever had!
Build a Supportive Community: Surround yourself with other ambitious women who understand your journey. Sharing your struggles & celebrating your wins with like-minded entrepreneurs can be incredibly empowering. Need help navigating those 12 weeks of school holidays while running a business? Looking for accountability partners who understand the juggle? Craving some tech support without the jargon? Our Femme Connect community is a great place to find that support, a space where women like you share their struggles, celebrate their wins, & swap tips on everything from managing toddler tantrums during client calls (we’ve all been there!) to mastering the latest AI tool. Plus, you'll gain access to exclusive masterclasses, downloadable templates to streamline your systems, and a network of supportive women who getget the unique challenges and triumphs of building a business while juggling all the things. Join us!
From Mindset to Momentum: The Power of Coaching
Remember, my journey has been anything but linear. From navigating corporate constraints (being told in one role that I was “replaceable” really fueled my fire!) to juggling motherhood & multiple businesses while pursuing my PhD, I’ve faced my fair share of challenges. Early on, I hit a major income plateau in my business. I was working hard, but my mindset was stuck in scarcity mode. I believed I had to hustle & compete for every single client, which was exhausting & frankly, ineffective. Even after implementing some of the strategies I now teach, I still struggled with self-doubt. I launched a new programme, meticulously following the principles of value-driven marketing, but then completely froze during my first sales call. It was mortifying! It was only through my own coaching experience that I was able to truly internalize these principles and overcome that paralysis. Through coaching, I was able to identify & reframe that limiting belief, shifting my focus from scarcity to abundance. This fundamental mindset shift, combined with practical strategies I learned, allowed me to double my income within three months. & one of the most valuable investments I've ever made was in coaching. If you’re curious about coaching & want to explore if it's the right fit for you, you can learn more about our Momentum Coaching programme, designed for Scaling Leaders, here: Momentum Coaching Page
Ready to take the first step towards unlocking your full potential & building the thriving business (and life!) you deserve?
It’s a supportive, empowering space for women entrepreneurs at all stages, offering a wealth of resources, connection, and practical strategies to help you break through that income cap and flourish. Femme:Connect Community Page
Ready to Own Your Income Potential?
What's one small, smart step you can take todaytoday to start dismantling those limiting beliefs & step into your next income level? Share your commitment below – let's create a ripple effect of empowerment together!
Carlene Nisbett
Founder & CEO, Femmeprenista
Wife, Mother of four, Business Owner, PhD Researcher, Pet mom, Plant mom, 5'0" tall Passionate Multitasker & Wine Lover, You get the drift
P.S. This workbook is just the beginning!
If you're looking for a supportive community of like-minded female entrepreneurs who get it, why not pop over and say hello?
We'd love to welcome you!
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