The #1 Reason Why You Are Underearning

It's not what you think.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Header Image] The #1 Reason Why You Are Underearning ​ {NAME}, ​ I graduated from law school on June 1, 2009 in the midst of the 2008 recession. But I was safe from the unemployment that so many of my fellow law grads experienced because I had a judicial clerkship lined up. ​ A judicial clerkship is when a new law grad works for a judge for one year. You become the judge's right hand, helping them with their caseload by reading, summarizing and making recommendations on cases in front of them. You also manage lawyers and litigants that are appearing before the judge. It's often a 1-2 year stint and when your time is up, you leave for what will typically be your permanent full-time gig. Law clerks are usually highly sought after for prestigious law jobs since they've been personally trained by a judge. ​ Luckily, I was one of those "sought after" law clerks. I had several job offers made to me the summer before my clerkship ended. Unfortunately, I didn't like any of them. They either paid too little, required me to move somewhere that I didn't want to live or involved working for a tyrant partner who would surely make my life miserable. ​ So I had a choice to make: take one of these jobs that I didn't want or go into business for myself and start a solo law practice. ​ I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to pursue entrepreneurship, be my own boss and choose my own clients. ​ I also knew how to do it. I wasn't experienced as a solo practitioner but I had read all the books and attended several events about starting a solo practice. And I knew a program I could join that would teach me exactly how to do it. ​ Despite knowing what I wanted and knowing how to get it, I wrung my hands for months about this decision repeating a phrase that was a complete and utter lie: ​ "I don't know what to do." ​ How many times have you said, "I don't know what to do" when you, in fact, know exactly what to do? ​ Why do we disempower ourselves with this language? What is really going on when we feign ignorance on life's major inflection points? ​ I now know that I kept repeating this "I don't know" phrase like a mantra because I was afraid of being rejected. ​ I was scared of making a mistake that could impact my clients and cause me to be booted out of the legal profession forever. I was scared of what experienced lawyers would say about a new lawyer going solo without "paying her dues" at a law firm first. I was afraid of my friends and family thinking and saying "who does she think she is to open her own law practice?" ​ On September 1, 2010, I launched my practice anyway and announced it to everyone I knew. I got up the courage to overcome my fear of rejection and experienced many benefits as a result. ​ You know what else I experienced? Rejection. ​ Yes, all my fears actually came true. In fact, the reality was far worse than what I feared would happen. ​ I did have friends and family members tell me that they thought it was a terrible idea for me to start my own practice and that I should've taken one of the jobs offered to me. ​ I did have clients choose not to hire me because I wasn't experienced enough. ​ And I did have fellow lawyers reject me in a quite spectacular fashion. A group of older lawyers wrote articles on their very popular blogs about the audacity of this young Black female lawyer who dared to start her own practice when clearly she is incompetent, unethical and one mistake away from being disbarred. These posts were shared by damn near every lawyer I knew on Twitter, even friends! ​ I was completely and utterly rejected by my professional community. ​ And while that experience definitely devastated me and I laid on the couch in utter humiliation for several days in the aftermath, today I'm glad it happened. ​ I know that is a cheesy platitude that you don't want to hear but I can't help but say it because it's true. ​ That rejection was painful and yet it helped me understand who my audience is and who it isn't. It helped me to understand that rejection does not mean you can't still make money and have a thriving business. It helped me to realize that a few old white guy's (viral) opinions of me doesn't actually stop me unless I choose to stop. ​ It also made me realize why I disagreed with them. It helped me get in touch with my mission: to help historically and systemically entrepreneurs build wealth, even if they are inexperienced. And it helped me get bolder. Once I realized that other people's opinions can't kill me, I became more badass and less fearful. ​ The #1 reason why you are underearning is this. ​ I have been working with entrepreneurs since 2010. When you work with the same population for 13 years, you start to pick up patterns. ​ Here is the pattern: your fear of rejection is keeping you broke. [An image of a thread post where I say "maybe you're not making any money in your business because not being rejected is more important to you than making money."] An image of a Threads post where I say "maybe you're not making any money in your business because not being rejected is more important to you than making money." ​ When you say "I don't know what to do" or "I am overwhelmed" it is often masking the truth that you just don't want to be rejected. And the best way to not be rejected is to not launch your business, not ask for the sale, not ask for the meeting, not hire that first employee, not take a chance on that big idea. Unfortunately, this is also the best way to limit your dreams and prevent your income from growing. ​ The opposite of income growth isn't income decline. Perhaps the opposite of income growth is the fear of rejection. That is what is standing between you and the money you'd like to make. ​ If you're ready to take action and stop letting fear limit your income, here are some things you can do: ​ - Join a community of folks who are doing the thing that you want to do. Community support is so crucial to facing your fears. If you fear being shunned by your community when you pursue your dreams, get a new community! Find a group of people who 100% support your entrepreneurship dreams and who are pursuing the same. - Practice 10 seconds of courage. It takes less than 10 seconds to go from standing on the side of the pool to jumping in. Likewise, once you write the email announcing your business or asking for the sale, it takes less than 10 seconds to hit send. Make 10 seconds of courage a daily practice. Whether it's blurting out a truth to a friend that you've always wanted to share, publishing a bold post on social media, or hitting start on that challenging workout video. The more you practice courage, the more courage you'll have for bigger risks. - Get therapy. Some of us are High Rejection Sensitive people and will require more help to overcome it. Get yourself a therapist to work out past rejections and begin to heal. If fear of rejection has had you stuck for a long time, this is one of the best investments you can make to growing your income. ​ If I would have let my fear of rejection stop me back then, I never would have launched Hello Seven or written We Should All Be Millionaires. And if I hadn't done that, there might be thousands of dope entrepreneurs out there who wouldn't have launched their businesses and gained financial freedom. ​ If you struggle with overcoming your fear of rejection for yourself, do it for your future customers, future viewers and future readers. There are people who are out there waiting for you to come solve their problem. ​ Do it for them. ​ xo, Rachel ​ PS: Ready to overcome your fear of rejection? Here's three ways my team and I can help: ​ - Join The Club. The Club is my community for diverse professionals and entrepreneurs who are ready to grow their income by building a profitable, sustainable business. In The Club, you'll receive high quality business training, weekly live coaching and a dope, supportive community to help you achieve your goals. [Join the waitlist here.](​ - Come to ROI. ROI: The Millionaire Summit is my annual conference for diverse entrepreneurs. Come be loved on, educated, dance and celebrate life with people who get you. ROI is happening January 17 - 19, 2024 in beautiful, sunny Puerto Rico. [Get your ticket here.]() - Get trained as a Hello Seven Coach. As a Hello Seven Coach, you will learn how to coach entrepreneurs through mindset challenges (like fear of rejection) and every stage of business growth. Registration for the next cohort opens soon. [Join the waitlist here.](=) [[instagram]​]()[[facebook]​]()[[twitter]​](=)[[linkedin]​](=) [Website]( | [About Us](=) | [Contact Us](=)​ ​[Unsubscribe]( · [Preferences](​ ​