The Confidence Gap in Business

Why Women Doubt Themselves (Even When They’re Overqualified)

We don’t talk about it enough, the way so many brilliant, capable, talented women quietly doubt themselves.

Not because they’re lacking experience, skill, or drive.
But because somewhere along the way, they learned to question their worth.

This is what I call the confidence gap… that invisible space between what we’re capable of and what we actually believe about ourselves. And for women in business, it can quietly shape everything: our pricing, our decisions, our visibility, our voice.

Let’s be honest. Many of us aren’t held back by a lack of strategy.

We’re held back by a lack of self-belief.

So, what is the confidence gap?

It’s that frustrating mismatch between your actual competence and your internal confidence.

You know you’re good at what you do. People tell you all the time. You’ve got results, experience, qualifications, but there’s still a part of you whispering, “Who am I to charge that much?” or “I’ll launch it when I’m more ready.”

Sound familiar?

Studies have shown women are far less likely to put themselves forward for opportunities unless they meet every requirement. Meanwhile, men often go for things when they’re about 60% ready. (Let that sink in.)

In business, that looks like:

• Delaying launches until everything’s “perfect.”

• Charging less than your work is worth.

• Playing small because visibility feels scary.

• Second-guessing decisions that your gut already knows are right.

It’s exhausting and it’s actually costing you growth.

Why do so many women fall into this trap?

Because confidence doesn’t live in your business plan, it lives in your story.

Most of us grew up around women who didn’t feel powerful in their own lives. We watched them people-please, play small, apologise for taking up space. Not because they wanted to, but because they’d been taught that’s what “good women” do.

And so we learned to be careful. To be grateful. To stay safe.
To work hard, but not too loud.

That conditioning doesn’t just disappear when you start a business. It sneaks in through your pricing, your boundaries, your marketing voice, your camera-shy moments, your need to over-deliver.

Let’s break down a few of the main culprits:

1. Generational patterns

If your mum (or grandmother) struggled with self-esteem or self-expression, it’s likely you inherited more than her eye colour. We pick up the emotional coding of our environment. “Be humble,” “Don’t show off,” “Don’t make people uncomfortable”, all innocent phrases that quietly dim our light.

2. Perfectionism disguised as preparation

“I’ll launch when it’s ready.”
“I’ll increase my prices when I’m more established.”
“I’ll speak on stage when I’ve got more experience.”
Truth bomb: You’ll never feel ready. Confidence is built in motion, not before it.

3. Imposter syndrome

Even when you’re wildly capable, you might still feel like a fraud. You downplay your wins, brush off compliments, and think everyone else has it more figured out. Spoiler: they don’t.

4. Societal conditioning

We’re raised to be agreeable, not assertive. To avoid being “too much.” But business requires us to be visible, to lead, to sell, to stand out. That can feel like emotional whiplash when everything you’ve been taught tells you to blend in.

5. Lack of mirrors

When you don’t see many women like you doing what you dream of, it’s harder to imagine yourself there. Confidence needs evidence and sometimes you have to become the evidence for the next woman coming up behind you.

How the confidence gap quietly caps your growth

It’s sneaky because it doesn’t always shout. It whispers things like:
“Don’t raise your prices yet.”
“You’re not ready to outsource.”
“They probably wouldn’t pay that much for your work.”

And those whispers keep you playing smaller than you’re meant to.

Here’s how it shows up in real life:

• Under-charging — you tell yourself it’s “fair,” but really it’s fear.

• Overworking — trying to prove your worth through hustle.

• Over-delivering — because you can’t bear the idea of someone being disappointed.

• Avoiding visibility — staying behind the scenes where it’s safe.

• Decision fatigue — analysing every move because you don’t fully trust yourself yet.

The result? You end up doing more, earning less, and wondering why your business still doesn’t feel as good as it looks on paper.

How to close the gap (without faking confidence)

Let’s be clear: confidence isn’t about pretending.
It’s about building self-trust, one brave action at a time.

Here’s how to start:

1. Act before you feel ready

Stop waiting for confidence to arrive before you move. Do the thing while you’re nervous. The feeling comes after the action, not before. Each time you stretch, you build new evidence that you can.

2. Collect your own proof

Keep a “win list.” Big or small, personal or professional, note every moment that shows your growth, impact, or courage. Read it back when self-doubt creeps in. Confidence is just evidence you’ve decided to believe.

3. Challenge your internal dialogue

Notice when you’re being self-critical. Would you say those words to a friend? If not, they don’t belong in your head either. Rewrite the narrative:
“I’m learning.”
“I’m improving.”
“I’m allowed to take up space.”

4. Surround yourself with expanders

Confidence is contagious. Spend time with women who are unapologetically doing the thing, not because they’re fearless, but because they’ve learned to move through the fear. If you don’t have that circle yet, find one (my Skool community is a good place to start).

5. Raise your rates (and your standards)

Every time you undercharge, you reinforce the belief that you’re not worth more. Every time you say yes when you mean no, you dilute your energy. Set the bar higher and watch how people rise to meet it.

A personal note…

I’ve seen this pattern over and over, in clients, in friends, in myself.
It’s not arrogance we need to build; it’s permission.

Permission to stop waiting for perfection.
Permission to believe that “good enough” is more than enough.
Permission to take up space without apology.

Because when women close that confidence gap, everything changes.
They price differently. They speak differently. They parent differently. They lead differently.

And most importantly, they model something powerful for the next generation, that confidence isn’t about ego. It’s about self-trust, self-respect, and the courage to back yourself even when you’re shaking.

Ready to bridge your own confidence gap?

If this hit a nerve (the good kind), know that this is exactly the work I do, helping women close the gap between knowing and believing. Between potential and proof. Between busy and bold.

If you’re ready to grow your business from a place of confidence, clarity, and calm power, not fear or overthinking — join my Skool community here.

Let’s stop waiting to feel ready. Let’s do it now, imperfectly, unapologetically, together.