If you’ve ever found yourself avoiding sales calls, second-guessing your marketing posts, or wondering why promoting your own work feels harder than doing it — this one’s for you. In this month’s newsletter, I share reflections from my own business journey and from coaching Emma Meheux, a marketing strategist who turned self-doubt into success — and wrote a book that has made it to the Amazon best seller lists in the process.

Running a business isn’t just about doing what you’re good at. It’s also about mastering the parts you’d rather avoid — and for many of us, that’s sales and marketing.

As a solo business owner, I know this first-hand. Like many of my clients, I’m confident in doing what “I am good at”, delivering transformation through coaching — that part comes naturally. It’s where I feel in flow, deeply connected to people, helping them see their own brilliance. But selling my service? Marketing it consistently? That can feel like a different game entirely — one where the rules keep changing and the pitch keeps moving. I am not alone.

Sales and marketing are the great levelers of business ownership. They test not only your knowledge and creativity but your resilience, identity, and belief in your own value. For some, it’s a question of confidence — the discomfort of asking for business, the fear of rejection, or the worry about coming across as “too pushy.” For others, it’s the overwhelm of choice — social media platforms multiplying, algorithms shifting, marketing trends that promise quick fixes but deliver confusion. What worked yesterday seems outdated today. And just when you think you’ve cracked the formula, the rules change again.

This often adds to existing overwhelm and confusion.

In many ways, this uncertainty mirrors the emotional landscape of entrepreneurship and running a small business itself. The truth is, most of us never set out to be salespeople or marketers — we set out to serve. To do the work we love, make a difference, and help others. Yet business demands all three: the heart of service, the art of selling and the art of marketing. Without one, the other struggles to survive.

I’ve witnessed this tension countless times in my coaching practice — talented professionals from every sector — consultants, creatives, educators, founders, tradespeople, leaders across public, private, voluntary, and charitable fields — all exceptional at what they do, yet often frozen by the idea of having to sell it.

They care deeply about their clients, pour energy into delivery, but hesitate when it comes to visibility. And often, it’s not lack of skill — it’s fear. Fear of being judged. Fear of not being good enough. Fear that success will somehow expose them rather than empower them.

One of my long-term clients, Emma Meheux, experienced this same battle from a very different angle. Emma is an exceptional sales and marketing strategist — someone who teaches others how to grow their visibility and build meaningful brands. Yet when we first started working together, she was caught in her own web of self-doubt. Balancing anxiety and neurodiversity with the demands of her consultancy, sales and marketing work, and the lifelong dream of publishing her first book, she found herself stretched thin and struggling to maintain focus and momentum.

Her world was fast, busy, and full of noise. She often described her thoughts as “ten browser tabs open at once.” Despite her knowledge of marketing, she struggled to give herself permission to slow down, focus, and breathe. Her fear wasn’t about not knowing what to do — it was about trusting that she could do it her way.

Over time, through structured coaching and honest reflection, Emma began to see herself more clearly. She learned to work with her mind, not against it — to find clarity in the chaos and confidence in her own rhythm. We explored how she could simplify her world: create structure without stifling creativity, build systems that supported rather than suffocated her, and embrace progress instead of perfection.

Eighteen months later, Emma has achieved what once felt impossible. Her first book, Sales Before Marketing has now already appeared on the Amazon best seller lists, and with some more marketing should continue to do well.

It was a project born not out of pressure, but out of purpose. What changed wasn’t just her output, but her outlook. She no longer sees her neurodiversity as an obstacle but as part of her creative edge. She’s found a way to grow her business that feels authentic, balanced, and sustainable.

And perhaps the most powerful thing about Sales Before Marketing is how it speaks to the rest of us — the coaches, founders, and small business owners who quietly dread the “selling” part of what we do. The book strips away the jargon and noise of modern marketing and brings us back to what really matters: understanding people, solving real problems, and communicating value with clarity.

Emma reminds us that sales doesn’t have to be about slick pitches or social media performance — it can be about genuine human connection. She challenges the idea that marketing should come first and instead shows how sustainable business growth begins with authentic relationships, not vanity metrics. For anyone who has ever felt uncomfortable promoting their work, Sales Before Marketing is both a practical guide and a reassuring conversation. It helps you see that the best sales strategies are often the most human ones.

Her journey reflects what so many entrepreneurs experience — the tug-of-war between doing the work you love and promoting it with confidence. Sales and marketing will always be a challenge because they require vulnerability. They ask you to be seen. They ask you to tell your story before anyone else can believe in it. And that’s not easy.

But like Emma, many of us can learn to replace fear with structure, overwhelm with systems, and self-doubt with belief. When we see sales not as pressure but as conversation — and marketing not as performance but as storytelling — we start to bridge that uncomfortable gap between who we are and how we show up in business.

For me, and for BigohCoaching, this is what coaching is truly about — helping people build the clarity to see themselves fully, the confidence to believe in their own worth, and the courage to take meaningful action. Because business isn’t just about growth in numbers. It’s about growth in self-understanding.

And maybe that’s the real secret: when you stop trying to sell and start trying to connect, everything else begins to flow.

If you’re a business owner who feels uneasy about sales or confused by marketing, know that you’re not alone. Every entrepreneur wrestles with visibility at some point. The key is to find your rhythm, tell your story honestly, and build systems that support — not drain — your energy. Get yourself a copy of Emma’s book, Sales Before Marketing.  It’s doing me wonders, might just do the same for you too.

Below are some links related to the book and Emma’s amazing work:
https://salesbeforemarketing.com/ (homepage of the Sales Before Marketing website)
https://salesbeforemarketing.com/book-overview/ (overview page of book website) 
https://amzn.eu/d/c0GzbmH (direct link to Amazon to buy the paperback, hardback and e-book version)

At BigohCoaching, we help you do exactly that: gain clarity, build confidence, and take action with purpose. Because when your business feels like you, it grows more naturally.

If this story resonated with you, follow BigohCoaching on LinkedIn or visit www.bigohcoaching.co.uk to learn more about our coaching for business owners and leaders.