Episode Summary: "Why You're Waiting To Feel Established"

Grow Your Local Business with Leslie Presnall
Episode 151 – March 17, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Leslie Presnall, a local marketing expert and life coach, explores a powerful mindset barrier that holds many business owners back: the belief that you must achieve certain milestones before feeling “established.” Drawing from a recent coaching session with a successful student, Leslie unpacks how this hidden thought pattern impacts marketing, business confidence, and growth. She offers actionable advice on shifting perspective and feeling established now, so listeners can take bolder action and accelerate their results.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Coaching Context (00:20)

• Leslie introduces a case study from her Localpreneur Academy: a high-performing student running after-school and summer programs for girls.
• Despite strong client retention and steadily filling classes, the student wants to reach more families and fill her programs faster.

2. Surface-Level Challenges vs. Underlying Mindset (01:40)

• The student's challenges:

  • Parents wait until the last minute to sign up
  • She rents venues, not owning a physical location
  • Not fully booked yet, despite consistent enrollment

• Leslie and her student initially focus on marketing tactics (e.g., email follow-ups, creative promotions) but discover a deeper mental block.

3. The Sneaky Thought: "I'm Not Established" (04:00)

• The real issue: the student carries a belief that she's "not established," which triggers imposter syndrome and embarrassment, especially when seeking collaborations.

"Sometimes the thing keeping you where you are…is not the strategy. It’s not your offer, it’s not your audience, it’s a thought you are having. It’s a belief you have that feels so true…"
— Leslie Presnall [05:40]

• This belief led her to:
  • Hold back on outreach
  • Second-guess marketing actions
  • Minimize follow-ups and collaborations

4. The Thought-Result Cycle (07:20)

• Leslie explains how thoughts create feelings → feelings drive actions → actions lead to results.
• By thinking “I’m not established,” the student acts in ways that reinforce that belief, creating self-fulfilling evidence.

"If you think you’re not established, you will act like you’re not established, and then you’ll just keep proving that thought true. That is why this matters so much."
— Leslie Presnall [07:40]

5. Redefining “Established” (08:00)

• Leslie challenges the common misconception:
  • “Established” is not having a venue, tenure, or a completely full roster.
  • It’s a subjective feeling that varies by person.

“Established is a feeling. It’s not having your own physical location…it’s not having every single class fully booked…Established is a feeling.”
— Leslie Presnall [08:50]

• She prompts listeners to notice when they’re postponing confidence, legitimacy, or credibility to an undefined future milestone.

6. Feelings Follow Thoughts, Not Circumstances (09:30)

• Leslie emphasizes: waiting for circumstances to change (e.g., full bookings, a certain reputation) delays growth.
• Shifting to thoughts that foster the “established” feeling now fuels proactive, confident actions.

“Our thoughts create our feelings. So she could wait on all of those things to happen…and then in the future be like, okay, now check, check, check. I am established. But I told her, I was like, why wait on that?”
— Leslie Presnall [10:14]

7. Choose Empowering Thoughts Now (11:00)

• New, believable thoughts—not overblown affirmations—are key. For example:
  • “I have something real.”
  • “I am an established business.”
  • “I know I can help people get results.”

“The new thought doesn’t have to be, I’m the most established person in my city. Maybe it’s just I have something real, I have something amazing to offer. I am an established business. I am a legitimate business.”
— Leslie Presnall [11:50]

• The difference these thoughts make is not just internal; they lead to more emails sent, more collaborations pitched, and increased visibility—which, in turn, create the evidence of being established.

8. Practical Reflection for Listeners (12:20)

• Leslie recommends listeners ask themselves:
  • What belief is keeping me small? (“I’m not established,” “I’m too new,” “People won’t take me seriously”)
  • Where am I waiting for a result before letting myself feel confident or established?

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Self-Perpetuating Beliefs:
  “You create more and more evidence that you’re not established because our thoughts always create our results.”
  — Leslie Presnall [07:30]

• On the Subjectivity of ‘Established’:
  “If I asked 10 business owners to define what established means, we would for sure get 10 different answers…Why not? I love that definition. If you can help someone get a result or transformation and you are open for business, you are established.”
  — Leslie Presnall [09:45]

• On the Power of Mindset:
  “The version of you who gets the results that you want has to be thinking the way that version of you who has the results would be thinking.”
  — Leslie Presnall [11:30]

• Closing Challenge:
  “Stop waiting for the outside evidence, for the circumstances to change, to feel the way you want to feel…The feeling can come first.”
  — Leslie Presnall [12:10]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:20] – Introducing the case study and common business owner mindset
• [04:00] – Discovery of the core thought: “I’m not established”
• [07:20] – How thoughts create the business reality
• [08:00] – Redefining what “established” means
• [09:30] – The fallacy of waiting for circumstances
• [11:00] – Adopting powerful new thoughts
• [12:20] – Self-reflection prompts for listeners and episode wrap

Takeaways

• Feeling "established" isn’t granted by external milestones or circumstances; it’s driven by your thoughts.
• Noticing and changing limiting beliefs (like “I’m not established”) unlocks braver marketing actions, faster growth, and greater business confidence.
• You can—and should—cultivate the mindset and feelings you desire now, rather than waiting for some future proof.

Recommended Action:
Reflect on where you’re postponing the feelings of confidence, legitimacy, or establishment in your business, and challenge yourself to adopt empowering thoughts today.