Introverted Entrepreneur Selena Soo on Boldly Being You

Are you hard on yourself sometimes? Does the idea of putting yourself out there for the world to see cause your heart to race?

That’s exactly how Selena Soo (@selena_soo) used to feel. In fact, sometimes she still feels that way.

But as entrepreneurs, visibility is a huge part of growing our businesses and our brands—even if you’re an introvert like me and the thought of stepping into the spotlight is scary.

A couple of years ago, she knew it was time for some new photos to really amp up my brand.

So on a trip to Greece, she hired a photographer and went about trying to find some outfits. The photographer, Aleksandr, asked her, “Would you like to rent one of our famous fly dresses?”

Scrolling through his Instagram account, she saw that his dresses were bold and extravagant. 

There was one in particular that caught her eye—the red one. But she noticed that everyone wearing that dress styled it in a very sultry way, which is not her thing for a business photo shoot.

Yet that red dress had her hooked. It was like every inch of her soul was screaming, “Selena – put yourself out there! Be glamorous and powerful!”But then she had her doubts. “Won’t people think I’m full of myself?” She had horrific visions of posting a photo wearing this dress on social media and getting a comment like, “Who does she think she is? She looks ridiculous pretending to be a Grecian princess!” 

Every day, she helps empower my students and clients to break out of their comfort zones in order to reach their full potential and change hundreds, thousands, or even millions of lives with their work.

Promoting someone else? Easy! 

Turning the spotlight on myself? Terrifying!

But then she remembered what she is passionate about: Creating more role models. Elevating the voices of powerful people who haven’t quite acknowledged how powerful they really are. Helping people unlock their potential, share their gifts, and become the person they were always meant to be. 

She had to give myself some tough love. If she wanted to make the difference she was called to make, she said she knew that she needed to try something new and embrace it as an opportunity for growth.

If I truly wanted to be a role model, then she will need to practice what she preaches to her students and to step up and be the boldest, bravest version of herself.

So Selena went for it! Selena put on the red dress, stepped in front of the camera, and took a chance.

When she posted the first image, she says that it was a surprise to find that people weren’t making negative comments. Instead, they were encouraging me with words like “awesome,” “inspiring,” “empowered,” “beautiful.”

As an introverted entrepreneur, this was one of many times that you have to learn to take a leap of faith in order to step into your true self. So if you know it’s time to put yourself out there but you’re afraid to take the leap, here’s her advice:

Treat every new challenge as the next step in living out your purpose.

Selena says she challenges you to step up, show up, and conquer something new. She dares you to move forward in the direction of your dreams… and step into who you’re truly meant to be.