Shame destroys businesses from the inside out. You won’t see it on the balance sheet or profit and loss statement, but it still affects our choices, leadership, and how we handle challenges. Most business owners don’t talk about it, but shame is one of the biggest reasons why businesses stall or fail. When we let shame take over, we make poor decisions, avoid necessary risks, and struggle to lead with clarity. If we want long-term success, we must face our shame and stop letting it control how we operate.
Shame tells us we are not good enough, smart enough, or capable enough. It whispers that we don’t belong in the rooms we’re in and that it’s only a matter of time before people find out we’re not as competent as we pretend to be. This leads to fear-based leadership. We hide mistakes, avoid feedback, and struggle to admit when we don’t know something. Instead of focusing on growing the business, we waste energy trying to protect our image.
Imagine a business owner who started strong but faced a major setback — maybe a product launch failed, or a big client walked away. If that owner carries shame, they might see this failure as proof that they’re not good enough. Instead of analyzing what went wrong and adjusting, they spiral into self-doubt, avoid team meetings, and refuse to ask for help. The business starts losing direction because the leader is no longer showing up with confidence or honesty. Shame blocks growth because it keeps us stuck in fear and isolation.
Shame also affects how we treat our team. If we feel inadequate, we might overcompensate by micromanaging or blaming others for mistakes. Or we might avoid confrontation entirely, hoping problems will solve themselves. Neither approach works. Healthy leadership requires clear thinking, responsibility, and the ability to make decisions without getting caught in our ego. When we let shame run the show, we become reactive and inconsistent, which leads to confusion and mistrust in our team. That eventually shows up in poor results and lost revenue.
Another place shame shows up is in how we handle money. Some business owners overspend to impress others or to feel like they’ve “made it.” Others undercharge out of fear they’re not worth it. Both patterns are driven by shame, not logic. To run a profitable business, we need to be honest about our value, make smart investments, and set prices that reflect the real worth of what we offer. Shame clouds our judgment and leads us into financial decisions that can destroy a business.
Shame keeps us from asking for help, too. We believe we have to figure it out alone, or we’re weak. But successful business owners build networks, seek advice, and invest in their own development. If we’re stuck in shame, we think we’re the problem, instead of realizing that running a business is hard and support is not only helpful — it’s necessary.
To succeed, we must deal with shame directly. That means we stop pretending we have it all together and start being honest about where we struggle. It means learning to separate our self-worth from our results. A failed project doesn’t make us failures. A slow month doesn’t mean we’re not cut out for this. The more we face our shame, the more clearly we can think, lead, and grow.
Business is not just about numbers; it’s about people. And people bring their emotions, fears, and experiences into everything they do. Shame might have been helpful in the past — maybe it stopped us from letting people down or helped us cope in a hard situation. But in business, shame just weighs us down and gets in the way. It limits our ability to lead, to connect, and to succeed.
We owe it to ourselves and to our business to face this head-on. When we deal with shame, we become more confident, more resilient, and more focused. We lead with clarity, make better decisions, and create an environment where our team can thrive. Shame has no place in success. Let’s not allow it to quietly destroy everything we’ve worked to build.
Get Support
You don’t have to let shame run your business. With the right support, you can overcome self-doubt and start making clear, confident decisions. Book a session with Jonathan Riley at My Practice Counselling Melbourne to work through the emotional blocks holding your business back.
👉 Book now: https://mypracticecounselling.com.au/