If you’re an SME leader, you’ve likely heard a voice whisper things like:

“Who are you to scale this business?”
“You’re not ready.”
“Others are more qualified than you.”

That voice? It’s your inner critic—the invisible opponent living in your head rent-free. And if left unchecked, it can derail not just your confidence, but your entire scaling journey.

Psyche, the first of our 10 Simple Scaling Principles, focuses on the mental game of leadership—because no strategy will land if your psyche is working against you. The inner critic is one of the most persistent barriers we see in SME founders and CEOs who are trying to scale year-on-year.

Let’s break down what this voice is, why it shows up, and how you can move beyond it to lead—and scale—with confidence.

Why the Inner Critic Shows Up Most During Growth

When we step into unfamiliar territory—new revenue levels, bigger teams, market expansion—we activate the part of our brain wired to keep us “safe.” And safety, to the brain, means familiarity.

That’s why many leaders feel the inner critic’s voice get louder just when they should be leaning in.

In Chapter 1 of Simple Scaling, I shared my own experience stepping into the CEO role at CDE Global. There was a real weight of expectation: to provide inspiration, clarity, vision—and an actionable plan to get there. But I’ll be honest: I didn’t feel ready.

The critic in my head told me I wasn’t enough. Not experienced enough. Not strategic enough. Not credible enough. Sound familiar?

The voice of doubt always shows up where growth begins. Your job isn’t to silence it with brute force. Your job is to reframe it with truth.

Recognising the Voice: Signs Your Inner Critic Is Running the Show

Here’s how you know the inner critic is in charge:

• You hesitate before making decisions you know are right.
• You find yourself playing small, even when you have big ambitions.
• You compare yourself to other leaders and always fall short.
• You hold back from opportunities because you don’t “feel” ready.
• You second-guess your worth, despite the results you’ve created.

If these sound familiar, know this: you are not alone.

In fact, the more capable you are, the more likely you are to hear the critic. Why? Because you’re constantly pushing beyond your comfort zone. And the critic hates discomfort.

From Saboteur to Signal: Reframing the Inner Critic

Here’s the breakthrough: your inner critic is not the enemy. It’s a signal. It’s telling you where your next leadership edge lies.

What we should be doing is exploring how the inner critic often reveals the very thing we need to address—whether it’s a past fear, a current insecurity, or a limiting belief from earlier in life.

Try this:

1. Name the Voice – Give it a persona. Is it “Imposter Ian”? “Perfectionist Paula”? This small act creates distance.
2. Question the Belief – Ask: “Is this true? Or is this fear dressed as fact?”
3. Flip the Script – If the critic says, “You’re not ready”, reply with: “Growth means doing it before I feel ready.”

This isn’t about “fake it till you make it.” It’s about grounding yourself in evidence, not emotion.

What Scaling Leaders Do Differently

High-performing SME leaders don’t eliminate their inner critic. They build tools to work with it, not against it.

From the Simple Scaling Accelerator Programme, we’ve seen hundreds of founders apply three core tools to quiet the noise and scale forward:

✅ Clarity of Vision – The clearer your purpose, the quieter your doubts
✅ Trusted Circle – A peer group or mentor who helps challenge false beliefs
✅ Daily Practice – Journaling, breathwork, mindfulness—tools that restore centre

These practices help you regulate, refocus, and return to truth over noise.

A powerful quote from Victor Frankl we used in our book emphasises this even more, “What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.”

Why This Matters More Than Ever

In today’s business climate, SME leaders are bombarded with noise—market changes, AI disruption, economic uncertainty. But the real battlefield is still internal.

If you let your inner critic win, you’ll:

• Stay stuck in your comfort zone
• Miss opportunities because of fear
• Lead from hesitation instead of conviction
• Burn out trying to overcompensate for self-doubt

But if you learn to work through the voice?

You’ll step into your next level of leadership with grounded confidence—and scale not just your business, but your impact.

You Are the Voice Your Team Follows

The energy of the leader sets the tone for the entire organisation.

If your inner voice is filled with doubt, fear, or comparison, that energy ripples out. But when you model self-belief, clarity, and courage—even when it’s hard—you create a culture that mirrors those traits.

And that’s how scale happens. Not just in revenue—but in mindset, culture, and legacy.

So the next time the voice of your inner critic gets loud, ask yourself:

“What would I say to someone I love who’s trying to grow?”

Say it to yourself. Then scale forward.

Want More?

If this resonated, you’ll love what we explore in our ScaleX Accelerator Programme—where building the psyche for scale is not a side-note, but a starting point.

Ready to lead from clarity and confidence? Here’s some next steps you can take:

1. Get the Simple Scaling Book:

In 2022, Co-founders of Simple Scaling, Brendan McGurgan & Claire Colvin wrote their book outlining the 10 proven principles to 10x your business. It’s gone on to be a best seller on Amazon and is a must-read to grow your business & enhance your leadership skills. If you’d like to purchase it, click here.

2. Join our “Mastering The Psyche For Scaling Success” Sessions.

In March & May, we launch our live webinars to give a sneak peak into the strategies, tools and techniques that have helped leaders like the ones mentioned above achieve the success that they have whilst keeping their purpose and sustainability at the hear of it. Click here to sign up before all our spaces are filled.

3. Subscribe to the ScaleX Insider Podcast.

And if you enjoyed the content above, we’re at our 15th season of the ScaleX Insider podcast with many episodes released featuring Steven Bartlett, John Assaraf, Jack Daly and many more world-class guests. You can follow/subscribe on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts to hear more.

4. Join ScaleX Elevate.

If you’re the leader of a SME and generating between £750k – £3m annually, ScaleX Elevate was designed as a digitally delivered scaling programme for SME leaders purely to have you 2x your revenue within 3 years.  But in just 90 days, we show you your specific roadmap to scale your business with purpose and help you act on it along the way. If you’d like to work with us, click here or head to our ScaleX Elevate page for more info!

5. Join ScaleX Accelerator Programme.

At the start of every year, we gather 24 business leaders and work hands on with them through residentials, workshops & mastermind sessions to provide the roadmap to a successful scaling journey. Our Northern Ireland programme is underway and our London Programme is coming in June this year. If you’d like to secure a place, click here to find out more and join our waiting list.