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How to Stay on Track in Uncertain Times (Without Spiraling or Shutting Down)

When things feel shaky, here’s how to steady yourself—and your business.

There’s nothing like uncertainty in the world to get you spiraling. You can work all day and feel like you’ve done nothing. You can spin your wheels mentally without ever moving forward. You can go from confident CEO to anxious disaster-prepper in 30 seconds flat.

And if you’re an ecommerce store owner right now, with talk of new tariffs, rising costs, and economic slowdowns — you might be feeling it even more.

“What I want you to know is that none of what’s happening right now in this period of time means that you are destined to fail.”

It just means you need a new approach — one that keeps you grounded in facts, not fear.

Get Clear About What’s Actually Worrying You

The first step to dealing with uncertainty isn’t fixing anything. It’s naming what’s wrong.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, your brain tries to solve a thousand problems at once — without really knowing what any of them are. No wonder you feel stuck.

When you get to that place where you’re cycling all day long… you’re working really hard, but you’re not really getting anything done. You need to block off a little time and write it down. Get the worries out of your head and onto paper. Be specific.

Are you afraid you’ll lose customers if you raise prices?
Are you worried your supplier might go out of business?
Are you anxious that a recession would kill your sales?

It doesn’t matter what the fear is — just name it. Because when you can name it, you can start dealing with it.

Gather Facts, Not Feelings

Once you know what’s worrying you, it’s time to get curious — not catastrophic.

“You can gather a few facts so that you will be prepared to make decisions based on data when you have the facts.”

That means running some numbers, sketching out a few different scenarios, and being honest about what it would actually mean for your business.

For example, if you’re worried about needing to raise your prices:

• Calculate what your cost increases would really look like.
• Focus on maintaining your profit in dollars, not just percentages.
• Would your retail prices need to go up 10%? 15%? Is that truly deal-breaking for your customers?

Or if you’re worried about supply chain disruptions:

• Check how much inventory you have.
• Figure out how many months’ worth of your best-sellers you’d need to feel secure.
• Write down where you would start looking for backup suppliers — just in case.

The goal isn’t to fix the future. It’s to make a plan you can reach for if you need it — and then put it down until you do need it.

Do the Thinking Once — Then Let It Go

After you’ve made your list, explored your options, and run a few numbers, step away.

Seriously.

You don’t need to obsessively revisit your plan every day. You don’t need to solve problems you don’t actually have yet. You have your plan. You have your fallback. That’s enough.

“Once you’ve identified what’s keeping you up at night, you just need to block off some time to get it on paper… and then allow yourself to let it go.”

Now you’re ready to stop worrying about the future and start focusing on what matters: the present.

Focus on What Your Business Needs Today

When everything feels shaky, the best thing you can do is zoom back into the now.

What does your business need today?
What’s already working that you can do more of?
Where do you need a small fix, not a major overhaul?

To help with this, consider adopting the habit one of our Inner Circle members, Michelle Smith of Mama Suds, created. Michelle runs a thriving natural cleaning products business, and when she found herself overwhelmed with questions and uncertainties (especially from her MBA-holding husband!), she started writing a simple weekly update about her business. Every week, she would jot down her wins, roadblocks, and key numbers. Not only did it help her communicate clearly, it gave her a way to step back, see what was working, and stay grounded—even when the future felt uncertain.

You can do the same thing. Every week, just jot down:

• Wins (big or small)
• Challenges or roadblocks
• Key numbers (like sales, website traffic, or inventory needs)
• What you’re focusing on next

It doesn’t have to be formal. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It’s just a way to anchor yourself in what’s real, instead of spinning out over what-ifs.

You’re the Driver, Not the Forecast

Is the economy a factor? Sure.  Are rising costs frustrating? Absolutely. Are there things you can’t control? Of course.

But you are still the number one driver of your business.

“The store owner’s abilities have a much bigger impact on the success of the business than the economy.”

You’ve already solved a thousand problems to get here.  You can handle this, too.

So don’t get stuck waiting for certainty. Make a plan. Focus on today. And trust that your next good decision will lead you to the one after that.

You’ve got this.

RELATED LINKS:

Check out Michelle’s site Mama Suds: https://www.mamasuds.com/

Ditch your decision fatigue. I’m giving you my framework.
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/ditch-your-decision-fatigue-im-giving-you-my-framework-its-brilliant-episode-186/

3 Things You Can Do To Be More Profitable Today
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/3-things-you-can-do-to-be-more-profitable-today-episode-219/

This Will Get You Unstuck
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/this-will-get-you-unstuck-episode-233/

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