Manage Social Anxiety More Effectively

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rebecca DiVerniero, Owner of Relationship-Solutions LLC., located in Las Vegas, NV, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I created the Social Anxiety Academy for socially anxious adults who want help managing their fears and improving their social, personal, and professional lives in ways that make them comfortable and happy.

Tell us about yourself

I was a Communication Studies professor for 18 years. I taught courses like Interpersonal Communication and Public Speaking and found that social anxiety was the cause of many of the issues keeping students from working on their skills in these areas. After almost two decades of tailoring the course content to socially anxious adults, I decided I also wanted to help the average person who may not be in college or never took courses on these topics. There are some basic Communication concepts, such as perception and self-concept, that can help socially anxious people reframe their fears of judgment and rejection.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Launching the academy was a big deal to me. It took three months of 12-hour days to get it set up to my liking, and I consistently produce new content each week. I wanted it to be the equivalent of a reference library for clients who need help managing their anxieties. They can pop in, purchase scripts or video lessons about the problems they are having, or sign up for monthly subscriptions and consume the content at a rate they prefer.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

As a socially anxious person, the amount of potential humiliation and rejection is something I've never thought I could possibly manage. I've had plenty of difficult work in the past. As a professor, I've had nasty things said about me in evaluations - both confidential ones and the ever-awful RateMyProfessor.com, but there was always much more positivity than negativity. I haven't reached that point in my business yet.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Even though the hustling is important, particularly because there's no one helping us, it's just as important to take mental health days. I'm overly dedicated to things I care about, but when you're a business owner, you can go months with no reward for that. So, even if you aren't making money yet, you still deserve a break once in a while.
Learn as much as possible about your options, and go with what makes the most sense to you. Watching other, more successful people, you're going to question your choices A LOT. Additionally, both people with and without businesses of their own are going to provide you with unsolicited advice. You have to determine what makes the most sense for your unique business.
Just because a launch or your bank statement doesn't look exactly as you'd hoped or expected doesn't mean you're failing. I really thought I'd be further along at this point, but I'm not, and it's ok. I took a two-week break in early September and came back with fresh ideas that are working well. So, when in doubt, remember tip #1.

Building a business is really hard. Don't worry about other people's expectations or judgments, though. They don't understand the kind of work you're putting in every day to make things happen.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://socialanxietyacademy.teachable.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/survivingsocialanxiety/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-diverniero/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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