When starting a new business, you have a lot on your mind... For instance: how are you going to fund your brilliant idea? What exactly is this brilliant idea? And how are you supposed to make your dream a reality? These are all perfectly reasonable - and important - things to consider, but it may worth your while to take a step back and consider your mindset.

Your outlook has an impact on everything you do - and how you do it. So, when it comes to entrepreneurship, having a productive mentality is key. In her article, The 5 Most Common Mistakes First-Time Entrepreneurs Make, Sarah Tyrell lists "Underestimating Mindset" as point 3. She defines mindset as "the established set of attitudes held by someone" and says that you should be careful not to underestimate your way of thinking when starting a new business because if you begin to make assumptions about automatic, continuous motivation and focus, you'll likely be disappointed down the line. As a rule of thumb, you shouldn't assume anything. That great gusto you feel today could be gone tomorrow.

Often, entrepreneurs will start off feeling confident and then find imposter syndrome sneaking up on them. Focusing on your outlook is critical when it comes to avoiding imposter syndrome and the accompanying fear of failure. And even experts aren't immune to imposter syndrome. Many entrepreneurs turn to business coaches or networks such as The Female Entrepreneur Association for support and to hold themselves accountable when it comes to their mindset.

A business mindset is a way of thinking that enables you to uncover and see problems as opportunities and then turn these opportunities into a business. This means acknowledging that everything you see is a result of someone having an idea and then implementing it.

There are two mindsets that people typically have when it comes to their work: a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. Psychologist, Carol Dweck, of Stanford University, differentiates these mentalities as follows:

Individuals who believe in their capacity to develop talents through hard work, effective strategies, and external input have a growth mindset. They are likely to achieve more than those with fixed mindsets for the simple reason that they will put more energy into learning new things. People with a growth mindset are also less concerned about being perceived as clever or talented by other people.

On the flip side, someone with a fixed mindset may believe that they're a "natural genius" - that they're good at certain things without even trying. This can, of course, be the case in certain instances, but this doesn't mean that you can't develop new skills or improve upon existing ones. Oftentimes, the idea of being a "natural genius" can lead to a sense of inadequacy when you don't get the outcome you hoped for at the first try.

If you were to acquire a growth mindset, you wouldn't let this setback stop you, but would rather see it as a stepping stone onto the next best thing. Adopting a growth mindset can be very beneficial when starting a new business. So, with that in mind, let's take a dive into 10 top tools to develop a growth mindset in business:

Taking accountability for the way in which you respond to situations is key. To run a successful business, you need to be able to own up to your errors as well as your accomplishments.

Acknowledging your responsibility even - and especially - when you've gotten something wrong is critical to good leadership. And if your employees see you taking responsibility for your actions, they're more likely to follow suit.

The grass is always greener on the other side.

Try not to fixate on your competitors. While it may be useful to know what they're doing and how, there's no point in focusing solely on what they have and what you lack as this will distract you from important things happen in your own business.

Stay focused on what your mission is. The rest will come with time and commitment.

This should go without saying but you can't be 10x better than your competition, to quote Zero to One, if you don't really know what you're talking about. If your services or products are truly exceptional, they'll be easier to sell than if they're mediocre. So, work hard on becoming an expert in whatever it is that you are doing and trying to sell.

While it's important to acknowledge where you've gone wrong, it helps no one to obsess over failure. So, you messed up the last delivery and upset a customer. That is bad and you should take responsibility for that, but it doesn't mean that that's all that you're capable of. Use this as a learning curve so that next time, not only will you deliver your product to the correct address but you'll be quick about it too.

If you need any more inspiration here, just consider that J.K. Rowling, bestselling author of the Harry Potter series, thought that she was the definition of failure at the time she was writing her first Harry Potter book and trying to get it published. She was a single-mother, unemployed, on welfare, depressed, and was rejected by almost every major publishing house in the UK. But she persevered.

As Rowling says:

"Failure gave me an inner security that I had never attained by passing examinations. Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way. I discovered that I had a strong will, and more discipline than I had suspected; I also found out that I had friends whose value was truly above the price of rubies."

So, don't let failure get you down and don't fixate on what's gone wrong. Learn from your disappointments and, with any luck, you could have a marvellous story of triumph like the author of Harry Potter.

No, you don't need to go on a silent retreat in the middle of nowhere to "find yourself". (Unless you want to.) Finding your purpose just means finding the point of what you are doing.

What pain point is your product or service addressing? Why is it important? Once you have established WHY you are doing what you do and WHO you are doing it for, you will be better able to provide real value to your customers.

Being an entrepreneur isn't easy. If it were, every Tom, Dick, and Harry would start their own thriving business. You can't be like that annoying kid at school who put in the bare minimum amount of work when it came to group projects. When starting your own business, you have to be like that nerdy, overachieving kid who did all the work and even color-coded the presentation slides...

In other words, the whole "overnight success" story is a myth. Real success takes a lot of time and hard work.

Perfectionism is often a symptom of imposter syndrome - of feeling that you are a fraud and aren't really as competent as you've led others believe. According to Healthline, perfectionists may even avoid trying new things for fear of not being able to execute them perfectly the first time around. This won't get you far as an entrepreneur because entrepreneurs need to be able to take risks.

Your business is not going to be perfect, not because you're not amazing and you don't have great ideas or a great work ethic, but just because it's impossible to be perfect.

Mistakes happen, things break, people let you down. It may be scary but you need to get comfortable with the idea that it isn't going to be perfect and you don't have to wait for something to be perfect before releasing it into the big, wide world. Just give it a try, see how people respond, and take it from there.

Of course, to stay in business, you need to be making a profit, but focusing solely on the money won't necessarily make your business the best one out there. Studies show that the most successful businesses aren't profit-obsessed. Rather, they are businesses that focus on:

Without careful consideration of these four pillars, your business may not be as successful as you'd like it to be. If you are focusing on growing your business, increased profit should be a nice side effect of growth. Moreover, by constantly improving your product or service, there will be more demand for it and more good publicity from happy customers - who will be even happier if your customer service is on point. And happy employees are 13% more productive than unhappy employees.

A business will always reflect the character of its owner and leaders. The most effective entrepreneur is one who is self-aware, who can realistically assess his/her own abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and the gaps in his/her own competency.

Entrepreneurs who are self-aware are more capable of perceiving others accurately and helping them to align their team's strengths with the business. Self-awareness also enables you to make better decisions and to cultivate a personal brand that is genuine.

According to an article published on Entrepreneur.com, gratitude leads to better connection and trust between people. Gratitude has also been found to increase self-esteem and resilience. Being thankful for all that you have means that you will appreciate your employees' efforts more, which will, in turn, improve team morale. Additionally, studies show that people who express gratitude have fewer aches, pains, and even psychological problems! They're also more prone to a good night's sleep, which is crucial to productivity.

Starting your own business is no mean feat. You have to be prepared for many setbacks and disappointments. However, if you manage to cultivate the right attitude and a mindset focused on growing rather than perfection or genius, you'll be taking a step on the right path.