No. Imposter syndrome tends to turn up at every new stage of growth, because every new stage is a room you haven’t been in before. Read it as proof you’ve moved, and stop giving it a vote on what you do next.
You’d think hitting your revenue goal would come with a little certificate that says “Fraud: cleared.” It doesn’t. You hit the number, you get one evening of feeling clever, and by Tuesday you’re sitting across from a bigger client wondering when they’ll notice you’re making it up. (You’re not. They won’t. It doesn’t help.)
Why it’s harder than it sounds
The polite advice says “own your success.” As if imposter syndrome reads your P&L. It doesn’t care that you doubled revenue. It cares that the meeting next week has people in it who make you feel 14.
The research is blunt about this. A systematic review of 62 studies and 14,161 participants, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine in 2020, found imposter syndrome was common in both men and women and “across a range of age groups (adolescents to late-stage professionals).” Late-stage professionals. That’s the women with the corner office and the reading glasses. Seniority is not a cure.
The same review found prevalence anywhere from 9% to 82%, depending on how it was measured. So nobody can tell you exactly how common it is. They can tell you it’s common.
What actually works
Expect it at every new level
One founder whose company hit six figures within six months said it plainly: “every time we level up, there’s a new level of imposter syndrome and stress.” Then the useful bit: “What it takes to get to five figures per month is not the same thing as it takes to get to six figures per month and then beyond.” The doubt means the job changed and nobody sent you the memo.
Name what’s new
Imposter feelings are vague on purpose. Pin them down. New client size? New price? First hire? First time on a stage? Once you know which bit is new, you can learn the bit, instead of questioning your whole existence over a pricing call.
Get into rooms that feel too big
That same founder credits one habit with propelling her business: “putting ourselves in rooms that we felt were too big for us.” The room feels too big until you’ve been in it twice. Then it’s just a room with bad coffee.
Show the mess, not just the highlight reel
Her team makes a point of telling women they go through the same stuff, because, in her words, “you don’t always see the blood, sweat, and tears that go on behind the scene.” Find two or three peers at your level and swap the real numbers and the real panic. Imposter syndrome hates company.
Know when it’s more than a feeling
The same review found imposter syndrome often sits alongside depression and anxiety, and that no published studies had tested treatments for it. If it’s affecting your sleep, your health or your ability to work, talk to a professional. Call it maintenance.
Hear it from someone who’s done it
Anisa Crespo, co-founder of the Million Dollar Mom Society, talks about growing fast and why every new stage brought a fresh round of doubt and stress. Jump to 5:20 on YouTube, or listen to the full episode.
Questions people ask
Do I have imposter syndrome, or am I just bad at this?
Look at the evidence, not the feeling. If clients come back, refer you and pay on time, the evidence says you’re good. If the feedback is consistently poor, that’s a skills gap, and skills can be learned. Imposter syndrome is when the evidence says yes and your gut still says no.
Does imposter syndrome get worse in a new job or role?
It often spikes in anything new, because you haven’t built proof there yet. Give yourself a deadline to learn the new parts, and keep a running list of the things that went right.
Do men get imposter syndrome too?
Yes. The 2020 review found it common among both men and women. Whether they mention it at the pub is another matter.
Will it ever fully go away?
Probably not, if you keep growing. Expect it to get quieter in the rooms you’ve already been in, and louder in the new ones. Louder is fine. Louder means you went somewhere.
Next step
If the new room you’re growing into is a more public one, Conceptiv builds the visibility and content so the right people see your work before you’ve talked yourself out of showing it.