Why Perfection is an Entrepreneur’s Worst Enemy
In 2010, I took a leap and left perfection at the door. Two years into the recession, it was clear that the real estate market I’d bet my career on wasn’t coming back anytime soon. Unwilling to wait for an opportunity to fall into my lap, I set out to make something happen. I decided to take a passion of mine – planning social and charity events – and turn that into a business.
Looking back, I had no fear. I bought a website domain, registered a DBA, created a Facebook Page, bought a cute premade Wordpress blog template, and announced to my social circle that I was planning weddings (all in about a week). I didn’t think too far into branding, marketing copy, or the intricacies of starting a business. I just went for it. In the first 3 months, I booked 4 clients for that upcoming wedding season!
Disclaimer: I have an MBA in entrepreneurship from USC Marshall, so I wasn’t starting from ground zero in terms of knowhow. However, theory and education is completely different from actually DOING. And in this case, I’d never taken thousands of dollars from a client and had to deliver an event that lived up to those expectations. My point is, we all have stories we tell ourselves about why were totally prepared (or not) for a new challenge, but the truth is there’s uncertainty in anything new. Taking the leap and figuring it out as you go is really the only way anything new gets created.Fast forward to 2015 (post having my first child)... Although I loved weddings, having a family made leaving every Friday and Saturday during the summer a little disruptive and I was getting burnt out. But, I had the idea for a new business floating around in my head. Throughout the years I have always mentored and helped other creatives, moms, and female entrepreneurs with their businesses and strategy, especially in the launch and start-up phase. I LOVE doing that. So I thought, why not find a way to turn that into a business? Why not create a consulting company?I sat on it for months, until finally mid-2016 I decided to post this Instagram “announcement”:
BUT, fast forward exactly ONE YEAR LATER (today), I had not officially made that happen. Why?
PERFECTION
So, why is perfection an entrepreneur's worst enemy?
I feel like the older we become and the more responsibilities in life we have, we become more risk averse. We tell ourselves, “I have a reputation to uphold, so my product / service has to be perfect.” “I have a family to support, so I can’t make any mistakes”… in fact you think you’ve already “learned from your mistakes” so, “I should have all the answers.” BUT. YOU. DON’T.(This is an especially challenging realization when your proposed business is helping others find business answers of their own.)What's ironic is the more experience I’ve gained, the more obsessed with perfection I’ve grown. How could I release something that wasn't perfect and perfectly me? I needed the perfect website for my new company, a new brand that was pretty and perfectly fitting, the perfect website copy to attract my ideal client, the perfect Instagram feed with followers, etc… EVERYTHING NEEDED TO BE PERFECTLY IN PLACE before “launching” instead of doing what I did 6 years ago and just starting and never looking back. I adapted as I went – heck, I even changed my entire company name and rebranded mid-pregnancy in 2015 when I felt like Preppy Chic Events wasn’t “me” anymore! I shifted my focus from local to destination weddings. And then again from weddings and lifestyle events to mainly corporate and non-profit events.I can’t tell you how much money I’ve spent on online programs, how much time I’ve spent reading blogs, taking free (and paid) webinars, etc… in the last year. Yes, they have been extremely helpful (and I will write a post on why one of the best investments you can make for your business is investing in yourself), but more than one year later, I have nothing to show except a lot of “knowledge” in my head when I could’ve been “on the field of play” (like Todd Herman says) learning and growing at the same time and actually applying the information. The funny thing is, I’ve never truly failed when I set my mind to something I’ve set out to do in business – though I’ve faced my fair share of bumps and “learnings” along the way.So, to all those aspiring entrepreneurs (or current entrepreneurs dreaming of your next idea), I have a message born from first hand experience: STOP PERFECTING AND START DOING! Something. Anything.Which leads me into why I’m writing this post...I haven’t figured it all out yet – that’s kind of the point – but here is my first step. I’m putting it out to the world that I’m launching a business strategy consulting and coaching firm. My focus is on helping female entrepreneurs, especially mompreneurs, launch, build and elevate their businesses through tailored strategy, solid frameworks, and an emphasis on bite sized executable steps.To start, I am offering a 1-on-1 business consulting + coaching program tailored to entrepreneurs in the start-up stages that are making money, but growth has plateaued. They need an additional push on multiple levels and a tailored plan to elevate the business to the next level. Let me help YOU and your business develop the right strategies, tools, and mindset to build your venture efficiently and economically so you can get out on “field of play” today!
