Starting a business is inherently risky, and by our very nature, most of us are very risk averse.
That’s one of the reasons why there are so few entrepreneurs in this world. Risk scares a lot of folks away.
But besides risk (and a lack of startup capital of course), there’s another thing that frequently holds wannabe entrepreneurs from getting started.
What is it you ask?
The fear of not having everything just right before we begin.
Well, guess what? I’m here to remind you of something you already know.
Your business launch will never be perfect.
You’ll never have everything just right. Something always goes wrong.
Whether it’s an area of the business you’ve forgotten to give the proper attention to, or a situation that comes up at the last minute, something always pops up that puts a damper on your parade.
Unless of course, you live in a utopia. But if you’re like me, that’s not the case.
So, with that being said, we really have three choices here:
1. Give up and never start our business, because we know it won’t be perfect from day one.
2. Keep stalling by coming up with more and more excuses on why we need to wait to get started.
3. Take the advice of a popular shoe company and “Just Do It.”
You probably see we’re I’m going with the title of this article now. I’m talking about Nike and their often touted slogan, Just Do It.
That’s what it takes to start a business. It takes a sense of urgency and courage, where we realize that businesses are developed over time, with lots of trial and error along the way.
But if we’re in a continual holding pattern from day one, we’re never going to have the opportunity to learn and grow and develop.
We need to strike while the iron is hot. We need to stop procrastinating and just get started already!
An imperfect launch is better than no launch at all. Wouldn’t you agree?
This holds true from many things in life, not just business launches.
Are you thinking about writing a book or producing a course? I know I certainly am. But honestly, I haven’t gotten started yet, because I’ve been busy telling myself that now is not the right time.
So in a way, I’m writing this article not for you, but for me (how selfish!). I know that the best thing I could do right now is to open a blank Word doc and start plugging away on a book outline.
But you know what? I just spent the last 45 minutes researching the best way to organize all of the social media profiles surrounding this website. Wow, that was so important! Not really.
While that stuff certainly has a place, it shouldn’t take priority over our larger goals.
So if you really want to get going with your idea, business, book, product, or whatever else, write down the first thing that comes to mind when you ask yourself this question:
What should I be doing right now that will have the biggest impact on my success?
Then, take the advice of that famous shoe company we all know and Just Do It.
Now excuse me while I go take my own advice for a change…
