Being a perfectionist is like unpacking your entire wardrobe for 10 full minutes to find the perfect top for your new bottom, and thinking you can put it back together in 2 minutes. The result? It’s going to take you an hour to pack it perfectly… And the newsflash? You don’t always have an hour.
Hey boss babe!
It’s taken me a while to finish this piece and I’m so sorry. Here’s a little update on what’s been happening with me.
So, as I’ve done so many times this year. I’ve completely pushed my agency launch back to 2023. But on the advice of my rockstar business coach, this was a good move because it’ll allow me to reimagine what I want. (Basically, my vision was all over the place.)
Also – exciting!!! I’ve asked for a little morr responsibility with content on type4girl.com and YOU’RE NOT READY FOR ME. We’re still working out a few details, but you’ll definitely hear it from me first.
Okay, HERE’S THE PROBLEM WITH PERFECTIONISTS
Dangerous perfectionists are perfectionists that are also indecisive and information banks. Trust me, it’s going to end in FATIGUE because you’re simply never going to get decisions made. All you’ll have are endless options and an overflowing bookshelf from all the How I Launched My Startup books you’ve been reading. The tragedy is, you keep buying another copy of someone else’s book because you can’t help but worry THAT YOU’RE MISSING SOME TINY DETAIL (inconveniently not covered in book 1 or 3) that could be the key to your success.
The best version of perfectionists, are hardcore realists that are decisive almost to a fault (if at all possible). Because they have a fantastic sense of what they can attain and in what time frame and they love money and want to make it soon, and without too many complications in their process or journey. The problem with being a perfectionist is that you’re such a perfectionist, YOU WANT TO WAIT FOR THE PREFECT TIME TO LAUNCH. And as we know, the perfect time is often very hard to come by.
THINGS TO KICK THIS AUGUST:
If like me, you’ve been thinking about launching something of your own, here are a few habits you want to drop before Spring.
1. Setting long timelines to cushion future/possible changes.
This is the equivalent of putting a contingency budget in place in case you spend more than you’d anticipated. Except, you’re deliberately factoring in potential changes that ‘will be made’ by you incase things like branding suddenly, after initial sign off, seem below your desired level of perfection. Quick fix: Tell yourself you’re going to make a decision and stick to it. There’ll always be a time and place in the future for a rebrand or relaunch.
2. Waiting for the worst to happen before you launch.
Trying to wait out a flu, pandemic or economic/market slump that hasn’t come = waiting for the perfect mix of elements to launch = waiting forever. Fix: you’ve got to work smarter and know, something always goes wrong, you’ve got to decide which wave is worth riding and which is simply a set up for a disaster, they can’t all be that bad can they?
3. Studying too much theory.
Basically, if this article is the 4th you’ve read on this topic, you shouldn’t have! So often, we spend so much time focusing on reading books and articles on how to achieve the perfect launch and completely forget about what really matters. Quick fix: FOCUS ON PRACTICALITY. Reading an article on how to put together a media list and distribute a press release (AS YOU PRACTICE) is better than reading this article or YET ANOTHER BOOK on ‘getting your mind right’ to launch as you sip tea and frequently check your IG to see what Lethabo added to her story. So I hope this is the very last one for you until your big launch.
If there was a proven method to a successful launch, we’d all know about it by now. Some people sell a single item in their first year only to go on to become a household brand selling out every other year. And others sell out in their first year and simply never stop. That, my hun, is what we call life.
The very best thing you can do, is to do it as soon as you feel your core product is ready and able to fulfill its purpose, you can always change your logo or IG business profile theme. At the end of they day, it is more about your actual offering than it does your aesthetic (not that it doesn’t matter at all tho.)
… And maybe ‘just do it’ isn’t such a cliché, maybe.I really hope that helps.
So much love,
