Despite the decade and then some that has passed since I started AIS Solutions, it still feels, in many ways, as though it was yesterday that I made the decision to forgo a new job offer in Houston and see how far I could take my own business. I remember the overwhelming mix of emotions that continuously came and went over the first few months of getting things off the ground, and I recall quite clearly the inevitable instances of fear and anxiety that came with making my own way in the business world.
There were, of course, several other sentiments; I was (and still am!) passionate, excited, nervous, and extremely happy to be doing what I loved for a living, on my terms and my time, but the “what ifs?” that stemmed from the fear of failure or not living up to my own expectations sometimes made it difficult to focus on the potential positives of what I was doing.
It’s been over ten years now, and while I do still get those glimpses of “what if this goes horribly wrong for my business?” when I prepare to make a decision, but little compares to those initial thoughts and worries. Given how well I remember them and in the interests of exploring this topic further, I thought we’d share an article on it from Lewis Howes over at the entrepreneur.com blog called, Keys to Success: Overcoming 5 Fears That Hold Entrepreneurs Back.
This post (which comes in a double feature in the form of both video and written content) gives a great look at some of the common reasons self-starters have for delaying their efforts to, well, self-start. As indicated in the title, Mr. Howes also provides some helpful solutions for conquering these fears and moving forwards with your goal. Here’s a look:
Fear No. 3: Needing to be absolutely perfect.
Solution: Don’t stress every last, tiny detail.
“I NEED THE PERFECT LOGO!” I hear the logo design story so much it makes me want to puke. No one cares about your logo, nor the font size that’s on your site.
Yes it’s important to make things great and you can certainly do this by upgrading over time, but good and profitable is better than perfect and never done. Get things done. Be a person who finishes even if it’s not yet perfect.
When we’re breaking down a large-scale project (which admittedly starting your own business is), sometimes we get way too caught up on one particular aspect of it. A few suggestions become a much longer conversation, which eventually turns into an obsession, and the next thing you know your day is shot because you’ve spent it all nitpicking on what is, for the moment, small-scale stuff.
As Mr. Howes said, it’s better to almost perfect and open for business – even if it all of the finer details aren’t in place yet – than perpetually planning and putting off the parts of your business that will help you stay profitable. Worry about the minor factors later, because there will be plenty of time to make changes when things get off the ground – at the start, your focus should be on the big picture.
Mr. Howes does a great job of providing us with a look at what often holds entrepreneurs back from going after their goals, with suggestions on how these fears can be approached and alleviated. We’d recommend giving it a read to see what he has to say about dealing with the scarier side of being a self-starter.
What did you think? Did you find these tips useful? Do you have any stories regarding how you overcame your fears when starting your business? Your thoughts are always welcome, so let us know!
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