The perfect website is not necessary for your business to be successful.

 

 

Or to get to 1000 subscribers on your list. Or to make your first sale. Or a dozen other urban myths. {Contrary to popular belief (and 2 different articles I’ve recently read and commented on)}.

Yes, you can be successful in business without having the perfect website. Or “dream” website. Or copywriting. Or logo. Or perfectly-crafted online course. Or perfect anything…because if you don’t at least get it “shipped” and out into the world, you can’t move on and get feedback that comes from real people, not just the chaos of beliefs and self-sabotaging thoughts swirling around your head.

Listen to me. I am speaking from experience here. I am holding up my hand and calling BS.

You heard me. Yes YOU. From one smart, talented (totally human with all those imperfections) business person to another.

I am calling you out on your BS that your business is stuck and not making money because you don’t have a perfect __________ (fill in the blank with whatever lies you are telling yourself here).

True story: I was stuck. I was envious. I had been afflicted with that green-eyed beast of envy that I call “Perfection-itis”.

This blog post is a little tough to write. And admit to the world. Publicly and forever. It’s a bit of therapy for me, but I also thought it would help you if you see that you are not alone, and we all have shortcomings, but we can dust ourselves off and learn from them instead of beating ourselves up over them.

I want to share some insights learned from my own procrastination, comparison-itis and perfectionism, plus some inspiration from fun, stylish copywriting superstar Nikki Elledge Brown. 

For a few months (like, a year really) I’ve struggled to update and refresh my own websites and move them from “under construction” to “yay, it’s ready to be unveiled to the world”. One is done (this one you’re on now) but one more still shows me it’s ugly boring face and causes me website shame.

Why?

I’ve been creating and refreshing client websites because that’s what puts food on the table. Like the cobbler whose children need new shoes, I’ve put my own websites on the back burner.

My other main time-consuming project was my first course “Website in a Week” was a lot more work than anticipated, from creation of the videos and worksheets, to implementing and documenting the launch and promotion systems, to the online course delivery and participating in the Facebook group to support the participants. {That whole process from idea to launch, frustrations to revelations, will for sure be another blog post…coming soon!}

And overwhelm, but mostly in a good way.

Since I have the freedom to design my own website, I can choose my favourite ideas and inspiration, and wrap it all up into a big fat bundle of joy…oooorrrrrr not.

What do they say about choices? 3 max? Too many and we get bogged down with indecision. {I admit I’m like that when a restaurant has a menu chock full of yummy delights making me deliberate for ages before choosing just one…much to the dismay of my long-suffering husband.}

And maybe even a little case of perfectionism … or as I call this business-crippling condition “perfection-itis”.

You know, like I have to have the most perfect website ever because, well, if I’m creating websites for clients, then how can they take me seriously and trust me if my own website isn’t a 10 out of 10! What if I put it out there, and I change my mind because I’ve found something better. What if….

Change your #mindset from being your own critic to accepting #failure as an inevitable step. Click To Tweet

Taking my own advice.

You know, the things we as coaches and consultants tell our own clients. We make it sound so EASY. We brainstorm. We nudge. We give edutaining case studies. We provide examples. We email, phone and cajole via Facebook.

Then, after months of procrastination, you realize you’ve stopped moving forward. You’ve got excuses (but income is a pretty good excuse, right?). You’ve been floundering, and comparing, and researching, and all that stuff that bogs down progress.

Eek. Could it be true? Do I need to kick myself in the butt and just get it shipped already?

Am I turning into my own client???

The fact is, most of us teach what we also need most to learn. Click To Tweet

 

Gobsmacked by amazing results.

{You did whhhaaaatttt? With NO website? Get outta town!}

I want to share 2 inspiring posts by a smart, savvy solopreneur whom I’ve followed for a while: Nikki Elledge Brown whose business superpower is revealing how to write authentic copy and communicate your message with client-attracting messaging.

{Oh, and she does it in a totally fun way. Plus I lover her styled photos and her school-themed website design.}

Here is what amazes me (and what Nikki shares about in her behind-the-scenes retrospective blog post) – that someone could build a list from 0-1000 in less than 6 months WITHOUT a website, with no blog posts or videos…just an “under construction” page with an opt-in form (and no freebie lead magnet at first either). She just emailed her blog posts to her list at first, and mingled in Facebook group, where her ideal clients hung out.

 

 

And the 2nd blog post that’s humblingly authentic and honest because Niikki is a communications stylist who knows about copywriting and public speaking (she teaches both) and yet she admits that her sales were a big fat 0 after her first webinar that was launching her online course. (The webinar registration for her current “Write Your Perfect About Page” is still live today, but if you miss it or read this down the line, Nikki reveals her tweaks in a blog post).

A couple weeks later, practically the same webinar with a few tweaks (thanks to feedback and brainstorming chats with fellow biz builders) and Nikki made…wait for it… $20k just from the webinar with sales for her online course.

Nikki shared how disparaging it felt when things “failed”.

{Come on, we’ve all double-checked to see if our PayPal link is working, or if the website is actually live, or if the email just needs refreshing, right???}

But she turned it into a learning experience to share with her readers instead… which I’m in turn sharing with you because I think it’s a valuable lesson in what we can learn from our so-called failures. Be sure to read the blog post to see how small changes can make a big difference. {5-figures is a pretty BIG difference if you asked me.}

Perfection-itis is a passion killer and productivity sinkhole for your biz. Click To Tweet 

 

3 Feet From Gold

I’m writing this to convince you to just keep going. Because sometimes we all need that little nudge.

Like the book “3 feet from Gold” from the Napoleon Hill Foundation – if only we knew how close we were to success, we’d just keep persevering a little longer. That book or course that’s been percolating away inside you is just aching to bubble over and be set free. Your little email list is only months away from bursting at the seams. Your next blog post or website is just inches away from completion. {I started this blog post with serious gusto, then fizzled and sputtered. Then read and reread. Then thought “but the WordPress SEO tool says that I don’t have good focus keyword phrase. And I really want to add a tailored opt-in box. And, and, and…well, embarrassingly, months later I’ve come back to it…and Nikki has a new webinar LOL}

NOOOO. Must. Hit. Publish.

I suppose this blog post is as much a note to myself as it is to you. A reminder that it’s ok not to be perfect. There’s always time for iterations and adjustments… because even the iPhone improved over time.

What’s stopping you?

Get “it” out there, and gain some momentum.

Not perfect. Just DONE! 5 key lessons to get unstuck and beat Perfection-itis. Click To Tweet

5 Key Lessons To Get Unstuck and Beat Pefection-itis:

• Stop the BS. Tell yourself a new story. Change your mindset from being your own worst critic to accepting failure (and the lessons learned from it) as an inevitable step to success.

• Keep it simple. Give value. And above all, have an opt-in form so you can grow your list, even if your website is not ready yet.

• Launching and promoting is challenging. It rarely goes according to plan, and most likely took 2x as long as anticipated. Celebrate any small wins. Learn from your mis-steps so you can do better next time.

• Sometimes the message you give to others is exactly the message you need to hear yourself.

• Avoid perfection-itis. Everything evolves through tweaks and iterations. Seeking perfection often keeps you unnecessarily stuck.

 

Your turn!

What’s fooling you into inaction by secretly thwarting you with perfection-itis?

What has taught you some big lessons that you might have previously thought of as failures?

 

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