| Perfectionism will kill your business. The goal that | | | | feeling into what might be best for their business |
| you have as a solo professional is to provide a | | | | or their customer's business. |
| service that solves the problem your customer | | | | I'd much rather see a solo professional try |
| has. If you do that, you'll succeed. Notice that I | | | | something and fail, and then learn from what |
| don't say you have to PERFECTLY solve your | | | | went wrong, than to be paralyzed from the fear |
| customer's problem. In fact, if you push for a | | | | of failure. Almost all successful business owners |
| perfect solution you run the risk of putting your | | | | have made mistakes, and there's no sin it in. The |
| customer off, because you will begin to nit pick at | | | | sin is in burying the mistake and failing to look at it |
| tiny little things you are offering, and you'll lose | | | | closely so that one learns. I literally have to |
| focus on the big picture. | | | | re-train a good portion of the clients I work with |
| This thing about perfectionism is controversial to | | | | to actually tell me when something goes wrong! |
| talk about. We are taught to find the "perfect | | | | We get into this practice of trying to hide our |
| solution" to our customers' problems. But here's | | | | mistakes, which doesn't help us in the end. |
| the thing, and it's important to remember. Life | | | | Additionally, there is a great benefit to using your |
| changes for that customer almost daily. The | | | | feeling sense to help make decisions for yourself |
| customer herself can't really articulate a "perfect" | | | | and your customers. You might also think of this |
| solution. She may think she can, but once her | | | | as using your intuitive sense of things rather than |
| "perfect solution" is in place, things will change and | | | | depending solely on logic. You can ask yourself a |
| she'll find that she needs to tweak it a little bit | | | | question, close your eyes, and get a gut feel or |
| over time. | | | | sense of the best answer. The more you practice |
| The big truth is that there IS no ongoing, perfect | | | | this, the better you will get. It is a great addition |
| solution for your own business or for your | | | | (and sometimes a replacement) for deciding only |
| customer's business, either. You plan a resolution | | | | by logic alone. In fact, most of the millionaire |
| to an issue and execute it, and after that you see | | | | entrepreneurs I've interviewed over the past |
| what worked and what didn't work. You change it | | | | years tell me that when the chips are down and |
| around the edges a little bit and go again. Finding | | | | it's decision-making time, they trust their gut. Not |
| what works for yourself or for a customer is not | | | | the figures, but the gut. That's a great |
| a straight line. It's a curving line, sometimes curling | | | | confirmation of using your feeling sense to help |
| back on itself, sometimes meandering where you | | | | you made decisions. Sometimes things will not |
| never dreamed it will go. To hold that as true and | | | | seem logical at all, but you have a strong sense it |
| faithfully watch when changes are needed is the | | | | is the right path to take. |
| best practice for a solo professional. It's the best | | | | The truth is that there IS no perfection in this life, |
| practice for larger businesses, too, but they often | | | | so trying to run our businesses from that place |
| become too inflexible and stodgy to execute in | | | | will never work. That is the wisdom that |
| that way. | | | | successful solo professionals have come to know. |
| Here are two big problems I see with solo | | | | the next time you feel yourself fearful over |
| professionals who are trying to establish a | | | | making a business decision, take a breath, check |
| business that makes enough money to be viable. | | | | your gut, and move forward. You'll find that you |
| 1. Fear of making mistakes, which manifests as | | | | will do better in the end than waiting for |
| failure to take timely action. | | | | perfection to come. |
| 2. Trying to decide everything by logic rather than | | | | |
