Why You Shouldn’t Stress About The Perfect Business

When people think of starting a business they oftentimes stress about tiny details. They stress about the perfect logo, the perfect business plan, the perfect website and the perfect copy. Society has taught them that in order to have a successful business you actually need a perfect business.

People also stress about finding their niche. They have all these marketers telling them to niche down as much as they can. Oftentimes entrepreneurs come to me in a tizzy because they can’t seem to find their niche. And of course, if you don’t find your niche then you’re not going to succeed.

Furthermore, everyone gets totally hung up on the idea of finding your passion. It’s a concept that has become increasingly popular in the last few years as more and more people make a living doing what they love.

Perfect business and entrepreneurship

Just recently I was interviewed for a magazine where they asked me “What do you think has fueled the popularity of people finding their passion in hopes of creating a business?”

My answer was simple. I told the reporter about my days beginning as a freelance writer and blogger in 2010. At the time, some people were making a living with online business/sites, but not to the extent that you see today. Since 2010 more people—myself included—have stumbled into their passion and turned it into a business. So when other people see this online through blogs and media stories, they see a very high number of success stories because there’s more people doing it. Then they feel that they need to find their own passion too in order to create a business.

What people don’t realize is that many successful online entrepreneurs, while they have learned to become strategic business people, did not start off that way. In fact, everyone starts at the same place: knowing nothing.

So how did these entrepreneurs find a passion and create a business around it if they also didn’t know what they were doing? They did it by not worrying about having a perfect business. Instead they do what I’m about to teach you.

How do I know this? Because this is the exact journey I’ve taken, it’s the process many of my colleagues have gone through and it’s a process I walk clients through all the time.

Step One: forget perfection

Waiting for perfection in order to “find your passion” or “starting a business” is only going to keep you stuck. Perfection kills creativity, innovation and progress. You probably have a better chance of being struck by lightning than a “the perfect idea” to come to you.

Many of the most successful people did not have it all figured out before they started. In fact, many people have found their passion and created a  business around it by means of putting one foot in front of the other—even if that meant they didn’t have all the answers.

Additionally, a perfect logo and perfect website does not a perfect business, make. Those things don’t even get you paid. Helping people is what creates businesses and brings in revenue. And in the beginning helping people may look like taking baby steps as you figure everything out.

So please do yourself a favor and do not get hung up on trying to come up with the perfect passion, the perfect idea or the perfect business. Instead, take some advice from Nike and “Just do it.”

Step Two: Give yourself room to experiment

Most people, when thinking of business, think backwards. They think that passion or a business plan comes before an actual business. While it’s true that many businesses begin because of the passion, and while it is also true that business plans can be helpful, the reality is there is a lot of experimentation in the early stages of a business or brand.

For me personally, I spent about 3 1/2 years experimenting with my multiple interests before I had a clear business vision and strategy. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t making money. I was. However, I gave myself the space to throw spaghetti against the wall to see what worked and what didn’t. The way I saw it, I was just conducting market research.

With time I was able to create a clear brand with a clear message. However, this never would have happened if I hadn’t put myself out there first. In order for me to create a business strategy that worked (and to create a business from my passion), I had to essentially put myself out there by hanging my shingle and figuring stuff out as I went along.

In fact, it took me about two years of being a ‘general life coach’ before I realized that business and money were my niche. I had absolutely no conscious idea that I was so passionate about finances and entrepreneurship until one of my clients pointed it out to me.

Truth be told there was no way I would have figured it out beforehand. If I had sat around driving myself crazy over figuring out the perfect business, instead of just taking some small action, I’d still be in the same place I was in five years ago.

My point is that if you want to find the passion and create a solid business, you may have to put yourself out there before you feel ready.

So I challenge you to hang your shingle up this week, even if you only have a vague idea of what you’re doing.

• Maybe you create a website and start a blog,
• Maybe you go around your neighborhood seeing if someone needs your service or
• Maybe you go to your first networking event.

Step Three: Trust

The third step is the most difficult for people. We are accustomed to wanting to have all the answers before proceeding with anything. This is especially true when it comes to people’s businesses.

• We want to know that it will be successful.
• We want to know that we will make money.
• We want to know that we will be able to figure everything out.
• We want to know that we have the perfect business plan so that it doesn’t seem so risky.

The truth is there’s absolutely no way for us to know any of that.

The best we can do is to begin taking small actions and trust that the answers we need will be given to us. This requires trusting yourself to be open to answers. It requires trusting other people to teach you. And it requires trusting that everything will turn out the way it’s supposed to.

This, of course, is much easier said than done. Many of my clients are quick to want to jump from A to Z in their businesses instead of being present for opportunities that are right in front of them. This is one of the main reasons I often teach my clients how to meditate. It clears the fog and grounds you so that you can actually see the answers when they are right in front of you.

Final Thoughts on the perfect business

Stressing out about finding your passion, figuring out your niche and ultimately creating the perfect business will only hinder you on your journey. Choose in this moment to commit to putting one foot in front of the other and taking small actions toward the direction of your dreams. If you stick with it, the answers to your questions will be shown to you.