Why Perfectionism is Holding You Back from Starting Your Business
- Akino Davis
- Mar 30
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 13
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Welcome back to the Becoming An Entrepreneur Newsletter! Last week, we explored how to stay motivated while building your business while working full-time, especially when your energy is low and your schedule is packed. This week, we’re continuing that important conversation around mindset by addressing a hidden roadblock that keeps many high-performing professionals stuck: perfectionism.
Let me get straight to the point with a question you’ve probably asked yourself more than once: “What if it’s not good enough?”
That fear, often disguised as “I just need to finish tweaking a few things,” is one of the biggest dream-killers in entrepreneurship. The pursuit of perfection is where great business ideas go to die; slowly, quietly, and buried under endless drafts and never-launched websites.
The Hidden Cost of Perfectionism
For many professionals, especially those transitioning into entrepreneurship, perfectionism feels like a badge of honor. You've spent years being praised for high standards, attention to detail, and flawless execution. And in the corporate world, that mindset often serves you well.
But when you're building your own business? Perfectionism becomes a prison.
I’ve seen it countless times. Smart, capable professionals with amazing ideas delay launching their businesses for months, sometimes years, because it’s “not quite ready.” They revise their business plans, rework their branding, hesitate to post online, and wait to feel 100% confident before taking action.
And I get it. When I first started SME Digital, I spent weeks debating my logo, rewriting website copy, and questioning if I was “expert enough” to help others. I told myself I was just making sure everything was right. But what I was really doing was avoiding the discomfort of starting before I felt ready.
Why Common Solutions Fall Short
If you’ve tried to beat perfectionism before, you might have turned to motivational content that encourages you to “just do it” or “stop overthinking.” These slogans sound good, but they often fall flat when your self-worth feels tied to producing flawless work.
Other times, professionals turn to:
More certifications or courses: believing they need one more qualification before they’re "legit."
Waiting for the right time: telling themselves they’ll launch when the conditions are better (spoiler: they never are).
Over-researching competitors: trying to out-plan or out-perfect instead of simply starting.
The problem with these approaches is that they feed the same cycle: delay, doubt, and never launching.
What Actually Works: Embrace Imperfect Action
What I’ve learned as a business coach—and through launching SME Digital myself—is that success in entrepreneurship isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being consistent, courageous, and willing to learn in motion.
Here’s what I recommend to my clients and what I applied to my own journey:
1. Redefine “Done”
Perfectionists tend to hold their work to unreasonably high standards before they consider it ready. Instead, shift your definition of “done” to mean: it delivers value, it solves a problem, and it gets feedback.
When I launched my first coaching offer, it wasn’t polished. It didn’t have a perfect landing page or an automated funnel. But I had something real to offer, and that’s what mattered. My first clients weren’t buying my perfection; they were buying my guidance and experience.
2. Set Short, Imperfect Deadlines
Give yourself short, non-negotiable deadlines to release your work, even if it feels unfinished. This forces you to prioritize action over overthinking.
One of the best decisions I made was setting a public launch date for SME Digital’s first coaching program. It pushed me to show up, ready or not. And guess what? I got more feedback, interest, and momentum from that “imperfect” launch than I ever got from all my previous behind-the-scenes planning.
3. Test Before You Perfect
Entrepreneurship is about learning through doing. Instead of trying to build the perfect business plan, test your idea with a pilot version. Run a workshop. Offer a free consult. Post your service and invite interest.
Not only will this build your confidence, but it gives you real-world data to improve your offer. I teach this core principle in my coaching program and write about it often in this newsletter.
4. Celebrate Progress, Not Perfection
Every step forward deserves recognition. You don’t need to wait for your first five-figure month to celebrate. Did you register your business? Publish your first post? Talk to your first prospect? That’s progress, and it matters.
In the early days of SME Digital, I kept a “progress log”; a simple notebook where I jotted down every little win. Looking back, those early steps were the real foundation of my business, not the flashy milestones that came later.
5. Adopt a “Launch and Learn” Mindset
The beauty of entrepreneurship is that you get to evolve in real time. You’re not submitting a final exam. You’re building something that will change, grow, and improve, with your guidance and experience shaping it every step of the journey.
When you release the pressure to be perfect, you give yourself the permission to grow.
Final Thoughts
Perfectionism feels safe because it gives you control. But in entrepreneurship, progress comes from releasing control and stepping into momentum. You don’t need a perfect offer, website, or strategy to start. You need belief in your ability to learn, adjust, and grow.
I started SME Digital in a season where I didn’t feel “ready.” But I leaned into the imperfect path, and it changed my life. That same journey is available to you.
If perfectionism has been your reason for waiting, let this be your permission to begin, even if it’s messy.
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