You’ve got big dreams of being your own boss one day. Right now you’re busy planning away as you get ready to launch your dream business. The one that will one day allow you to quit your 9-5 and earn an income while traveling the world. Or stay at home in your pajamas. I don’t judge.
But this whole launching this isn’t going so well. You’re struggling. You set launch dates only to have them come and go without an actual launch. Your business exists in your head and at this point it’s going to be awhile before it’s live.
The real question is, what’s stopping you from launching?
You. You’re the one stopping yourself from launching. You’re telling yourself a whole bunch of lies in order to protect yourself from failure. Or success.
I’m here to tell you that you need to stop lying to yourself. Because these lies aren’t true and they’re not doing you any favors. They’re ruining any chances you have at running a successful business.
Do any of these lies sound familiar?
Lie #1: Everything has to be perfect
Starting a business is big. It’s something you put all your time and energy into, so it makes sense that you’d want everything to be absolutely perfect before you launch.
But the thing is, it doesn’t have to be. Businesses are always evolving and there are a ton of changes made in those beginning stages. Those things you spent hours, days, or weeks waiting to perfect will likely get changed up in the near future. It’s just the name of the game.
Plus, like it or not, perfection doesn’t exist. And I guarantee you your future clients aren’t going to wish your website or logo was better. Odds are, you’re the only one who is finding problems with things.
Waiting for everything to be perfect is quite frankly just an excuse you’re making because you are afraid of putting yourself out there. Because launching something means that everyone is going to be looking at it and there’s a chance for it to fail.
And believe it or not, your quest for perfection is actually doing you more harm than good. Failing to launch your business is exactly that: a failure. As they say “done is better than perfect.”
Stop being so hard on yourself and launch even if it doesn’t feel perfect. I promise you things will never be perfect so you’re not going to get anywhere until you bite the bullet and do it already.
Lie #2: I don’t have the money
Running a business costs money, there’s no doubt about that. But if you’re constantly using money as an excuse for why you haven’t launched yet, you need to reassess how much money running a business actually requires.
You can 100% run a business with $0. I never said it would be easy, but it is completely doable. And odds are, you probably have some money to put towards launching a business. The key here is to take what little money you do have and use it wisely.
Do you really need Leadpages or can you find a free workaround?
Do you need to hire a social media manager or can you pay a small monthly fee for a scheduling app?
The fact is, business experts tell us all of the things we should have. And while I wouldn’t automatically discount all of their advice, you don’t have to take their advice as the absolute truth.
In most cases, experts are just telling you what has worked in their experience. They’re trying to help you save time and make more money. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only way.
Don’t let a lack of money stop you from launching. If you’re low on funds, you’ll have to spend more time and get creative. But don’t say it can’t be done.
Lie #3: No one will buy my services
There are a ton of other people offering the same thing as me.
I’m not a expert so why would someone hire me?
Sound familiar?
These feelings of worthlessness aren’t doing your business any favors and quite honestly, there’s nothing further from the truth.
There are tons of people offering the same thing as you. And there will always be, especially if you’re in a market where what you provide is needed. But while hundreds of other people can offer the same services, they’re not you.
You are what sets your services apart. Your unique experiences, personality, and way you deliver what you promise makes you different. And every person out there who is looking for the services you provide has their own needs. Some will want someone with a no BS approach. Others will want someone to hold their hand every step of the way.
So while people may need the same services, everyone has different needs. And that’s where you come in.
And as for not being an expert, what really is an expert?
All an expert is, is someone who has more knowledge in a subject than someone else. So yes, while you might not be a top expert, you still likely know more about your niche than a bunch of other people.
And that’s all you need.
If you can help one person with your knowledge you’re an expert. End of story.
Lie #4: Now is not a good time
It seems like there’s always something inconvenient going on. There’s holidays, family obligations, home repairs, moving, and sickness. The list goes on.
You just want things to die down a bit so you can finally hunker down and get that business of yours launched. You have the perfect date marked on your calendar. And then life gets in the way. So you choose another date. Rinse and repeat forever.
As much as you want there to be a perfect time to launch, there’s never going to be the perfect time. Sure some times are certainly better than others (i.e. you probably shouldn’t launch on Christmas, but that random day that might be a bit busy is a totally different story).
Waiting for a good time is essentially just waiting for perfection. Not going to happen. Pick a date, put it in your calendar, and launch when the day arrives, good time or not.
Lie #5: I’m not ready
At the root of all of the above lies you’re telling yourself is probably the biggest one of all: I’m not ready.
Whether it’s waiting until things are perfect, having the money, waiting for a good time, or waiting until you’re an expert, at the heart of these lies are the fact that you feel like you’re not ready.
Now I can’t tell you how to feel, but I can tell you that you don’t need to be ready to launch a business. In fact I recently heard an amazing quote from somewhere that said “if you wait until you’re ready, you’ve waited too long.”
Everyone feels unprepared when diving into the unknown. And launching a business is a whole lot of unknown. Pull the Band-Aid off and go for it. Don’t keep making excuses as you won’t get anywhere.
Yes, it’s scary to fail, but in order to succeed you have to take that chance. Stop procrastinating and putting things off. Take a leap and go for it, imperfections and all.
5 Lies You’re Telling Yourself That Are Stopping You From Launching Your Dream Business was originally posted on Allyssa Barnes.