Perfection
Many of us, especially entrepreneurs, have perfectionist habits that we believe make us powerful. Sadly, as the demands on our time multiply, and decisions involving some level of risk present themselves, our perfectionist habits can hold us back, waste our time, or even paralyze us.
I worked with a client who made amazing candies. Let’s call her Maddie. Maddie had gone through the process of getting her home kitchen certified as a commercial kitchen. Not an easy task! Her product was exceptional and her profit margins were strong. When we created 1-year goals, they included: improve her packaging, get into 20+ local stores, develop a new product, explore alternative solutions for her waste products, and reach out to bloggers who might sample and write about her products.
Maddie was hesitant to reach out to local stores before she updated her packaging. She also worried that if someone placed a very large order, she might not be able to fill it quickly. The product development was going slowly, she was struggling to find the texture she wanted. Her website needed some updating. Her candy-making waste product had potential in a different market, but quite a bit of research was needed to push that forward. All of this is very common as new businesses approach the growth step of wholesaling their products.
Maddie updated her packaging twice inside 6 months. She conducted focused taste tests on the new product and the reactions were overwhelmingly positive. We made a list of top priority stores and estimated the maximum order each store might require. We worked through production plan scenarios so that she could be clear about what her delivery time frame would be for each potential order size. We worked on updating her website, including engaging some professional support. We found an eager buyer for the waste product.
And then… nothing happened.
Maddie was still worried about her packaging, so she never made the calls to local stores. She was still terrified that she would let someone down if too many large orders came in at once, so she could not even take the first step to pick up the phone. Even when a local grocery chain reached out to her with interest in carrying her products, the message went unanswered. The new product was not released, she felt it was still too chewy. She still had a long list of changes she wanted to make to the website. The buyer for the wast product was happy to receive the product in mason jars or buckets, but Maddie felt it needed real packaging, and she never ended up selling any of it.
Meeting after meeting, nothing happened. She was paralyzed with fear and creating barriers for herself to avoid taking any real risks. The possibility of success was tangled up with the fear of failure. Perfectionism is a coping mechanism. We use it to manage our fears: fear of failure, fear of inadequacy, fear of rejection. This is how perfectionism behaves. It tells us we are not good enough and manufactures the fears that can become the roadblocks to our progress.
Maddie eventually closed her business, even though she loved it, because she was not making enough sales. It was a good choice for her at the time. Her perfectionist reaction to all risk was too overwhelming to allow her business to grow.
How Do We Manage Our Perfectionism?
“Perfect” is an impossible goal.
Find your inner “GOOD ENOUGH.”
A website will always need more updates, that’s just the nature of the beast. An important email can be re-worded 25 times, but was probably good enough after 2. Let it go. Make the call. The worst outcome is that you learn what the real challenges might be (rather than the ones you are imagining). Knowledge gives you the power to work on solutions. Keep moving the ball forward, especially when it’s uncomfortable.
Very Few Business Decisions are Forever.
The world will continue to change and so will our businesses. Work on getting comfortable with continual innovation. Successes and failures are both outcomes that teach us valuable lessons about how to move forward. This is the heart of entrepreneurship.
“Perfect” is often the enemy of “Done.”
Where is your desire for perfection holding you back?
What important steps have you delayed or skipped because something is not “perfect?”
Where are you spending too much time?
What tasks make you spin out in perfectionism?
How do you know when you are spinning out?
Find tools to support good time management: timers, calendars, priority lists, reminders, etc.
Next to your TO DO list, keep a STOP DOING list.
Practice Gratitude. It’s the best antidote for the fears that triggers our perfectionist behaviors. Count your blessing, literally. Right out loud, to yourself or to someone who has earned your trust.
