How many projects do you have almost completed that need just that last little tweak or addition and it would be finished? The vast majority of entrepreneurs complete projects and products to around 97% completion, and then put them aside – never to be fully completed.
Why do we do this? What stops us putting in that last 3% of work and having another product or service to sell that brings in income? It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? We do 97% of the work and then put it aside with only 3% left to go – and we never make a cent off all that work because it’s never completed. It’s because we’re looking for perfection. We compare our work against everything else out there, and find it wanting. We wonder if it’s good enough, if our competitors have done it better, if it’s overpriced, underpriced, if there’s a market there for it – we get scared that it’s not perfect and so we never finish it.
And that’s for the products that actually make it to 97% completion – even more of them never get past the planning stage! Now that can be a good thing, if in the planning stages you realise there’s no market, or the market is saturated, or you can’t manufacture the product with a decent profit. However, what about those products that are shown to be feasible and marketable after your market research and planning – and still don’t move ahead?
It’s time to put the fear to one side and complete those projects.
No money is ever made in a business until you do something, finish it and market it. How much more could you be making if you completed those products that are so close to finished now? And what would happen if you sent them out even if they weren’t absolutely 100% perfect?
Completion – not perfection.
I’m not saying to produce sloppy work that shows you haven’t put effort into it. I’m talking about leaving off the endless tweaking, the proof-reading and minor changes that are never totally finished. The re-designing to add just one more feature. The striving for the perfect website with which to promote your business.
You can research endlessly, make alterations and changes, discuss wording and grammar ad infinitum. Or you can take a deep breath, step up to the plate and put it out there. If you’ve done your market research and can see there is a need and market for your product, then it needs to be out there and selling in that market. Not still on your workbench or computer.
It is more important to have something completed than to have it 100% perfect. Completion will sell. Perfection will sit uselessly and never bring in a cent. Get that product out there. The perfection can come later, and the great plus is that you’ll have feedback from users who have bought the product.
Remember, Completion not perfection.
Melinda is a Business Coach who specialises in working with at-home mums. Her areas of expertise include developing business plans that really work, finding clarity and direction amongst the chaos of working at home, streamlining systems and processes for greater efficiency and effectiveness and developing profits. You can find her at WAHM Biz Builder
July 6th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Great post Melissa and so true! I definitely used to be a victim of perfectionism. I now have a quote on my wall, right at eye level from John Reese “The biggest piece of crap ever created and launched online makes more money than an almost perfect project that was never launched”. You can always update your product and send it out to the people who have already purchased it, in fact, they will think you are awesome if you do!
.-= Christie´s last blog ..Blog Internship and WAHM Talk Radio =-.
July 7th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Christie, I’m really loving that quote! So true! My perfectionist tendencies went by the wayside the minute I had kids.
.-= Angela Green´s last blog ..Would You Like To Talk Tech With Me At 2010 IVAA Live Summit? =-.
July 7th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Hi Christie, and thanks for the great quote. I’d have used that if I’d known it when I was writing, it fits perfectly!
Also, if you do send out a product with a few mistakes, you can pretty much count on being told about it as soon as someone buys the product! :-)
.-= Melinda | WAHM Biz Builder´s last blog ..Defining Your Target Market =-.
July 7th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Angela, so did my perfectionism… although my husband would probably say I still have some left!
.-= Melinda | WAHM Biz Builder´s last blog ..Defining Your Target Market =-.
July 7th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Oh wow – COMPLETION is way better than perfection! I’m writing this down as my daily mantra for July (or until it’s imprinted in my normal routine)!
.-= Debbie´s last blog ..Get Them While You Can =-.
July 9th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Go Debbie! I have it written on paper – big bright letters – and at eye level in front of my desk. So every time I look up from my computer I see it.
July 10th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I'm a big fan of written messages in my workspace. I need to be reminded of what's important!
July 21st, 2009 at 5:18 pm
What a great post for me to read right now. I've always been an excellent starter, and a fairly lame finisher and I never knew why. Perfecctionism! So true. I clicked over to your site and you have some great info. Loved your post “The Basics of a Good Blog Site.”
August 22nd, 2009 at 4:00 am
Thanks Erin! And I have to say I really enjoyed your site too. :-) Your son is adorable!
August 22nd, 2009 at 8:00 am
Thanks Erin! And I have to say I really enjoyed your site too. :-) Your son is adorable!