I don’t know about you, but I have perfectionistic tendencies. My clients tend to have them too.

Striving for perfection isn’t a bad thing in and of itself. It served me well in my corporate career, and maybe you can relate. However, perfectionism can get in your way when you’re building an online business.

So, here are 7 ways perfectionism can hurt your online business:

1. You may try to use the best tools before you’re ready for them, causing you overwhelm and adding needless spending. It’s tempting to say oh, big-name-so-and-so is using this top-of-the-line tool, so if they’re using it, we should use it too. The reality is that feature-rich can mean complex, where you want simple. And top-of-the-line tools are geared to advanced users who can reap the rewards from paying the high premium, you’ll just be paying for more than you need. Instead of going for the best now, go for the best for now.
2. You may try to make everything perfect where you should focus your investment where it counts. Yes, providing top-notch service is good, but that doesn’t mean everything about your business needs to be top-notch. There is a threshold, and you shouldn’t go below it. But remember that for many aspects of your business, good enough is absolutely perfect.
3. You may try to “get it right the first time,” instead of starting and making it better later. While you should certainly be professional, align with your brand, and create value, in the world of online business, you also have the freedom to fill gaps, handle unforeseen issues, and improve later. The digital advantage is huge for online business—use it!
4. You may end up in a constant cycle of learning instead of starting and gaining your own experience and applying it. We tell ourselves things like “I just have to nail down this <It just isn’t. The best thing you can do for your business if you’re starting out or if you’re adding something new is get hands-on experience and results for yourself. What works for you and your ideal client is unique. Learn as you do and apply as you learn.
5. You may miss the boat trying to make something perfect only to find that by the time you’re done, it’s no longer special, needed, or working. The online world moves FAST. If you don’t set a deadline and stick to it, by the time you’re ready, it may be too late. There’ll be more competition, the trend will pass, or worse, whatever you created may no longer work because technology has changed, or policies have, or maybe just the market.
6. You may try to consider ALL the options to make the best decision, but there are SO MANY OPTIONS. It’s just the nature of the beast and it can be paralyzing. Put a deadline on research or limit yourself to so many hours, then force a decision.
7. You may try to make everything scalable and delegable (it’s a word!!!) but dude, please, start with ONE. Seriously, scalability is nice, but only if it doesn’t hold you back. This is where the “big organization mentality” can get you. Instead, start, so you can grow enough that scalability and delegation will matter.

So that’s 7. And yes, this isn’t even touching on the emotional price of perfectionism… 🙄

What to do instead? Drop perfectionism & adopt the mindset of “Start Simple and Grow as You Go.”
✨ It gives us permission to start where we are.
✨ It encourages us to simplify to what actually matters.
✨ It allows us the freedom to iterate, improve, adjust, and evolve.
✨ It promotes learning by doing and learning while doing, so we maintain and grow momentum.

It's a mantra of gradually perfecting. And you know what, with that in mind, I’m thinking an online business might be the best thing for the perfectionist, because it changes over time so there’s always something to improve. What can be better? 😉

Unrelated….

Switching topics... A nice thing about being service solopreneurs is that by working to achieve our mission and by helping others transform, we also help ourselves relieve stress. However, being solopreneurs (and sometimes simply being) can be stressful, making it hard to focus, so we can't help anyone.

Today, I wanted to tell you about—or possibly remind you of—the "physiological sigh" a kind of deep breath that involves taking two quick inhales through the nose followed by a longer exhale through the mouth. Here's how to do it:

1. Take a deep inhale through your nose, filling your lungs as much as possible.
2. Immediately take another inhale through your nose, as if you're "topping off" the first breath.
3. Exhale completely through your mouth, letting out all the air in a relaxed manner.

The whole sequence is designed to be quick and simple, and you'll often find that even one or two physiological sighs are enough to relieve stress and increase focus. The "physiological sigh" helps reinflate alveoli, the tiny air sacs in our lungs, improving oxygen exchange and promoting a calming effect. If you like this one, you can also look for the 4-7-8 breathing exercise developed by Dr. Andrew Weil.

And that's it for now. As always, thanks for hanging with me. If you have any questions, thoughts, or if you need help with your online business, hit reply.

Talk soon, and in the meantime, stay awesome,
Orit