Summer Business Affirmations: Done Is Better Than Perfect!
I know you’ve likely heard it before, but I wanted to take this summer to post about a few mantras that keep me from burning out in my business.
The first one is: Done is better than perfect.
See, I recently had a conversation with a fellow business owner at a networking event that I haven’t been able to get out of my head since. While chatting, he told me he had written close to TEN blog posts that were sitting on his computer, ready to go.
But he hadn't published a single one.
When I asked him why he hadn’t published any of them, he said that every time he tried to hit publish, he second-guessed himself.
He would read through ‘one more time’ and find a dozen new mistakes. Or he would rewrite the introduction. Or think that maybe it’s been done too many times before, so why post another blog about it?
And I’m here screaming at him (in my head, of course) WHY? Why not push publish and get it out into the world?!
Because every time you push that publish to another day, those days turn into weeks, and then months, and then you never publish it at all!
Done Is Better Than Perfect
This same business owner then told me about a post that captured three new clients. He wrote it out on a random weekend in a local community Facebook group. Just introducing himself and talking about what he did, without the sales pitch or anything.
Three clients! Not one of them was overanalyzing whether he’d used the right sentences to talk about what he offered. They hired him because they actually SAW him post about what he offered. To people who needed it. It’s really that simple.
It reminded me of something I have been saying for years: a social media post that is done is better than one that is perfect.
Waiting for Perfect Means Never Posting
I see this happen all the time with business owners. They have great ideas, great stories, and valuable knowledge to share, but they spend so much time trying to make everything perfect that nothing ever gets posted!
And meanwhile, their audience has no idea they're waiting. They simply assume the business isn't active or that nothing new is happening. Or worse, they don’t even know the business exists. (Yikes!)
Your Customers Just Want To Hear From You
Your customers are not reading your posts, waiting for you to make a mistake. They're looking for someone they can trust, who can solve a problem. Mostly, they're looking for a business that appears active.
And they can't see content that never gets published.
Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't care about quality, or that you should just word-vomit what’s in your head and voilà, publish!
Absolutely proofread your work.
But there comes a point where making one more tiny edit isn't improving your content. It’s procrastination.
Social media has a funny way of reminding us that we don't always know what our audience will connect with. That's why it's so important to stop chasing perfection and start focusing on consistency.
Every blog makes you a better writer. Every Reel makes you more comfortable on camera. Every post gives you an opportunity to learn something about your audience.
You don't improve by leaving your ideas in a draft folder, afterall.
So if you've been holding onto a blog post, a video, or an idea because it isn't "quite ready," let this be your reminder.
Hit publish. You never know which piece of content will be the one that opens the next door. Done is always better than perfect when it comes to social media!