Don’t let perfection delay your start in self-employment

Don’t let perfection delay your start in self-employment

By Daniel Thornton , freelance Digital Content Manager, SEO Specialist and Social Media Marketer

Working for yourself for the first time can feel like a big leap into the unknown. The natural response to this is to have a plan of action - but there is such a thing as overdoing it. I’ve met far too many people who obsessed over the minor details instead of focusing on actually validating and launching their business idea.

Doing some research and preparation will help you get off to a good start, and IPSE has a dedicated advice section and Incubator programme to support you. But chasing perfection can turn into procrastination and putting things off. It’s why many companies start with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to test the market. Getting your first clients or customers is much more important than tweaking your logo for the twentieth time.

How are successful businesses built?

My switch to full-time freelancing came when my employer announced restructuring and I’d just become a parent for the first time, which was less than ideal. But I’d occasionally freelanced and started side projects during several years working for large companies.

Dealing with a newborn was much scarier, but both my son and my business have survived into their teenage years - despite the occasional mishap.  

Life would have been easier if I’d had built up more savings, spoken to an accountant earlier, and understood that soft play areas aren’t designed to be safe for adults chasing after their toddler. But speaking from experience, those early challenges were eventually overcome with some diligence and upping my cardio exercise. 

What builds a successful business is learning and evolving over time. The average age of a successful business founder is actually around 45, despite the fascination we have with young entrepreneurs. And even the likes of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Jezz Bezos experienced their biggest successes later in their careers.

Your business will be a journey - it has to start somewhere

Adapting to new challenges and experiences keeps self-employment fresh and exciting even after many years. A lot of famous companies are very different to how they started (X was a podcast network, Starbucks just sold coffee beans rather than lattes, and Suzuki made weaving looms, not cars and motorcycles).

Everyone makes mistakes, even the most well-prepared. Along with providing good anecdotes to share with other freelancers and business owners, they can be important to your future success. In his book ‘Command’ Al Murray largely attributes the eventual victory of the Allied forces in World War 2 to the lessons from early defeats, quickly changing their technology and tactics.

There’s a reason ‘Just Do It’ is such a famous and enduring slogan. There’s enormous value in having a business plan, researching your choice, and getting advice and support. But at some point you need to recognise you can’t cover every eventuality in advance. You just need to get started.


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