Prototype Over Perfection
I woke up this morning feeling toasted - headache, "can I really do this" dread, the whole thing. One minute we're on a high, the next minute we're closing up shop.
So I did what any sensible wife would do and woke up my husband at 5:45AM and demanded he go on a walk with me.
On our walk, I tried to reflect back on "my why" - why was I starting this? I realized it came back to autonomy and impact. I wanted autonomy over how I spent my time (and to feel more balance), what projects I chose to do, and how I spent my company's dollars. And I wanted my days to be focused on what I cared about - building community and women empowerment.
I was so set on my why that I was confused about why I was reeling that morning. And I realized it was the stress of the self-imposed deadline I made up for myself - launching my website by December. Did I need to get my website done soon? Sure. Is creating a sense of urgency, even when false, really the only way I get things done? Yes. But what I realized in that moment was that my aggressive goal setting had bumped my ‘why’ out of alignment. I no longer had control over my time - I couldn't spend time with the kids, I couldn't work out, I couldn't even do other ‘more fun’ business tasks because I had told myself (and others) the website would be up by December.
So I thought about my options - I could just ignore my self-imposed deadline. But I didn’t want to let myself off the hook completely. So, I thought about why I felt it was so important to set a website deadline. I needed to (1) start building some awareness for product launched planned for early 2026 (2) give friends something to share out. While I had always told myself the site didn’t need to be perfect, the fear of failure and perfectionism was still holding me back. I asked myself the following:
I let myself publish what I have right now, perfectionism aside, would it achieve my goal of getting out the basic info? Yes.
Was it good enough to present myself to the world as I wanted? Definitely.
Was it perfect? Definitely not.
But I reminded myself that this first year was to test out different ideas to achieve the Venture Together mission, and to do that, first, I had to build a prototype.
This is straight out of the engineering design process and there's a reason engineers use it. The process helps you move from idea to reality in a way that's actually manageable. You identify the problem, brainstorm solutions, build a prototype, test it, and iterate. The prototype phase is critical because it's where you learn. It's not about creating the final product. This phase is about creating something tangible you can put in front of real users to see what actually works. No amount of planning or theorizing can replace the insights you get from watching someone interact with what you've built.
I had to build it out. I visualized my website as a cardboard model - not designed to be the end product but the first attempt to see what works, what doesn't, what part is weak and needs to be strengthened, what part is achieving the goal as intended. When I sent people to the website, did it answer the questions they asked? Were people understanding what I was offering after reading the site? Was it sending people to set up calls or join the newsletter?
The best businesses evolve. Our products and services evolve. And my website will also evolve…And with that imagery in mind, my anxiety calmed and I was able to get out of my own way.
When I came home, I found myself re-energized to just get the site up. I scaled back what I initially planned to launch and just completed the pages that I needed to meet my short term goals. I had my husband take another look at the site to make some last-minute adjustments. I got my girls' feedback too, because they both interact with the world so differently from each other, and it was true for my site as well. They both gave great feedback and I hit publish!
So for today, my lesson is this: Keep your real goals in mind while you're setting deadlines for yourself. If you moved into entrepreneurship to create meaningful impact but on your terms, don't bulldoze yourself. Keep your own terms front and center. Remember this is a marathon, and with feedback from your customers (from your prototypes) your products, services and businesses will evolve. It will help you stay calm, focused, and moving forward.
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Resources to get out of your own way so you can launch before you “feel ready”:
Jenna Kutcher Podcast: Your Perfectionism Is Costing You Money (Here's the Escape Plan)
Adam Grant’s Book: Hidden Potential.
Mel Robbins Podcast: If This Episode Doesn’t Motivate You, Nothing Will | Mel Robbins and Wallo
