Today we’re talking about perfectionism and how it impacts your ability to scale.
So, what is perfectionism and how does it show up in our business?
Perfectionism is defined as the “refusal to accept any standard less than perfection” and it’s the reason so many course creators stay stuck. We’ll get to why it’s causing you to stay stuck in a little bit, but for now, let’s talk about what it looks like and where it may be hiding in your business.
Perfectionism starts with the belief that there is an “ideal” standard and anything that falls short of that is bad/wrong/something to feel ashamed about. Nobody can “make” you feel bad/wrong/ashamed unless you are in agreement that an ideal standard exists and you are falling short of it.
But, have you ever considered WHO actually set this ideal standard and WHY they may have set that standard in the first place?
I have seen clients feel ashamed because they’ve hired “too many” people and aren’t doing enough themselves, while other clients feel ashamed that they’ve hired “too few” people and are doing too much themselves.
I have seen clients feel ashamed because they “rely too much” on paid traffic, while others feel ashamed because they “rely too much” on organic traffic.
One day you’ll see an ad for a program that teaches organic traffic strategies that will “inform” you that relying on paid traffic is a mistake. Then the next day you’ll see an ad for a program that teaches paid traffic that will inform you that organic traffic is a mistake.
If you are not taking responsibility for creating your OWN standards, you are going to give yourself whiplash trying to conform to everyone else’s.
True leadership is making decisions for yourself based on the outcome that YOU are trying to create.
Nobody else gets to determine what you want your business to look like, that’s up to you.
Blocking out the noise and getting clear on what YOU really want is the very first step to scaling your online course business. Once you are clear on what YOU want your business to look like – then it makes sense to get help from people who have already done the thing that you’re wanting to do.
For example, I only get business coaching from people who understand and have experience with selling evergreen products. I don’t want to run a business that solely relies on a handful of big, stressful launches each year. I hate launching. I like consistency. I like predictability. I like profitability. All things that an evergreen model provides.
But, that’s just me! That doesn’t mean that any of my friends who launch are “doing it wrong”. There is room for EVERYONE to determine a business model that suits their talents and expertise.
Do you LOVE coaching? Great. Design your course so that you can coach to your heart’s content.
Do you LOVE teaching? Great. Design your course so that you can teach to your heart’s content and hire someone else to do the coaching.
Everything is a choice and it’s okay to change your mind and make different choices.
YOU set the standard, nobody else.
So, how does living by someone else’s standards impact your ability to scale?
Well, for starters, it negates your ability to get what you want. I’ve seen people spend YEARS building their business and reach financial success, only to realize they hate what they’ve built.
They were building what they “thought” they should build, not what they “wanted” to build.
Now there IS a short term payoff to living by someone else’s standards. You don’t have to think for yourself. You get to avoid taking responsibility for creating the business YOU want to create and if things go wrong, you have someone ELSE to blame – after all it wasn’t YOUR idea to create this, it was someone else’s – how convenient.
While there may be an initial short term payoff to living by someone else’s standards, there are real long term consequences when it comes to scaling your business.
A big one is that if you are constantly seeking approval and permission from others, you won’t ever learn how to think for yourself.
I’m constantly investing in my own professional development from people who have been where I’m trying to go, but ultimately the decision to do something or not do something is mine.
They provide the strategy and the feedback, but I determine what I will and won’t take action on. Whether I do or don’t get my desired result is on me – not them. It’s up to me to stay coachable and open to feedback, but I am still in the driver seat. I haven’t handed anything over and said, “make all these decisions for me.”
In Scale with Success®, we help our clients generate consistent revenue with paid and organic traffic strategies – but ultimately it’s our client’s choice to determine whether or not to implement those strategies. Freedom of choice is important to me and that’s why I’ve created a program that gives plenty of structure, but also provides options for optimization. It’s important to me that clients understand WHY we encourage them to follow a particular strategy – not just to do it because I say to do it. When they understand the INTENT of that particular strategy and WHY it’s important, that gives them the freedom to tweak and optimize over time. It supports them in their professional development as they learn to make better decisions over time.
So, how do you begin to let go of your perfectionism?
While there is no magic strategy to instantly let go of your perfectionism, there is a really good question that you can ask yourself: What outcome am I trying to create?
When you come up with some ideas, ask yourself why. Is it because someone else told you that you had to do it? Or is it because you want to?
So, today, I’d love for you to take out that journal and ask yourself: What outcome am I trying to create? Is it because I want to or because I feel like I have to?
I want to know YOUR #1 takeaway from today’s episode. Send me a DM on Instagram or join my FREE Facebook group and let me know!
Today’s episode is brought to you by Scale With Success® Accelerator — an online course designed to help you generate launch-sized revenue without lanching. If you want to learn MORE about our proven method for success, click here to watch my free masterclass. See you in there!