Start Before You're Ready (Or Watch Someone Else Do It First)

You're waiting for the perfect moment. The right credentials. More certainty. Meanwhile, the person who started messy six months ago is already profitable, learning from real feedback, and sleeping better than you are.

The Point

The readiness you're waiting for doesn't arrive before you start—it shows up because you started. Every day you spend preparing is a day someone less qualified is out there doing the work, getting the reps, and building the thing you keep researching. The gap between "I should" and "I did" isn't filled with more planning. It's filled with imperfect action that teaches you what no amount of preparation ever could. You already know enough to take the next step. You're just pretending you don't.

The Story

In 2019, I had a client—let's call her Maya—who ran a boutique HR consulting firm. Fifteen employees. Good revenue. She'd been talking about launching a self-paced online course for mid-sized companies for eighteen months. Every time we met, she had a new reason it wasn't ready.

"I need to interview ten more clients first."
"The slide deck isn't polished enough."
"What if my pricing is wrong?"
"I should probably get certified in instructional design."

Meanwhile, a competitor—someone Maya privately thought was "less experienced"—launched a scrappy course with mediocre video quality and a basic Kajabi site. Six weeks later, that competitor had 40 paying customers and a waiting list.

Maya called me, furious. Not at the competitor. At herself.

"I've been sitting on this for a year and a half," she said. "She just... did it. And now she owns the conversation."

So we made a deal: Maya would launch a beta version in two weeks. Imperfect slides. No fancy branding. Twenty-minute videos shot on her iPhone. She'd charge half price, cap it at 15 people, and use their feedback to build version 2.0.

She hated every second of prep. She was convinced it would flop.

Twelve people signed up in 72 hours. The course ran. The feedback was gold. Three months later, she relaunched at full price with waitlist demand. That "not ready" version generated $74K in year one.

The kicker? One beta participant told her, "This felt more real because it wasn't overproduced. I trusted you more."

Pull-quote: "The readiness you're waiting for doesn't arrive before you start—it shows up because you started."

The Lesson

You're Confusing Readiness with Certainty

• Why this happens: Your brain conflates "I don't know how this will go" with "I'm not ready." But readiness is about having enough to start, not enough to guarantee success.
• Quick prompt: What's the smallest version of this thing I could launch in two weeks?
• Micro-action (≤15 min): Write down the three things you think you "need" before starting. Cross out anything that isn't essential to a version 0.1. What's left?

Preparation Becomes Procrastination at a Certain Point

• Why this happens: Research and planning feel productive. They're safe. No one can reject a plan that never leaves your laptop.
• Quick prompt: How long have I been "getting ready" for this?
• Micro-action (≤15 min): Set a timer for 10 minutes. Write a brutally honest answer to this: "If I'm being real, what am I actually afraid will happen if I start now?"

Imperfect Action Teaches You What Perfect Planning Never Will

• Why this happens: Real-world feedback is the only thing that shows you what actually matters. Your assumptions about what "ready" looks like are usually wrong.
• Quick prompt: What's one thing I'll only learn by doing this badly first?
• Micro-action (≤15 min): Identify one micro-test you can run this week—send one cold pitch, publish one rough draft, offer one beta slot. Make it small enough that failure is cheap.

Someone Less Qualified Is Already Doing It

• Why this happens: While you're polishing, someone else is shipping. They're not smarter or braver—they just have a lower bar for "good enough to start."
• Quick prompt: Who's already doing a version of what I want to do, even if it's not as good as mine could be?
• Micro-action (≤15 min): Google your idea. Find three people already doing it imperfectly. Notice they're still in business. Let that permission sink in.

Your First Version Is Supposed to Embarrass You Later

• Why this happens: Growth means your future self will always cringe at your past work. That's not a bug—it's proof you're moving.
• Quick prompt: What would I launch if I knew I'd improve it in six months anyway?
• Micro-action (≤15 min): Give yourself permission to build version 0.1. Write this on a Post-it: "This is supposed to be bad. That's the point."

Try This in 10 Minutes

The "Start Scared" Commitment:

1. Open a blank document.
2. Write: "The messy version of [your thing] I could launch in the next 7–14 days is…"
3. Describe it in three bullets. No hedging. No "but first I need to…"
4. Now write: "The worst realistic outcome if I launch this is…"
5. Finally: "The cost of waiting another six months is…"
6. Read both answers out loud.
7. Pick one: start building the messy version, or admit you're choosing to wait and own that choice.

This Week's Checklist

1. Name your "not ready" project. What have you been sitting on for more than 90 days?
2. Describe version 0.1. What's the smallest, fastest version you could ship in two weeks or less?
3. Identify your real blocker. Is it actually a resource gap, or is it fear dressed up as "not ready"?
4. Set a forcing function. Tell one person you'll show them something by Friday. Make it real.
5. Ship something imperfect. Send the email. Publish the post. Make the offer. Let it be messy.
6. Collect one piece of feedback. Even if it's just from one person, that's infinitely more useful than another planning session.
7. Schedule version 0.2. Before you launch, put "improve based on feedback" on your calendar for three weeks out. Give yourself permission to iterate, not be perfect.

Your Turn

If you were brave enough to start badly, what would you launch this month?

Commit: "Within 72 hours I will [send the proposal / record the first video / publish the outline / make the offer to three people]."

CTA

Every Monday, I send one framework, one uncomfortable question, and one thing you can do this week to move faster with less overthinking. If you're done waiting for permission, send me a message to see where we can get started!