Hint: We are all starting before we're ready. It doesn't matter if confidence is what's holding you back, or knowledge, or skills, or talent. No one gets things perfect right out of the gate. The perfectionist in me really would have liked to start my business about 3 years in, with the experience & success that comes with that stage. You know, like if I did all the ugly work without anyone seeing any mistakes or duds, and after years of posting & gaining followers, then I could magically "own" my work and take credit for it. Ya, it's silly that I think that way, but I think we all need to hear the advice to start before you're ready.

When I was working on the growing your audience section for the membership, I thought through~ which comes first, do you build your social media & email list before you've created any sellable work or do you create your first art or product line so that you have something to talk about when you start those? Before I answer, let me tell you how some of this question has affected me & my business.
I waited to start an email list until year 2. I didn't post on social media for a while & definitely not consistently. I started my business without either by simply creating products and listing them on Etsy.
In hindsight, I probably should have brought people along on the journey sooner. But even knowing it could have helped me find success faster, I still don't think I'd change anything. As an introvert, I don't like a lot of eyes on me and I might not have made as many bold choices to grow my business if I thought there was too much scrutiny on me.
I want to pause here to explain something about social media. It has changed a lot in the last few years, making it much harder for small businesses to connect to the right audience. Even the algorithm is against you- instead of sending your content to the people that follow you, they show it mostly to people that know nothing about you. That might sound good like you're getting more eyes on your content, but the reality of it is that if people don't engage with your content in some way, it may not show up in their feed again even if they chose to follow your journey. So content creation becomes it's own full time job where you're trying to produce content that people will engage with.
That's why I am such a big proponent of having an email list. They signed up saying they want to receive emails, so guess what...they tend to look at the content you send them. And they get to choose if they open it or not, not an algorithm that doesn't even let them know you're there.
So if I had been braver, I would have started my email list much sooner & shared more of my vision & some behind the scenes so that people would be able to root for me.
But this post isn't just about starting an email list or social media account. It's about having the courage to start the business or the new hobby or whatever it is that you've put off out of fear that you won't be as good as other people. No one starts any new thing and is immediately a pro. We need to normalize being mediocre at things. The people that excel in whatever thing you want to do, got that way by showing up and doing the work day after day until it got easier and they got better.
“That’s the problem with so many adults, we’re all focused on getting it perfect, instead of trying. What ever happened to good enough?” -Mel Robbins
Years ago, my niece told me she liked the everyday messy version of me much more than the polished version I present to the world. I laughed at her bluntness and very much appreciated that she loved more than just my highlight reel. She liked my sass & attitude and the back & forth thought processes that went into decisions. She liked the trial & error in trying to create something new.
Over the years, I started to unpack why her words stuck with me so long. A couple things came up. I grew up in a household that felt like a lie. What went on at home was very different than what was shown to the world. So maturing past my past, I knew that I wanted a home that felt authentic and wholesome and loving and kind. I knew that if the people that live with me and see me at my worst still believe the everyday version of me is amazing then I will have considered my life a success.
The other thing it taught me is to let go of perfection. In the Martha Stewart generation, people wanted the fancy presentation. But today, people want to see the real you, to see that you are human, to see that you don't have it all figured out, to see that you're doing your best in the middle of your busy unpredictable life that doesn't always allow things to go smoothly. They want to know that people that are overwhelmed and don't have it all together can still be successful. It gives them hope. Hope that they could also create what appears to be an effortless success in the midst of chaos, second-guessing, and mostly just winging it.
“There will always be someone who can't see your worth. Don't let it be you” -Mel Robbins
So back to my which comes first question from above, the answer is that there isn't a perfect answer. Only you know your level of comfort to having people watch your journey. But my advice is to start before you're ready. Start the business, get your email list going earlier than planned, try the new hobby, learn something new~ be really bad at things. The majority of things people worry about never happen. So maybe we should stop worrying so much and just enjoy life more.
I think you'll be surprised by how kind and eager people are to support you once you put yourself out there, especially if you are authentic and transparent with more than you think you're willing to share.
Warmest regards,

P.S. If you want help getting started with your print-on-demand or digital product business, take a look at our Designed Simply Membership.
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