Overcoming Perfectionism in Your Creative Business
Have you ever had a project you've been working on for months? Like a website redesign, or creating a new collection to add to your portfolio, or a course that's "almost ready" to be released but that’s been sitting there a while?
Whatever the case, the thing is still sitting in your drafts folder because it needs "more work."
It's likely because perfectionism has convinced you that "good enough" isn't actually good enough.
I’ve had an ebook sitting in my Google Drive because I want to read through it ONE MORE TIME before I wanted to let the world pick it apart. I’ve had courses sitting there that needed to be "revamped" because they weren't “as good as they could have been.”
So I totally get it.
I know what it feels like to pour your heart into something only to worry that someone might say it's not good enough.
But here's what I've learned after years of helping creative entrepreneurs build their businesses…perfectionism isn't protecting you from criticism.
It's stealing your opportunities.
The Real Cost of Waiting for Perfect
When you delay launching your website because the color palette isn't quite right, or hold back your new art collection because you want to add "just one more piece," you're not just postponing success…you're actively choosing to stay invisible online.
I've seen this play out so many times with past clients.
They'd get completely stuck choosing fonts, looking at 500 different options, examining font pairings, wanting to see them in every possible combination before making a decision.
Or they'd spend weeks agonizing over their colors, convinced that if they weren't absolutely perfect, their business would fail.
Yet while they were debating between Montserrat and Open Sans, their business friends were already out there building relationships, creating content, and making sales with "good enough" fonts.
Your ideal customers aren't choosing whether to work with you based on the perfect font choice.
They're choosing based on your creative work, whether you can solve their problem, and whether they trust and connect with you as a person.
I've watched so many talented creatives miss their moment because they were busy perfecting everything.
This isn't about rushing or putting out sloppy work. It's about recognizing that "done" is better than "perfect."
Why "Imperfect" Actually Works Better
People are drawn to imperfect, authentic creators more than people who have it all figured out.
Think about the creative business owners you follow most closely.
They're probably not the ones with the pristine and flawless websites. They're probably the ones who share their messy studios, their failed experiments, and their "this didn't go as planned" stories.
There's something deeply human and relatable about someone who's willing to say, "This isn't perfect, but I'm sharing it anyway." That vulnerability? The willingness to be seen before you're "ready"?
That's your competitive advantage.
This is where my cozy marketing philosophy really comes into play.
I believe you can be imperfect and still have success.
When you're just starting out, you don't need to display this impossibly high level of perfection. It's okay to look like you're just starting out.
I think people see what established creators are putting out and think their website and branding have to be at that same level right away. But those creators didn't start with a whole team and years of polished content. They started exactly where you are now.
Being present in the moment you're actually in (even as a beginner), that's what cozy marketing is all about. If you're just starting out, you're just starting out. That's not something to hide; it's something to be proud of.
The Opportunities You're Missing
Every day you spend perfecting things in your business is a day you're not building relationships with your ideal clients/customers or getting feedback that could actually improve your work.
You're missing out on sales and valuable insights into what your audience truly wants from you.
And most importantly, you're not building the kind of momentum that compounds over time.
You might be tempted to push back launch dates, or be convinced you need just one more week to get everything right.
Meanwhile, the business owners around you might be out there building communities, making connections, and yes... making money.
Below is a video that I recorded several years back in my previous business. The content is still good and was the basis for this blog post. Watch it below and leave me a comment!
A Better Way to Think About "Good Enough"
Professional doesn't have to mean perfect.
It can mean thoughtful, intentional, and genuinely helpful. You can be all these things without being perfect.
Your website doesn't need every page perfect before you launch. Instead, your site needs your best work front and center and a clear way for people to connect with you or buy from you.
Your new art collection doesn't need 47 pieces. But it does need your strongest work presented beautifully.
Your course or workshop doesn't need every possible bonus and module. It needs to solve one specific problem really well.
Think minimum viable version of whatever it is you're holding back.
The 1% Improvement Approach
Instead of trying to achieve perfection, try making 1% improvements over time.
Each time you have the opportunity to update something, make it just a tiny bit better.
Here's what's beautiful about this approach…when new people discover your website, lead magnet, portfolio, or whatever you've created, they have no idea what it looked like before.
They see the cumulative effect of all those small improvements.
Your website might start with zero photos, but over time, you can add images, improve your headings, refine your visual hierarchy, and more.
Because of these micro-improvements, new visitors see a cohesive and polished presence.
This approach means you're not pouring all your energy into one massive overhaul that leaves you burned out (although there is a time and place for those bigger projects). Instead, you're using your energy consistently over time, making steady progress without the pressure of immediate perfection.
When you try to rush and get 10 steps ahead of where you actually are, it can be a tremendous burden as a business owner trying to do everything all at once. But when you take small steps, they add up over time.
Small Steps, Big Momentum
Small steps, like sharing one work-in-progress photo instead of waiting until the whole collection is done, can take you much further than waiting.
Publishing that blog post even if it's shorter than you planned, can bring you traffic.
Maybe you launch your course with three solid modules instead of waiting to create ten, or you update one page of your website instead of rebuilding the whole thing.
These small steps create momentum.
And momentum is what carries you toward your goals.
The Time-Limit Strategy
Something that helps me get things out into the world (without hemming and hawing over whether or not it's ready), is giving myself time limits.
When time's up, I'm done. For now, anyway.
Some of my biggest breakthroughs have come from committing to opportunities before I felt "ready."
When I participated in bundles, I didn't have perfect products.
I had deadlines that forced me to create something good enough within the time I had. When I appeared in the CreativeLive audience and on stage for a segment, my website wasn't perfect, but I did what I could beforehand and then ran with what I had.
Each time, taking that leap and launching something that was "good enough" served me better than waiting for perfect. Because perfect never comes.
Opportunities do come, though, and they don't wait for you to be ready.
This isn't about rushing through work or settling for mediocre. It's about recognizing that you can always improve whatever you're working on later. But you can't get back the opportunities you miss while you're tweaking things and holding things back because they’re not perfect.
When I hit my deadline, I ask myself, "Is this good enough to help someone?"
If the answer is yes, it's ready to share.
Your Work Deserves to Be Seen
The world needs what you're creating. Yes, even the imperfect version. Yes, even before it's exactly how you envision it.
Your ideal customers aren't waiting for you to be perfect; they're waiting for you to show up.
They're looking for someone who understands their struggles, speaks their language, and offers something that genuinely helps or inspires them.
That someone is you. Right now. Today.
Even if your logo isn't quite right or your website has a typo somewhere.
Will someone catch it? Maybe?
You can make yourself feel terrible about those little imperfections. But the best thing to do is keep going at your own pace, doing the best you can with what you have, where you're at.
At some point, you will be exactly where you want to be. But only if you keep moving forward instead of staying stuck.
Cozy Next Steps
Look at your current projects and ask, "What am I holding back on because it's not perfect yet?"
Pick one thing, just one, and set a deadline to share it with the world.
Not a deadline for making it perfect. A deadline for making it public.
Then honor that deadline. Share it, launch it, publish it.
The relief you'll feel when you finally put it out there will far outweigh any anxiety about it not being perfect. And the momentum you'll build from that one brave action? That's going to carry you further than perfectionism ever could.
Still need motivation? Learn how to keep going when things feel tough.
Your creativity deserves to be seen. Your business deserves to grow. And you deserve the opportunities that come from choosing progress over perfection.
Join the Conversation
Let's normalize launching imperfect things! Share one "good enough" thing that you're proud of putting out into the world. We'd love to hear about it in the comments below.
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