CEO Mindset Monday
Done is better than perfect. You’ve heard it before, but if you’re anything like I was when I tried to bring my business back to life, it doesn’t feel that simple.
When I decided to revive Backbone America, it wasn’t a clean-slate kind of launch—it came with baggage. Fear of failing again. Pressure to “get it right” this time. I kept tweaking things behind the scenes: changing page layouts, rewriting course descriptions, second-guessing my timeline. I told myself I was being strategic, but really… it was me just stalling.
And if I had to guess, you’ve been there too.
Maybe you’re working on a business idea right now, and the deeper you get into planning, the more you find yourself stuck in that loop—waiting for things to feel more polished, more finished, more worthy of sharing.
The truth? That waiting doesn’t lead to confidence. Clarity does. And clarity comes from doing, not obsessing.
That’s exactly why I built The Business Clarity Blueprint the way I did. In the early modules, we focus on what most programs skip: defining what freedom actually means to you, choosing a business model that fits your life now, and committing—even if you’re scared, even if it’s messy.
Because starting small isn’t a weakness. It’s how you build something real.
If you’ve been caught in the perfection loop, this post is your permission to stop. Let’s talk about what really moves you forward—and why clarity will always matter more than polish.
Perfectionism Feels Like Preparation—but It’s Really Just Delay in Disguise
The tricky thing about perfectionism is how legitimate it sounds. It dresses itself up as due diligence. As quality control. It’s easy to get caught up in thoughts that hold you back:
- “I’m just making sure this is solid before I share it.”
- “I want the sales page to look professional before I promote it.”
“I’m still thinking through my offer.”
“I’m not sure my email list is big enough yet.”
All of that sounds strategic. But underneath? It’s fear.
Fear that what you launch won’t match the picture in your head.
Fear that this time won’t be different from the last.
I recognized that fear because I’d wrestled with it for years. Before Backbone America, I published books under the name Reena Jacobs. I loved writing—but I could edit forever. There was always a sentence I could tighten, a plot I could improve, a character I could round out. Eventually, I had to decide: do I want a perfect manuscript that never sees the light of day, or a finished book that actually reaches people?
I realized business is the same.
You can keep refining your idea, your website, your offer—but until you release it into the world, it’s just a draft no one can benefit from.
Perfect feels safe.
But perfect will keep you stuck forever if you let it.
Done is what moves you. Done is what teaches you.
If you’ve been editing your business to death, maybe it’s time to think like a writer: publish the draft that’s ready enough, and let clarity come through the process—not before it.
Done Builds Momentum. Perfect Kills It.
We don’t talk enough about the cost of tweaking.
Every edit, every delay, every second-guessing loop… it all eats time. But worse—it drains momentum. And for side business builders, momentum is everything.
If you’re like me, already working with limited time. Ten hours a week, if you’re lucky. If you spend those hours circling the same offer, the same logo, the same homepage headline, you lose the window where clarity could have landed—where something finished could’ve spoken back.
Because that’s the truth no one tells you early on: clarity doesn’t come from polishing—it comes from publishing.
When I created The Business Clarity Blueprint, I wasn’t chasing perfect—I was focused on impact. I’d already learned the difference between adding value and adding noise. So I built it to be clear, actionable, and easy to finish—not overwhelming or bloated. Every piece was designed to help someone move forward with confidence, without the distractions that usually slow new founders down.
And honestly, getting it done felt like a release. It brought focus I didn’t have before. It reminded me that traction doesn’t start with perfect—it starts with something you can use, share, and grow from.
Because the longer you tweak, the harder it is to trust the work.
But the moment you finish something? You get clarity. And from there, momentum becomes possible.
Your Clarity Will Come From Doing, Not Just Thinking
This is one of the hardest shifts for high-achievers—especially if you’ve spent years in careers where planning is rewarded, and mistakes feel costly. You’re used to being thorough. Measured. Prepared.
But in business, overthinking can feel productive while delivering nothing.
You don’t get clarity by thinking harder. You get it by taking a single step, seeing what happens, and adjusting. That’s how you learn what feels right to you. What resonates with your people. What actually works in real life—not just in your head.
And I say this with deep respect for strategy. I love a good framework. But you can have the sharpest strategy in the world and still feel lost if you never act on it.
That’s why I’m such a believer in taking action early. When I finally started treating business like a creative process—not a perfect plan—I got further in two weeks than I had in months. Not because I did more, but because I stopped waiting to be certain.
You don’t need to be flawless.
You just need to be in motion.
Why This Mindset Shift Matters Most for Side-Hustlers
When you’re working full-time and trying to build something on the side, your margin for error feels razor thin.
You don’t have unlimited time to experiment. You don’t have the luxury of spending eight hours fine-tuning a landing page. And you definitely don’t have the bandwidth to keep circling the same decisions, week after week, waiting for some internal green light to appear.
That’s why done is better than perfect isn’t just a catchy phrase for people like us—it’s survival strategy.
When your business has to live in the in-between spaces—before work, after dinner, in your car on a lunch break—perfectionism becomes a luxury you can’t afford. You need focus. You need clarity. And you need something you can actually finish.
That’s the gap I built The Business Clarity Blueprint to fill. It’s not about doing less. It’s about doing the right things first. The pieces that will actually move your idea forward without swallowing up your time, energy, or confidence.
Because when you’re building alongside a day job, every step matters. And progress, even in small doses, is what keeps the dream alive.
What to Do Instead of Perfecting
Let’s clear something up: this is not an anti-planning message.
I’m not saying “just wing it.” I don’t believe in skipping strategy or rushing through without thinking things through. Planning matters. In fact, I’d argue that without a clear plan, most new businesses spin their wheels, waste money, or burn out before they ever find traction.
But there’s a line—one that’s easy to cross without realizing it.
Sometimes over-planning becomes a way to delay. A way to feel productive without making real decisions. You convince yourself you’re just being thorough, but if you’re constantly rewriting your offer or tweaking your positioning or reworking your timeline… you’re probably not planning anymore. You’re perfecting.
And perfecting is just procrastination wearing a badge of professionalism.
The goal is to plan enough to move forward—not to create a bulletproof masterpiece before you’ve even tested your idea.
So if you’ve been stuck in “plan mode,” it might be time to pause and ask:
Am I planning to move—or planning to hide?
The difference matters.
Progress Is the Goal. Let Clarity Come Through Action.
You don’t have to do it all today. You don’t have to know every answer. But you do have to start.
Not with the version that looks perfect in your head, but with the one that’s ready to live in the real world.
That’s where the learning happens. That’s where the clarity shows up. Not in isolation. Not in the hundredth revision. But in motion. In testing. In seeing what actually sticks.
Perfection might feel safe, but it’s clarity that makes you powerful.
So if you’ve been circling, tweaking, adjusting, hesitating—this is your reminder:
You don’t need flawless. You just need finished.
Take the step. Learn from it. Adjust. Repeat.
Progress is the point.
