You’ll never publish a book if you never start writing it.
It’s a common struggle: you have research to do, bills to pay, and countless ideas swirling around in your mind. But unless you start the first page, you’ll never get to the second.
In business, the best advice I’ve ever heard is to get your MVP (minimum viable product) out onto the market as soon as possible. Gather feedback, iterate, release, gather more feedback, iterate again, and release once more. The only way you’ll get better is by doing. Be dynamic, be flexible, and most importantly, listen to your market.
EMBRACE THE CRINGE
One of the hardest parts of starting a business is passing the cringe phase—the point where no one knows who you are, no one trusts you, and you’re posting like an influencer despite having only ten followers.
I’m currently in that phase with my business. I’ve been designing for years but have put off putting myself out there, and I know it’s set me back. I’ve got clients who rave over what I’ve done for them, but I’ve never shared a single day of my journey, so what really sets me apart from every other designer out there. Right now? Nothing.
I must admit this isn’t an entirely unfamiliar landscape for me. Back in the early days of TikTok, I began in obscurity and grew my art account to 90 thousand followers. Unfortunately, I lacked strategy and clear goals for my content, leading me to chase trends and ruthlessly judge myself for poorly performing content. I burnt out quickly and threw in the towel. My art had become soulless and uninspired, and I’d lost all joy in my craft. This time, I have a strategy and clear goals. I expect it to take months, if not years, of consistent work to reach the level of my snappy TikTok success, but instead of a scattered, uninterested audience, I’m planning to cultivate a community of like-minded founders who know me and find value in the information I share.
WHY YOU SHOULD DO IT ANYWAY
No matter what you’re doing, someone in your life (or on the internet) is going to think it’s cringey. It’s easy to look at successful people and imagine they’ve held this much poise all their life, and that’s why they’re successful, but it’s not the case. Every business, founder, and artist go through an awkward phase where nothing quite works, and it’s all a bit ugly. It’s almost instinctive to want to hide that from your audience, to want to emerge fully fledged and ready to take on the world.
But we all have ugly days, and now more than ever, consumers value authenticity. In a world where AI blurs the lines of reality, consumers love seeing the faces behind brands and connecting with founders through their struggles and insecurities.
Perfect is Out, Authenticity is In. Be cringy. We love it. By sharing your journey, tears and all, you’ll attract a community of supporters who appreciate your authenticity. These are the people who will become your most loyal customers, your advocates, and your biggest cheerleaders. They’ll see the value in your transparency and will be stick with you through thick and thin. Don’t obsess over other people judging you or tearing you down. Instead, focus on your journey and your goals. Remember: you know yourself and your business best. Don’t let outsiders opinions shackle you.
EMBRACE YOUR IMPERFECTIONS
It’s easy to feel like you don’t belong, to feel under-qualified, like an imposter. But remember, we’ve all been there, and sometimes not belonging is a superpower. When you bring fresh eyes to a problem you have the opportunity to discover unique ideas, to find new solutions, and create new systems.
We all come from different backgrounds, different levels of experience, and different lives. If you wanted to be doing what everyone else was doing you wouldn’t be an entrepreneur, so embrace your differences! Always keep moving forward, even when it feels cringey.
The best is the enemy of the good. Start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can. I promise you your future self will thank you for it.
Ready to make your brand unforgettable? Enquire now