Yet

There are three problems that we often encounter when starting a new business.

The first is that when we start, we’re really not that good at what we’re supposed to be doing. No matter what our job is, this is an inescapable fact. There’s no sense in pretending otherwise. We’re really not that good, and it’s doesn’t make sense for us to pretend otherwise. At this stage of the game, figuring out why we’re not that good (yet) is the most important thing we can do.

The second thing is that even once we begin to figure things out, and start offering some value to our customers, there will still be some people who think that we’re no good. And that’s OK, because it tells us what we need to know: that what we’re doing isn’t for them. Our product is not for everyone; we’re in business to serve our target market. We’ve just got to do a better job of figuring out who we’re doing this for and work our butts off to serve them.

We need to remain on guard against self-defeating thoughts. We can’t get caught up in negative thinking, believing that we’re headed for failure. We’ve simply got to realize that there’s a good chance that we’re pitching our product to the wrong audience.

The third thing comes all the way back to the beginning, because there’s always the chance that it’s true: we’re still not that good. Maybe we haven’t figured it out enough, or maybe there aren’t enough clients in the area that want our services. Maybe we’re fishing in the wrong stream.

So, we’ve got to face reality and start back at the beginning. We’re not there, yet. Maybe we need more practice. Maybe we need more experience. Maybe we need to figure out how to better see things from our client’s point of view.

Then we can start to get better. And who knows, maybe these problems become stepping stones to serving our ideal audience; to doing work that we can be proud of.

This post was based of a blog by Seth Godin. Follow him, if you want to be better at whatever it is you do.