Unless you’re Lexus, a relentless pursuit of perfection doesn’t serve you well, especially when you fail to launch because “it” isn’t good enough, yet (whatever it is).
Does the name Tom Scholz ring a bell? Tom is a retired mechanical engineer whose hobby is music. Tom played all the instruments on a demo reel he recorded with the singer from his garage band, and they sent tapes to multiple labels. When he got a record deal, Tom meticulously produced and mixed the first album himself. The process was slow, but audience response to the debut album was great.
The label wanted a second album the next year. It took two. The label brought in a producer to speed up the process. Tom was frustrated because he felt rushed and thought the quality of the production wasn’t good enough. Audience response was still favorable, but this album sold about half as many copies as the first.
A third album was due in this three-record deal, but this time, Tom insisted it be done on his timetable and up to his exacting standard. It took him eight years to deliver. Eventually, Boston’s album, Third Stage, was released after much adversity spawned lawsuits between Scholz, the label, and other bandmates.
I have “More Than a Feeling” (pun intended) that waiting on perfection plagues most entrepreneurs at some time… especially when starting a new business venture or project.
Perfection becomes a permission slip for procrastination. We reason that, if we never make an attempt, we cannot fail. And if we have not failed yet, our record is still perfect.
This unreasonable expectation of perfection “right out of the box” has prevented countless brilliant people from fulfilling our purpose and destiny.
Give yourself permission to begin at your current skill level – and to fail, if necessary. Your first few attempts will not be perfect, but they will begin to perfect you, if you persist in your practice. You must accept that you are on a learning curve. You have no idea how much further you need to improve until you’ve tested yourself.
“If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.” ~ Reid Hoffman, creator of LinkedIn
Boston released a fourth album eight years after Third Stage. The only single to make the Billboard Hot 100 from that project peaked at 51. It is the last time Boston had a single on the charts. Perhaps all the time between albums has given listeners time to find new artists who are more prolific.
The real kicker to Boston’s story occurred at the 1977 Grammy Awards. Boston was nominated for Best New Artist. After working diligently to put out 8 perfect tracks on their debut album which went platinum 17 times, Tom Scholz and his bandmates were beat out by one-hit-wonder Starland Vocal Band.
There’s no doubt Tom Scholz wrote and recorded music that is far superior to Afternoon Delight. I can’t help but believe that he had something very good at revision number 8 (for example) that would satisfy his fans. Instead, he kept pushing for revision 99 (spit-balling numbers here) until he was sure it was perfect. Unfortunately, the time had passed, and Boston was no longer what radio listeners or music consumers craved.
Are you sitting on a great idea, afraid to market it before it’s perfect? At some point, you have to launch. The longer you wait, the more you delay your ROI.
Besides, you may be giving someone else who has a similar idea the opportunity to be first in the marketplace. Being first has its advantages. Name recognition is one of them.
Who was the first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean? If you remembered Charles Lindbergh, you’re right.
Who was the second person to make that trans-Atlantic flight?
See what I mean?
Stop stalling. You’ll never be perfect.
PS: Last week, I told you the thing I could do right now was to commit to being accountable for writing Page One. Page One is done. The Introduction to the book is done. Chapter One is almost done. My first manuscript will be done by the end of this year. Look for the book in 2018.
