How to overcome perfectionism and keep your business moving forward

Let's get you past 'just right' thinking'

For many solopreneurs and small business owners, perfectionism feels like a badge of honour. You want your work to be the best it can be, and why wouldn’t you? After all, your business is an extension of you.

But perfectionism is not the pursuit of excellence. It is the pursuit of an illusion — and it can quietly strangle progress.

When everything has to be 'just right' before it can be shared, launched or completed, most tasks end up in a permanent state of almost finished. The website you keep tweaking (new fonts anyone?). The product you keep refining. The post you keep rewriting.

In striving for perfection, you end up with delay, doubt, and half-completed ideas that never make the impact you intended.

Here are four practical ways to overcome perfectionism loosen that over-idealised grip and keep your business moving forward:

1. Focus on contribution, not completion – Instead of obsessing over whether something is finished to an impossible standard, ask: Will this genuinely help or serve my audience right now? Shifting your focus from "Is it perfect?" to "Is it useful?" instantly changes the energy behind your work.

2. Set clear ‘good enough’ – Define in advance what a 'finished' task looks like. What must be included? What is a bonus? This cuts out unnecessary decision-making and stops the goalposts moving beyond your reach. 'Good enough' is often more than good enough.

3. Build fast feedback loops – What are your audience telling you? Get your work out sooner and invite trusted feedback. Waiting until something feels perfect delays the valuable lessons you learn by showing up for your customers. Real-world feedback is often kinder (and more useful) than the harsh inner critic that perfectionism creates.

4. Reframe failure as part of the process (part of the progress) – Perfectionism tells you that mistakes are fatal (here comes that fear of failure again!). The truth is they are inevitable, and necessary. Every imperfect action builds resilience, clarity and momentum. Progress, not perfection, is what moves businesses forward.

One last though to help you overcome perfectionism

If you find yourself stuck in the 'just right' trap, remember it’s better to share a good idea today than a perfect idea that never sees the light.

Your business, your audience, and your future self will thank you.