VIDEO TEXT
I have a friend who’s an amazing artist. She told me the hardest thing about making art is knowing when your work is done and ready to be seen.
I think entrepreneurs struggle with this too – the eternal question of readiness.
Know this: You are never going to feel 100% ready to go, it’s just not possible. You can’t learn till you launch and you definitely won’t be anything close to perfect.
But you’ll benefit hugely from being super clear and getting your core messaging right on the important stuff BEFORE you leap:
- What you’re all about,
- who you serve,
- what to say that will connect and engage them
- PLUS the purpose and value of your work.
If you don’t feel ready one of two things could be happening:
ONE: You are good to go but you’re dithering over the last little pieces because it’s god damn scary and it might not work!
(And … perhaps you have a small case of imposter syndrome to fight?)
OR TWO: You still have some preparation to do. Some elements of your strategy are NOT fully “cooked”,
are still fuzzy, are in the “too hard” basket or haven’t been validated.
So how do you know the difference?
For your own psychological safety it can be foolhardy to launch without clarity.
Here are the signs that even if you don’t feel ready, you probably are:
>> You have an ideal client description, a smooth introduction statement and your core messaging (either brand positioning, brand story or your specialisation) is sorted.
>> Most of us operate in saturated markets, which makes it imperative to have your core messaging nailed.
>> In addition, your “big why” and direction is relatively clear (with some room for flexibility) you feel motivated and inspired and can articulate the value your know how can add to the lives of others.
>> And this is vital, you know that people can get results following your guidance.
>> An easier one, you jump in readily and answer questions from people in your area of expertise and are thanked for your insight.
>> You know what kind of content is interesting, appealing and useful to your receptive audience.
>> Even if you don’t have products YET, you have an idea of what you’re going to offer and can prepare the ground with content.
>> You can spot the problems you solve “in the wild”. In a conversation with prospects, you could smoothly introduce your work.
>> You can speak authoritatively, without notes on your area of specialisation.
>> A conversation with a prominent peer in your field would excite you rather than intimidate you.
>> If someone challenges you, you can state your position clearly, calmly and concisely
>> You have an effective plan of “right steps” giving your days a sense of purpose and momentum (like a set of dominos or train tracks).
>> Did you answer yes to the majority of these? (even a tentative yes is OK) You’re ready to go “next level” and stare imposter syndrome in the eye! Find the consistent actions you can take to increase your impact everyday.
If you’d like a posse of peers around you on this journey, who believe in paying it forward and supporting each other, click on the right button to join my selective facebook group “the Pay it Forward” mastermind
If you feel you still have work to do, I have a bunch of tips, resources and ideas that will help you with clarity and accelerate you to success readiness. That’s the button on the left no email address is required.