I admit that I used to be a bit of a perfectionist, and I still can be.

If I’m not careful, I can really beat myself up over everything in my business.

I totally get it, I totally understand

But I’ve also been able to create a very successful seven-figure business by giving myself permission to not be perfect.

If I’d waited until everything in my business was perfect, I’d still be living in my little two-room apartment with an office that had a mattress behind me, and I’d still be driving a car with a roof that sagged around my ears.

I’ve embraced imperfect action in my business and it has reaped huge rewards for me.

Trust me, this can really help you to get out of your own way, take action, and make more money in your business this year.

Let’s talk about those things that absolutely don’t need to be perfect, but you might think they’re really important.

You, yourself, don’t need to be perfect

The first and most important thing for you to know is, YOU don’t need to be perfect.

Usually I record all my videos with a microphone, and I lost my microphone at the start of the year.

But I wanted to record a whole year’s worth of videos in one month, in January.

At first I was like, “I can’t find my microphone, I can’t do it.” Then I said, “No, I’m not letting that one thing screw with me. I don’t care if my videos aren’t perfect. I don’t care if I’m going to have to use my Apple headset. I’m going to do these freaking videos.”

Sometimes you just have to roll with what you have in your business, and say, “Who cares, does this REALLY matter?”

If you judge me for wearing my Apple headset instead of a lapel mic, I don’t care. The format of my microphone is the least important message in these videos. But I was going to let it derail me, because my perfectionism was going to stop me from taking action.

The other thing for me is that I batch these videos a couple at a time. I usually do it when Willow is asleep. I run upstairs, smear on some makeup, and it’s never perfect. It’s whatever I can do in five minutes. Sometimes I wear lipstick, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I wear a bit too much blush.

Don’t let those things stop you from being successful in business, and putting yourself out there. Whether it’s doing social media, doing videos, Periscopes, or whatever.

Maybe you’re thinking, “When I lose ten pounds, then I’ll do videos.”

Honey, if I waited to lose ten pounds, I would not have a business. My weight has gone up and down over the course of my business, but I’ve kept on showing up.

One, because who gives a crap anyway (nobody cares as much as you), and two, people are craving to see other real people of all shapes and sizes. Skinny people, and not-so-skinny people.

You have to show up just how you are because that’s the thing that is going to drive you forward in your business.

Maybe you’re self-conscious about your accent. I totally was. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not American, I’m Australian.

Most of the people who watch my videos are in America, the UK, Canada  and then everywhere else in the world.

In the first year of my business I thought, “Maybe I shouldn’t do any videos until I get elocution lessons, so I can speak like Elle Macpherson,” because she doesn’t have a very strong Australian accent. She has that transatlantic accent.

But really, none of those things have to be perfect before you can show up, make money in your business and serve your community.

Your marketing doesn’t need to be perfect

You should see my early websites and my early branding.

It was terrible, but I didn’t care – and I knew it was terrible, so don’t feel sorry for me! People might be like, “Oh Denise, bless, you thought that was really good.” Well, no, I knew it wasn’t very good. But I didn’t care.

I knew I had something to say

I knew I had a message and I wanted to share my message, even though I wasn’t perfect. I had to do it in spite of that. I thought, “I know it’s shit, but I don’t care. I have to do this, otherwise I’ll chicken out.”

What else doesn’t have to be perfect?

Your programs, products, and services – they (really) don’t!

You’ve got to start where you are right now with these things, and trust that you will get better and better at what you do.

No one is Oprah straight out of the gate

Oprah wasn’t Oprah straight out of the gate.

If you look at any online guru, go to their YouTube channel and watch their earliest videos.

I really love Marie Forleo. Her videos are amazing. I aspire to have the level of production she has with her blog videos because they’re so slick and they’re gorgeous.

But go to her YouTube channel and look at her earlier videos. They were simply her using her laptop webcam, and sometimes it was balanced on her lap, so the videos were all shaky and dark!

That’s how she started out, and that’s how million-dollar businesses start out – by consistently taking action.

Your weekly content? Good, but not perfect

Your blogs and videos?

Again, just start.

Start with what you’ve got. With how you are, right now.

Show up

Before I did this week’s video, I asked on social media, “Hey guys I’m filming all my content this month. Do you mind if I don’t change my outfits between videos?”

People were like, “No we don’t care. We wouldn’t even notice.”

One Lucky Bee said, “I’m not here for your t-shirt.” And I was like, “Totally true!”

And it was awesome because I didn’t have to think about it. I could just take action.

So again:

You don’t have to be perfect to be successful in business

You just have to start, give it all you’ve got, be consistent, and constantly improve.

Put your hand on your heart and say,

“I am enough,

I am enough right now,

I serve, I deserve.”

My  free Manifesting Course yet isn’t super, super pro. It’s just me filming with my background, but you’ll also see the level of information that I give.

Thousands of people have gone through this free course – and if I had waited until it was perfect, then it wouldn’t have happened!

You might think, “Denise must be perfect because she’s got a million-dollar business.”

No, I used to put janky shit out there all the time. As long as the content is good, people don’t care, they want to see YOU.

People come for the content and the result.

They don’t want perfection

That’s what we want to hear about, and the whole community supports you in taking imperfect action now because that always trumps procrastination.

Always. Always. Always.

It’s your time and you’re ready for the next step.

We’d love to hear from YOU…

What are you procrastinating about right now because you think it has to be perfect before you’re even allowed to start? Leave your answer in the comments below! 

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business owner, business startup, entrepreneur, July 2016 Issue, marketing, online business, perfectionism, women in business