Perfectionism

I am a recovering perfectionist. It took me years to learn that doing my current best is more than enough, but I still have that tendency and therefore have to remind myself that "perfect is the enemy of good."

As a founder, that tendency becomes harder to ignore, especially if you worry that not being perfect means less customers and revenue. But that's not the case.

The tech startup world believes in MVPs (minimum viable product) for a reason. Basically, you make available the minimal functional product and then continue to build based on customer feedback—not based on what you think they'll want and are probably wrong about. This method saves a lot of time and money by avoiding rework.

Even if you're not a tech startup, you can borrow the MVP concept.

Figure out what your customers need and care about, and get it to them as quickly as possible. When they further confirm and or make requests, you can consider whether it makes sense to modify your product or service accordingly. 

And there is definitely a time and place to say no to customers. You cannot be everything for everyone, so decide what your core product and service are, and build only on that. Basecamp and its success are a great example of this.

Takeaway: Aim for functional and good enough rather than perfect, and "perfect" it based on actual customer requests, as long as they're aligned with your core offering.

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