Messy, imperfect, and still moving
It was easy to have a consulting company when people were seeking me out.
But once that slows down (or stops), you hit that “cool… now what?” moment. What do I need to do to find businesses that actually need my services?
This part, for me, was a bit of a journey.
I’ve got the background, building websites, email marketing, SEO, business listings, all that fun stuff. But it hits different when you’re doing it for yourself instead of telling someone else what they should do. Giving advice? Easy. Implementing it when your own name is on the door? Guess we will see.
So yeah… let’s get into this wonderful mess.
Step One: Get Comfortable with “Good Enough”
I’m using the 70/30 rule on this one. Get it good enough so lead generation can start… and optimize later.
Because if you wait until everything is perfect, you’ll be waiting forever.
So here’s what “good enough” looked like:
- Thought of a solid business name, bought the domain — done
- Built a website… realized my website-building skills were too rusty to be efficient… Upwork for the win — done
- Set up socials… felt wayyyy too old during the process — done
- Needed images… panicked because I have the creative ability of a cardboard box… called a marketing friend — done
And the list goes on.
The Biggest Struggle: Imposter Syndrome
The biggest struggle was, and honestly still is, imposter syndrome.
If you don’t deal with this… man, good on ya, you have no idea.
If you do deal with it… I’m sorry. It’s heavy.
But you keep going anyway.
What’s wild is how irrational it can be.
I’ve topped sales charts for nearly my entire adult life. I’ve had success at multiple companies. I’ve sold in NA, EMEA, and APAC, both in the public and private sectors. Sold in state, federal, and foreign governments. I’ve worked with solopreneurs and several Fortune 50 companies. I’ve built sales teams, developed training, hired and fired, set goals, and even played the pseudo sales engineer role for my team of account executives.
And yet… do I feel like an impostor?
Unreal.
If you’re in those same shoes, I’m not 100% sure it’s “good company,” but you’ve at least got company with me here at MCW.
What Actually Helped
The best thing I could do was painfully simple: make a list of what needed to be accomplished and check it off one by one, exactly the same as if I felt confident.
Not because I magically felt ready.
Not because I suddenly stopped overthinking.
But because momentum doesn’t require confidence. It requires movement.
So I moved.
One box checked at a time.
