Ready, Fire, Aim!

While looking for something to share with you today, I stumbled upon this article by Brian Armstrong of Start Breaking Free, that I thought just really great! It represents a trap that so many of us get stuck in while trying to become entrepreneurs. I know I certainly recognized myself while reading it. Read on and enjoy!

Ready, Fire, Aim! by Brian Armstrong
Many successful entrepreneurs have been known to act even though they didn't feel 100% prepared. I believe this is one of the most important skills to launching a successful startup. Once you have an idea, take the first step toward completing it now, and figure out the details later. Those who have to wait until all their ducks are in a row will be stuck waiting forever.

I will tell you a secret: the ducks will never all be in a row!

The minute you get that last duck in line, another one will pop out. It's called a startup company, because you have to do just that: startup. Even if you aren't quite ready.

It's imperative you go ahead and do your best with what you have now. At some point you will have to exit the learning stage and enter the doing stage. Don't get caught in the "analysis paralysis" of continuing to learn more and more. At some point you'll have to just pull the trigger, whether you have every possible contingency covered or not.

After pulling the trigger is when the real learning will start, because then you can see where your shot actually went. It is no longer theory or discussion, it is actually happening. Only then, after actually taking the first shot, can you begin to correct your aim.


When doing my first startup, I was full of uncertainty and doubt. What did I know? I had read a little bit about incorporating, but I couldn't afford any actual legal advice. I didn't know how to pay business taxes. I didn't know if anyone would buy my product. I didn't know how to find customers. But after reading a little bit, I just decided to go for it, ready or not. The effect was dramatic because experience was the best teacher I could have had.

Sure, I made a few mistakes (and I still do when launching a startup today), but it wasn't anything I couldn't recover from. One of the best benefits of using "ready, fire, aim" is that you find out quickly whether your plan will work!

It's time to realize and accept the fact that you will not be entirely prepared when you startup your first business. So what? Do it anyway. No one is entirely prepared the first time. But they have the courage to act in spite of their fear. That is what makes them a success today.

Please visit Brian's great blog on becoming an entrepreneur at StartBreakingFree.com!

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