Quote · The Mel Robbins Podcast
How to Get More Out of Life: Make More Money & Build Something That Matters with Seth Godin
Where this was said
Write 3 Business Plans and Perfectionism as Resistance
At 1:03:40 · chapter starts 1:03:15
Seth offers a deceptively practical tool for anyone sitting on a business idea: write three completely different business plans, each answering who it's for, what it's for, and how you'll know if it's working. Then pretend you'll pick one at random. This isn't an intellectual exercise — it's a way to force your brain out of defensive mode. You can't fall out of love with Plan A unless you've made Plan B genuinely better. And if you don't have time to write three plans, Seth argues flatly, you don't have time to start a business. He then turns to perfectionism, reframing it as a form of selfishness: if your product meets spec and will make someone's life better, withholding it until it's perfect is a choice to let that person flounder. You're not doing surgery — ship it, watch what happens, and improve. The real question, always, is who it's for and what it's for. [1] — Seth Godin "Write three completely different business plans: who's it for, what's it for, how will I know if it's working. Then pretend you'll pick one…" 1:00:41
If your product is good enough and it will make someone's life better, holding it back for perfection is selfish. You're not doing surgery — ship it, watch what happens, and improve. The question to ask perfectionism isn't 'is it perfect?' It's 'who's it for and what's it for?'
