by Angie Mizzell

My horoscope recently advised, “Stop procrastinating before you miss out on something good. You are the only one holding you back. Take whatever you have done and launch it as is.”

I don’t rely on horoscopes to determine my course in life. I read them for pure entertainment, as my crystal ball has been in the shop for about 35 years. But this message made me pause.

I thought back six years ago, when I started a business with two other women. Our motto was “fake it til you make it.” When we got our first client, we weren’t sure how we would get paid. We assumed the client would write the check to one of us, and we’d divide the money by three. Lucky for us, a wise friend intervened, advising us to choose a business structure and get a tax ID number. Good thinking.

During the first year, we would meet with our clients to figure out what they needed. And then we would scramble, trying to figure out how to do it. This organic and messy approach to growing a business irritated every control freak nerve in my body. I was so far outside of my comfort zone; my business partners dragged me along kicking and screaming, “We don’t know what we’re doing!”

“Relax,” they would tell me. “We do know what you’re doing.”

And they were right. Before long, we were planning public events, handling some PR campaigns, and designing print ads and placing them in publications across the country.

Eventually we discovered our strengths and assumed our roles. I became the designated copywriter, media liaison, and business manager. I read books like, “Whoops, I’m in Business” and “Starting a Business for Dummies.” It was on-the-job training like I had never experienced. In the midst of the madness, I discovered I really liked being my own boss, building the business of “me.”

After I had my first son, I sold my piece of the partnership. Now, working on my own, I often catch myself falling back into my comfort zone, hiding behind my perfectionism, and expecting opportunities to wait until I’m ready. Then I remember what I’ve already learned. Sometimes the perfect time to act is when circumstances feel much less than perfect. I am reminded to “stop procrastinating before I miss out on something good.”

Do you have a great idea? How will you know when it’s time to launch?

Recent Posts By Angie Mizzell

• Do You Take Risks? - August 30th, 2010
• The Big Questions - August 23rd, 2010
• My Two Cents on Eat Pray Love - August 16th, 2010
• Breastfeeding: A world-wide law? - August 9th, 2010
• Crisis Leads to Opportunity - August 2nd, 2010

Tags: Hybrid Mom

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at 8:37 am and is filed under Angie Mizzell, Entrepreneurs, women. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.