I know I talk about strategy a lot. That’s because I’ve watched small and solo business owners start a business get so caught up in the excitement of starting a business that once that part is done they get tangled up in all the things because they didn’t have a plan beyond “start a business”. The paralysis is real. You sit there, scrolling through case studies, watching YouTube tutorials, reading “The Ultimate Guide to…” for the hundredth time. Meanwhile, your competitor with the mediocre website and basic social media strategy is booking clients every week.
It doesn’t matter what strategy you have—it matters that you have one.
The Measurement Advantage
When you have a strategy, even an imperfect one, magic happens. You can measure what works. Without a strategy, you’re shooting arrows in the dark and calling lucky hits “intuition.”
Consider two business owners
- Sarah spends three months researching the “perfect” marketing approach
- Michelle launches a basic email campaign and simple website in week one
By month three, Sarah is still planning. Michelle has sent 12 emails, learned his audience prefers tutorials over case studies, discovered Tuesday sends get 40% higher open rates, and pivoted his service offering based on actual customer feedback. Don’t get me wrong planning is vital but over planning is a problem.
Why “Good Enough” Strategy Wins
The business world rewards speed of learning over perfection of planning. Your first strategy won’t be your last strategy—it’s your learning vehicle.
Real-world feedback beats theoretical perfection every time. Customers will tell you what they actually want, not what you think they should want. They can only tell you this if you give them something to react to!
The Iteration Engine
Having a strategy creates an iteration engine. You launch, measure, learn, adjust, repeat. This cycle becomes your competitive advantage because while others are still planning, you’re on iteration 29.
Each cycle teaches you something new:
- Which marketing channels actually work for your audience
- What language resonates with your customers
- Which features or services create the most value
- How to allocate your time and resources effectively
From Strategy Paralysis to Action Clarity
The enemy isn’t having the wrong strategy—it’s having no strategy to test and refine. Perfectionism is procrastination wearing a fancy suit.
Start with what you know. Test it. Measure everything. Adjust based on data, not assumptions. Your strategy will evolve into something far better than anything you could have planned from the beginning.
The market is your teacher, but it can only teach you if you show up to class.
Your Next Move
Pick a simple strategy you can implement this week. Set up basic measurement. Launch it. The insights you gain from real-world testing will be worth more than months of additional planning.
The best strategy is the one you actually execute and improve upon.
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