Ready, Set, Launch – Gulp

As an entrepreneur, you know the feeling! Whether you're a solopreneur, mompreneur, intrapreneur (an entrepreneur within a company), a multi-million dollar entrepreneur—whatever level—that moment when the project is finished and you launch it to the world is daunting. You *think* you've thought of everything, dotted all your I's as they say, but invariably, something isn't quite perfect.


But it's still great. That gulp feeling, that nervousness, is all because we put too much expectation on ourselves, and our team, to be perfect. Perfect isn't sustainable or real. Perfect is a place where there is no room fo
r improvement, and there always is. Always. So if you're like me, and you've for too long held on to that perfectionist feeling, try to work it through. Realize, as I had to, that each mistake is a chance to learn and that when you're being realistic, you realize nobody—and no product or service launch—will ever be perfect.

Guess who reminded me of the whole problem with perfection? My middle school son. He is one of those guys—straight As, great at sports, a mentor, teachers love him, tons of friends. That guy. One night, tucking him in, I said something to the effect of you're just such a perfect kid. He looked at me, incredulously, and said: “Mom, nobody's perfect. I'm not. That's too much to expect from yourself.” Yes, he said it. Now I call him my “almost-perfect” son, with a smile.


That said, there's nothing wrong with doing your best. I just launched a new Web site for my Real You business—GULP. It's a work in progress, but it's a great start. I say that even while I acknowledge to you right now that I wasn't going to tell you about it today because it's not perfect. It isn't. But, then again, it never will be.

So, with pride, and a nod to imperfection and the entrepreneurial spirit, I hope you'll check out my new site: KairaRouda.com and watch with me as it evolves. Because a Web site, much like the business it represents, always evolves. And once you realize that fact, and the fact that your best is good enough—even if it isn't perfect—you'll be able to share more of the Real You with the world.

The best of you. The real you. And believe me, that is as close to perfect as you need to be.

Collegiate Entrepreneurs Start Your Engines

Are you or do you know a college student with entrepreneurial aspirations? Show off your business by entering StartupNation Dorm-Based 20, which ranks the top 20 leading collegiate entrepreneurs in the country.

To enter the contest, you must attend a college in the U.S. (not necessarily living in a dorm), your business must have a Web site, and you have to fill out the online form.

The judges will be looking for:

  • Innovativeness of business concept
  • Potential for growth
  • Cutting-edge business practices
  • Demonstration of business fundamentals
  • Potential for overall impact
  • Financial performance

Check out the 2008 Dorm-Based 20 winners:

A Slice of Paradise

Ablaze Custom Cleaning

Affordabook

Bizooki

Brett Adams Design LLC

CaptainU

Collegeffect.com

Digital Wingman, Inc

E SCRAP Ohio

EnMobile

Hurricane K-9 Waste Removal, LLC

IsThatOneGood LLC

Note2Home

ROCS College Student Staffing

Sand Shack

Shelby Burford Design

The Magic of Jared Sherlock

Vortex Web Solutions

World Gaming Center LLC

Zach’s Computers LLC