No Better Time Than NOW

There is a Chinese Proverb that states,

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

I often think about this proverb and what it means in business. It takes time for anything to establish roots, grow, and succeed. So the sooner you start the journey and cultivation of whatever IT is that you are starting, the sooner you will see growth and be able to reap the fruits of your labor.

Stop telling yourself that now is not the right time or that you need to accomplish three more things before it is the right time. Whatever you are pursuing or creating, you do not need to get it perfect to start it. There will always be a risk of failure on the way to success, but to achieve either, you need to start. And now is the perfect time.

When launching a new business or a new product line, clients and I often talk through a lot of ‘what if’ scenarios. What I tell them is to move forward with the “Minimum Viable Product.” Get it out there, and get some feedback. Doing so will answer many of the questions that they have about what direction to head. Answering your ‘what if’s’ by getting real, live feedback reduces guesswork and saves a lot of time and energy, not to mention dollars.

When you think about great product launches, most of them started with a beta version that was released to a specific, limited population. The company asks beta users for feedback, makes some fixes before launching to the world, and builds up some buzz around the product before it’s fully released. This is my favorite way to launch anything new from any of my companies. I like getting my clients and community involved because it gets them invested. When the product is actually launched, I already have some cheerleaders and excited prospects and clients to share the new offering with others.

So the question is, what can you do right now, today, to get started on the next chapter or dream that you have? Can you make a phone call? Schedule a time to talk to a prospect? Hire a accountability coach?

Just do one thing to ensure that by the end of today, you are closer to your dream than you were this morning. There truly is no better time than now to take that first step.