Perfectionism might feel like preparation, but it’s really a disguise for fear.
Renee Hribar shares real client stories that reveal how waiting for everything to look “perfect” can quietly stall your growth. She reminds entrepreneurs that progress—not perfection—creates results, and that your next client is already in your world waiting for you to show up. Through her three-step framework—Post it, Ping them, Pitch lightly—Renee guides you to take imperfect action and start conversations that lead to real opportunities.
Momentum doesn’t come from polishing; it comes from doing. Progress beats perfect every single time—and your clients are waiting for you, not your perfection.
Transcript
Waiting for Perfect is just another way of saying I'm scared to start. And I get it. You care about doing things well. You want it to look good, sound right, feel professional. But the desire for perfect can quietly keep you stuck, spinning, tweaking, rewriting, redesigning while opportunities. Whew. Drift right past you.
it's really hard to hear it. [:So just know that this is a composite of pieces of the amazing humans that I get the privilege to coach. So this particular scenario, she was a parenting coach. She had spent nearly 15 years in education before starting her business. Married three kids, two in elementary school, one in high school, juggling carpool lines.
Okay? Who can relate afterschool snacks? They're like locust and trying to grow her business from her laptop at the kitchen counter Girl. I feel like I'm looking into my own kitchen right now. She first found me after hearing me speak at a women's conference, and she later told me, Renee, I was sitting there with my notebook open and every other speaker was making me feel like I needed a giant audience and all these.
you got up there and said, I [:So when she came to work with me, I. Her biggest struggle was waiting for Perfect, the perfect brand, the perfect audience, the perfect plan, the perfect post. And honestly, she had dozens of posts written but never published. I, I mean, I remember these sessions early on. Offers outlined, but never launched. A podcast episode recorded, but never shared because in her words, it's, it's not ready yet.
said, give it to me. I'll do [:And guess what? We published it. Nothing bad happened. The world did not stop rotating. Everybody kept going. And it's so familiar to me. It's exactly how I felt when I first came online. And so if this sounds familiar to you too. Keep on listening or share it with a friend if this sounds like something they've been saying.
e kind of work that is truly.[:Developmental, you know, what do they say? If you wanna get where you wanna go, you're gonna have to become that person. Well, starting a business, being a parent, all these things are fast tracks to self-development. So. Here's what I told her, and maybe what you need to hear too. Perfect is the enemy of progress.
You don't need some massive audience. You don't need a polished product or funnel or website. You just need to start showing up imperfectly and. Here it is. Invite the people already around you to work with you. Oh my goodness. Halloween screams, ah, when the people I work with actually do that, good things happen.
m a different vantage point. [:Again, she's a parenting coach. She hit publish. Then she sent it to her Small but loyal email list. Nothing fancy, just her truth. One story and a simple invitation if you are struggling with this too, here's how we can talk. Within 24 hours, two people replied one book to discovery call. The other said, I didn't know you were offering this.
people already around us, we [:We think that they know what we know, but they don't. So we have to personally invite them So I mean like this is the thing, like within no time at all. Right now, as you're listening to this, I want you to start thinking about the people that you know, the people from church, the people from school, the people from your last job.
They're all excited to hear from you 'cause I'm pretty sure if you listen to this, you're already a pretty good human and so you're looking for a way to step out, step up, get ahead, make a difference, help people. Okay, so here's what happened next. This one, imperfect post led her to signing her next client, but more importantly, she told me, Renee, I realize I've been hiding behind perfect as an excuse.
e like. I told you so, but I [:Like, here's the thing, she's not alone. I hear versions of this every single week. Like the client who's a marketing strategist, , incredibly smart, seasoned, knows this stuff, but kept holding back from reaching out to bigger companies because didn't feel ready to charge what, you know, what he is worth, or rewriting his pitch deck for the fifth time.
like, why did you doubt me? [:Do it. Send the text, send the pitch deck. Reach out to the people who already know you. You don't have to talk to strangers necessarily. Of course, marketing is great. Of course. Getting yourself visible or seen is fantastic. Like working on your website isn't a crime unless that's all you're doing, then it is a crime.
It's a crime for the people who need you that don't know that they can get help from you because they haven't. Heard from you in a while. They haven't heard that you're actually doing this thing. If you remember a couple episodes back, I talked about the Christmas, the Christmas newsletter. If not, go back, we'll hook you up.
orkshop. She said, I'm not a [:The attendees were taking notes, asking questions, and before the day was done, two of them pulled her aside to hire her privately like this. Is the good stuff, right? Do the thing that's right in front of you or is it a corporate consultant Right. That I work with. Uh, she wanted to start a podcast but kept saying I'll record once I have the right mic.
Spoiler alert. She finally used her phone and recorded in her car. That episode be is becoming fast. One of her most shared. So it's, the pattern here is always the same. We wait for the right moment, but the right moment only shows up when we do. So let's talk about why we wait. Perfectionism looks noble on the surface.
ing foolish, fear of hearing [:They're waiting for the feeling that you get them. And when this parenting coach finally shared her grocery store story, it was the perfect headline that got attention. It was the honesty. So it's not about having that perfect. Line, like, I mean, I, I have three brothers and I can tell you that they're like, well, what works?
What line works? Like it's not about the line, it's about your honesty, about the look in your eye, about the genuineness as you say it. And so people might have said, oh, that's me. That's my kid. That's what I need help with. And they did because she finally shared it. That's the power of imperfect, but real.
ct Post it, ping them, pitch [:Number two, ping them. Reach out to one person you already know, a former client, a colleague, someone you who commented on your content. Start a real conversation. You don't need a new audience. You need to nurture the one you already have. Number three, pitch lightly. Make a low pressure offer. I call them no brainer offers, right?
Or it could be an invitation to something free, even not a proposal. Something like, if this is something you've been thinking about, I have a few spots open this this week or this month for a quick chat. Do this. If you wanna grab one of them, those three steps, post ping pitch. And how or how you build momentum.
love alliteration though. So [:Notice I didn't say posting every day or emailing, every week. It was once a week a post. Twice a month in email and just genuinely reconnecting with the people she already knew. Three months later, she'd signed six new clients, all referrals, all warm leads, all from her imperfect efforts. But the reality is, is those efforts are what drew the referrals out.
id to me? I wish I'd started [:So let me ask you, what have you been sitting on a post, a pitch, a plan, what have you? Stopped polishing and started sharing. I promise you this, your next client isn't waiting for perfect. They're waiting for you. The only way they'll ever know how you can help them is if you open your mouth, hit publish, and show up before you feel ready.
business you admire, it was [:So that's your nudge for this week. Pick one thing you've been sitting on, publish it, send it, share it. Get it out in the world because your people can't say yes if you're too busy perfecting instead of showing up. Progress beats perfect every single time. All right. See you next week.
