Young entrepreneurs don’t need perfection. They need consistency: A how-to guide to Futurpreneur’s growth-mindset

“Stop trying to be spectacular. Start being consistent.” – Shane Parrish, Founder and New York Times Bestselling Author

Starting a business can feel daunting. Misconceptions about what it takes to get off the ground are numerous, and unfortunately, the media fuels some of those myths. In this blog, I will explore how perfectionism can stall, sidetrack, or even sabotage your business. Consistency is the perfect, or perhaps more accurately, the imperfect antidote.

The perfect idea (that doesn’t exist)

If there’s one near-certainty in business, it’s that your first idea won’t be your best idea, at least not without a lot of fine-tuning. An idea isn’t a business; it’s a starting point.

Dan Koe puts it well: “Burn this in your brain: iterate, iterate, iterate.” In other words, keep testing, verifying and refining. Ideas are cheap and plentiful. I’ve lost count of how many aspiring entrepreneurs are so focused on protecting  their “great idea” instead of putting it out there to get feedback.

At Futurpreneur, we see every type of business, from small cafés to online skincare lines to B2B services. What separates those who succeed is execution. To start, all you need is a clear value proposition, not a “perfect differentiator”. In fact, your value proposition often evolves as customers interact with your product.

The perfect time (also doesn’t exist)

Remember those last-minute, all-nighters for exams as a student? You told yourself 9 p.m. on Sunday was the perfect time, studied for six hours straight, and then promptly forgot everything.

Building a business is the same. Looking for quick fixes rarely pays off. An intense three-week course that promises $10,000 a month is more fantasy than fact. Rushing a business plan overnight and expecting it to be a magic key just shows you’ve misunderstood the process.

Yes, the plan matters, but it’s merely a conversation starter that you’ll revise constantly. What makes the difference are small, consistent habits. Business isn’t a 100-metre dash, it’s a marathon..

The perfect motivation (Spoiler: You don’t need it)

At a recent Futurpreneur workshop on money management, a participant told me, “I just need to get motivated to do my cash flow.” My answer is: You’ll never be motivated, especially for things you dread. Motivation is unreliable. What you need is discipline.

As entrepreneurs, we all have tasks we prefer to avoid. Waiting to “feel ready” is just another form of procrastination. Instead, build habits that carry you through. A powerful method to do this is the “If-Then” technique:

“If it’s Monday, Wednesday, or Friday at 6:30 a.m., then I ride my bike.”

I’m rarely motivated to get on my stationary bike at 6:30 a.m., but I do it anyway. Not because I feel like it, but because it’s scheduled. Motivation shows up afterwards. The more consistent the action, the deeper the habit takes root. Discipline is the muscle every entrepreneur needs, and consistency is how you build it.

The perfect step (A trap in disguise)

One of the most damaging myths is that you need to take “perfect steps” before starting: a flawless strategy, a polished plan, or an ideal branding. That obsession is paralyzing. American psychologist Dr. Neil Fiore explains that perfectionist self-talk can look like this:

“I have to take one perfect step, and I don’t have time for fun.”

See the trap? The stakes become impossibly high, leaving no room for experimentation or play. You feel stuck before you even start. Fiore recommends reframing your self-talk to:

“I choose to take one small, imperfect step, knowing I have time to take many more.”

Notice the shift? Working on your business becomes a choice, not a “have to.” The step you are taking to move forward is intentionally imperfect, so mistakes are expected. By embracing this approach, you create a sense of a long runway for your project, making consistency the ultimate mantra for growth, not perfection.

Consistency leads to excellence

Consistency isn’t about lowering standards. It’s about building momentum. Over time, consistent action compounds into excellence. Take Professor Jerry Uelsmann’s famous photography experiment at the University of Florida in the 1960s. He divided his students into two groups: a “quality group” to create one perfect photo and a “quantity group” to create as many photos as possible. By the end of the semester, the “quantity group” produced far superior work proving that practice, feedback and iteration drive results, not perfectionism. The same principle applies in art, science and business.

Consistency frees you from obsessing over results, and ironically, that’s what leads to better results. Yes, you will stumble (everyone does). The point is not to stay down; it’s to get back up, take the next imperfect step and keep moving.

Action leads the way—one small, imperfect step at a time. That’s all you need. Here’s to your progress.

Dominik Loncar is an entrepreneurship coach at Futurpreneur. Over the last decade, he has dedicated his practical skills and expertise from building three businesses and running his own social purpose business to guide young entrepreneurs. Dominik believes that becoming an entrepreneur is a transformative identity shift and has worked with over 200 young entrepreneurs to launch social purpose ventures and both traditional and innovation-based businesses in a multitude of industries.

Ready to take the first step towards starting, buying or growing your business? Futurpreneur offers you a flexible loan with mentorship and resources to empower you to reach your entrepreneurial goals. Learn more here.