A quick lesson about the phrase “fake it till you make it” and why you should instead be focusing on “practice till you make it.”

As an entrepreneur, you’re going to make a lot of mistakes on the way to success. You’re also going to be pulled in different directions. You’ll have to be quick to react but thoughtful, innovative, and practical. With so much going on, it’s easy to overthink everything and miss out on opportunities.

That’s where “fake it till you make it” can be a great tool. It can help you get over that uncertainty and take action but can also easily be misleading. There are some things you need before you launch your business if you want to be successful.

Your products and services will never be perfect the first time around. You’ll have to sell them, get feedback from customers, make changes, and do that several times over. During that process you’ll learn new skills and abilities that will allow you to deliver a better customer experience, but you’ll need a foundation of knowledge to manage that process and properly grow.

If you take the approach “fake it till you make it” and start out with a half-baked idea without the knowledge and skills, then you’re going to fail before you give that idea an opportunity to succeed.

So, the core of being successful is “practice till you make it.” Make sure you start off with a great idea, a product or service that meets a real need, and a foundation of knowledge and skills. From there, you have to practice by getting out there, testing, making changes, and improving.

About the Author
Serial entrepreneur Jeremy Szechenyi is Co-Founder of Design Swell, which provides strategy, marketing, branding, and education.

Learn more about Jeremy and his entrepreneurial journey?
Read our interview: CT Serial Entrepreneur Shares Experience, Tips, and Advice