The Perfection Trap
As founders, we're often told to "build the perfect product" before launching. But this advice can be dangerous. In my journey with My Azli Fresh, I've learned that perfectionism can be the enemy of progress.
My Early Mistakes
When I first started, I spent months trying to perfect every aspect of the business before launching. The sourcing had to be perfect, the packaging flawless, the delivery system optimized. But while I was perfecting, customers were still struggling with the problems I wanted to solve.
The Launch Anyway Mindset
The turning point came when I realized that launching with an imperfect product was better than never launching at all. Our first version wasn't perfect — far from it. But it solved a real problem, and it allowed us to learn from real customer feedback instead of hypothetical scenarios.
Iterative Improvement
Today, My Azli Fresh is much better than our initial launch, but we're still not perfect. And that's okay. We improve every day based on customer feedback, operational data, and new insights. This iterative approach has been far more valuable than trying to achieve perfection from the start.
The Lesson
Perfectionism in startups isn't about quality — it's about fear. Fear of criticism, fear of failure, fear of not being good enough. The most successful founders I know aren't perfect; they're brave enough to launch imperfectly and learn in public.