I’m going to go out on a limb here…
I’m guessing you’ve bought more than one online course in your life.
Yahtzee – the Great Holtini strikes again!
How does he do it?
(“Why does he do it?” would be a far better question)
Courses to online business owners are like cats to a spinster – once you get one, it’s only a matter of time before you’re surrounded by 138 of the damn things.
I’d love to tell you I’m better than this… so I will:
I’m better than this.
(Of course, I’m lying. I once went for a weekend away and returned to find the CEO of Udemy on my doorstep, wanting to check I was OK)
Recently, after deciding I wanted to learn more about economics, I went hunting for another course to add to my collection.
Finding a bunch on Youtube, I did what most people would do – open 3,253 different tabs (one for each course) and start trying to work out which was best, using a complex formula involving likes, thumbs up, subscribers, and the number of comments.
(The irony being of course that, being clueless about economics, I was probably the last person on Earth who should be doing this.)
That’s when I realised – I was doing the worst thing a middle-aged man who wants to learn about economics could do.
The worst thing ANYONE can do when they want to move forward with ANYTHING…
Faff around on the internet, looking for the “absolute-most-perfectest” option.
I wasted the best part of an hour choosing the perfect course when, if I’d just picked one and started watching… I’d be way ahead.
It’s easy to mistake inaction for “weighing every option carefully”.
Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, or possibly Ryan Seacrest said it best:
Imperfect action trumps perfect inaction any time.
I see the same thing with business owners.
Whether it’s spending months choosing the perfect email software… when they’d be better off picking one and using the time to start emailing their list…
Or worrying whether their business card should be in type 14 or 16 font.
For most decisions like this – where a wrong choice isn’t permanent and doesn’t move the needle – you’re probably best quickly picking one option and running with it.
If you’re an imbecile about economics (like me), any “introduction to economics for clueless dummies” course is probably going to OK.
(Though you should probably stay clear of the Bernie Madoff one. As his prison Wi-Fi is a tad unreliable)
Stuff like this isn’t like getting a tattoo of Mollie Sugden across your chest – you can always change your mind later, with no harm done.
So, when you find yourself fretting and faffing over a choice, ask yourself:
“If I picked the wrong one, would it be easy to change without massively impacting my business?”
If yes, pick one and roll with it.
John Holt
P.S. This idea of “imperfect action” will be a small part of the course I mentioned in my last email…
… where I show business owners how to sit down and crank out an email that not only entertains and delights their audience, it offers value and allows them to sell their offers without feeling sleazy and worrying what other people think.
I know a lot of business owners struggle with the idea of getting things “right” before they hit “send” – whether that’s spending days choosing between Mailchimp or Active Campaign…
… or waiting to hit “send” until they’re absolutely POSITIVELY sure they’ve written something that will get zero unsubscribes.
If that sounds like you, or you’re interested in being the first to hear when the course goes live…
[LINK REMOVED- EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS ONLY]