There are two schools of thought:
- Do not put out content unless it’s exceptional, anything less isn’t going to cut it.
- Just get something out there regardless if it’s not great; better to get something out there then nothing at all.
I’ve always struggled with these schools of thought because one can argue strongly for either side.
Let’s take each theory separately and discuss them in further detail. Then you can decide for yourself which you feel is the better argument.
Don’t put out content unless it’s exceptional.
I’ve always been a strong advocate, especially lately, that whatever you put out HAS to be exceptional. With thousands of new sites and businesses opening every day online, good is just not going to cut it… cookie-cutting isn’t going to cut it.
In order to stand out from the crowd and be a leader in your industry you have to think in innovative ways and produce valuable content, products and services that exceeds the expectations of others.
Now I get that this is a challenging task and you can’t ALWAYS be exceptional. You are going to have your good days and your bad… it’s just life. But to strive for anything less, normally, is a waste of your time.
If you want to be a leader in your industry, then leaders don’t except anything less than their best. They are not perfect and their business is not going to be perfect, but you can be dam sure they will make every effort to be.
Now let’s turn the table…
Just get something out there regardless if it’s not great, better to get something out there then nothing at all.
One of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face is waiting for something to be great before putting it out into the world… nothing wrong with that. I’ve definitely been guilty of this, that’s for sure!
But here’s lies the problem – great never seems to come. Therefore the project/product they are working on never comes to fruition. For this reason alone, it is why many argue that it’s best to put something out there, even if it’s not “perfect”. You can always improve on it later if need be.
So, do you see the dilemma here? Both views produce valid arguments!
But here’s something else that’s going to really put you in a pickle…
What IS good enough?
That is, WHO determines what is good enough? WHEN is something good enough? WHAT is considered exceptional? By WHOSE standards are we measuring these criteria’s?
What I find to be exceptional, another made find to be mediocre. What I find to be just good, another can find to be outstanding.
Hmmm….
Interesting, is it not?
Therefore I think it’s safe to say that:
- Only you can be the judge of what’s good or exceptional.
- Only you can decide for yourself if you are comfortable with putting out content/products that are good or exceptional.
- Only you can set the criteria’s that measure these standards.
But here’s the thing…
Either way, don’t let this choice stop you. Decide if good is good enough or if only exceptional is going to cut it and then take action!
To answer my own question, is good good enough in business? But my take is to always strive for excellence. Why not?
However, and this may seem like a cop-out, but when push comes to shove and it boils down to taking action or not taking action; because you can’t decide if what you are working on is good enough, then I air on the side of taking action. In this case, I say yes, good is good enough in business!
If you can’t decide, let others decide for themselves.
What’s your take?