Start Before You’re Ready - But Not at Step 20
Getting Started Series – Part 5 of 5
4 min read
I used to believe… that if I just found the right coach - the confident, seen-it-all, tell-it-how-it-is type - they’d hand me the shortcut.
I thought their knowledge would help me skip the mess and fast-track my way to a business that felt clear and… well, sorted.
Buuut… it didn’t quite go like that.
The first coach promised the world. She sounded like she had it all figured out. And I believed her - enough to hand over five figures and a whole lot of trust.
But once I was in? She couldn’t deliver what she’d promised me. Not even close.
In the end, I got a full refund - after I had to complain and threaten legal action - because what I paid for was never actually delivered.
That was the moment I learned: confidence doesn’t equal competence.
Looking the part isn’t the same as being able to actually help.
So I hired someone else.
This time, a genuinely brilliant coach.
Supportive, switched-on, great at what they do. But even then… it didn’t land.
Not because they weren’t excellent - but because I still wasn’t clear on myself.
It didn’t matter how good the tools were. I couldn’t use them well if I was still shape-shifting around what I thought my business should be, and how I was supposed to sound.
What turned out to be true…
The turning point wasn’t a strategy.
It was noticing what already felt clear - underneath the noise, the shoulds, and the comparison spirals.
And look - I still have moments where someone’s slick marketing or “million-dollar method” causes a magpie moment and shiny object syndrome happens.
But now, I can feel when I’m veering off track. And I come back quicker - back to my own lane, my own pace, my own voice.
I’ve seen the same thing with clients - and behind the scenes when I did VA work, too.
People with brilliant businesses, stuck in limbo.
Not because they didn’t have what they needed, but because they didn’t trust themselves to use it.
And not just trust - sometimes it was deeper than that.
Core beliefs running under the surface, making it hard to take action for fear of the ripples it might create.
And the ones who do move?
They’re not more ready. They’re just more willing - to try, to test, to trust themselves a little earlier than feels fully safe.
You see, it’s not just about having the plan.
It’s about being able to do the step because you believe you can - and it feels safe enough in your body to do it.
I don’t mean you won’t get nervous hitting ‘go’ - because we’re living in real life here.
But your nervous system isn’t screaming bloody murder in the background about what might happen if you do.
Start before you feel ready (for real)
And just to be clear - this isn’t about diving headfirst into step 20 of some big, hairy-arse business dream when you haven’t even taken step 1.
That’s where a lot of people get overwhelmed.
They’re thinking ten moves ahead, spiralling about what might happen at the finish line, and then wonder why they can’t take the first step.
The work I do sits right in that gap - helping you start from where you actually are, with what’s already clear, and move forward in a way your nervous system can come with you.
It’s not about pushing through the fear. It’s about building safety, clarity, and confidence - one step at a time.
Aligned action, not just action for the sake of it.
If that’s something you’ve felt before - and you’ve found yourself starting this blog series here - you might also want to read this post about why you don’t need to know everything to get started. It picks apart the mental trap of waiting until you feel “ready” to move.
If this resonates…
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
You don’t need to wait for one more course, coach, or masterplan.
You might just need to take one small step - and see what happens when you meet yourself there.
Because clarity doesn’t always come first. Sometimes, it comes with you - one honest, slightly scary step at a time.
Not sure what your next step is?
Take the quiz and find out where your stuckness is actually coming from - and what to do about it.
It takes two minutes and gives you a personalised PDF to help you stop spinning and start moving.
Hi, I’m Juliette.
Business Alignment Coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist - and full-time slave to a very spoilt whippet.
I’m on a mission to help you build a business that actually fits you - not the other way around.
Hi, I’m Juliette.
Business Alignment Coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist - and full-time slave to a very spoilt whippet.
I’m on a mission to help you build a business that actually fits you - not the other way around.
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