Ugly

I ran the Maybelline Women's Half this morning and had some big thoughts about how underprepared I was for this race. My body broke down at mile seven during the last half marathon I ran earlier this year. I've fallen off on weekday runs with Ila and had to miss a race a few weeks ago because I was working the She Did That event. There was a part of me that was excited to tackle today's race. I felt grateful for the opportunity to run but was also a little afraid of what waited ahead. Today was easier than the last half, in part due to the weather, the fact that I had a better nutrition plan during the race thanks to a mom friend who hooked me up with Clif Bloks right before the race started, and the fact that my body has some muscle memory from the race in February.

Image: Self taken earlier today at the end of the race.

While I was running, I was thinking about a recent conversation I had with an emerging pastry chef who is not like any 18-year-old I've met recently. In case you're new here, I'm surrounded by 18-23 year olds. This young woman reached out to me via Instagram, booked time on my coaching calendar, and on our call fearlessly asked me for advice on how to start her cinnamon roll business. Her vision, clarity, and work ethic were standout.

She booked that office hours call with me in late February. I brought her into the store a week later to meet her because she was that impressive. During that meeting, I gave her a road map to follow to launch this business. We met again very recently to do a pulse check on where she was with things. Our conversation revealed that she was stuck—stuck on things that most new business owners get stuck on when they have a business idea but the product or service hasn't been tested yet: the logo.

Logos and websites represent the face of your business, and yet they don't need to be perfect for you to have one. Waiting for perfection for these things is what holds people back from having actual businesses.

Do you have a product or service that is amazing or that people can't stop talking about? Then you have yourself the beginning of a business.

I told this young woman to launch ugly.

Launch ugly... when you don't know what to expect. Just do it.

Image: Taken yesterday by a friend who brought his daughter to the opening of the new Davis Center facility in the northern most part of Central Park. We catered with 2000+ portions of free ice cream for attendees. As I was serving guests, I was thinking about all of the marketing and branding material that should have been there but weren’t. Next time they will be.

Sure, get as much info as you can, but don't let research or perfect logos and websites prevent you from taking your first step. When I delivered each of our children, I didn't know what to expect, so I closed my eyes and pushed. Sometimes launching ugly is just that: closing your eyes and just going for it—screams, grunts, and all.

Today, I was hoping to finish this race without leg cramps or feeling compelled to walk. There were people walking faster than I was running towards the end, but I didn't stop. I launched into today's half marathon ugly, and my body didn't fall apart halfway through.

Today was a great reminder that doing something when you're underprepared makes you a little more prepared for the next time you do it. I was certainly not ready for today's race. My pace time is far from what I'd like it to be, and yet I'm perfectly content with the progress I've made.

Image: As Nick’s and my roles change in the business, I’ve been working on a Scooper training program for all of our new hires. I have such big ambitions for this program that have kept me from launching it. But, I find myself coming back to the launch ugly model. Just start. Here are my first Scoopers-in-Training on Day 1 of the program as it stands today.

Often the feelings that hold us back are pride and shame; they keep us from trying, and they keep us from putting ourselves back out there. But the beauty in trying again is that it's always free.

It's funny how much pride and shame cost us. When you realize how they hold us back from advancing ourselves, making progress, and moving forward, you realize how expensive those two feelings are.

When I was younger, I was in a rush to be the best, to be the first, to be known. I got frustrated and didn't continue to pursue certain things when I didn't feel like there was enough interest or traction on what I was working on. I was impatient.

When we don't give ourselves the time we need to get to where we're going, we stand in the way of our own success.

This business has been the biggest testament to what you can gain when you launch ugly and are consistent with your actions. Getting rich quickly is not a thing. Becoming a celebrity overnight can happen, but it's often fleeting.

Putting yourself out there imperfectly and consistently showing up to work on whatever it is you're working on—making tweaks as needed and applying effort—is the only path to real, lasting success.

So, if there's anything you've been dragging your feet on, launch ugly and keep showing up.

My next race is in a couple of weeks. Keep me in your thoughts!

Petrushka

Your Local Ice Cream Lady & Life/Business Coach