Start Before You’re Ready: Why Execution Beats Overthinking in Creating Impact

When Blake Mycoskie started TOMS, he didn’t have shoe industry experience, a high-powered board, or even a certainty the idea could work. All he had was a scrappy plan, a sketch in a notebook, and a willingness to act before he was truly ready. Early experiments—testing out prototypes on the dusty streets of Buenos Aires, recruiting friends as consultants, holding events from his tiny apartment—were clumsy, sometimes comical, and often on the brink of collapse.

Yet, by embracing movement over mastery, the TOMS team quickly learned what stuck, who cared, and what needed to pivot. Every imperfect milestone—running out of stock, scrambling to fulfill orders, facing public setbacks—became a stepping stone rather than a reason to quit. Over time, each bold but rough launch attracted supporters, fans, and even journalists, showing that action is the only way to create clarity and momentum.

Psychologists refer to this as 'effectuation': successful entrepreneurs rapidly cycle between action and feedback, learning more in one month of doing than in a year of planning. Success belongs not to the most prepared, but the most persistent at starting.

Right now, think of one tangible step you can take—in the next hour or day—that’s just risky enough to make you hesitate. Don’t wait to perfect your knowledge or fix every hole; move forward with your current skills and networks, recording both wins and misses in a simple journal. Instead of judging early results as failure, focus on early lessons and invite feedback from anyone willing to help. See what doors open, because the only way to turn an idea into impact is getting in motion now. Your first draft can be your best teacher.