The false promise of perfection.

The pursuit of perfection is a deeply ingrained illusion, rooted in a belief that flawlessness is the key to acceptance and success. I find myself guilty of this sometimes even through I know it’s flawed logic.

For brands, focusing on being perfect often leads to stagnation and detachment from their audience’s true needs. When brands strive to appear flawless rather than addressing real problems (sometimes, even their own internal problems), they miss opportunities to connect authentically and solve meaningful challenges that drive long-term loyalty and trust with their audience.

Embrace the suck.

Setbacks, missteps, and botches get bad press in our microwaved, 7-minute-abs, 3-step-process, magic pill, and get rich quick world. And yet, it’s critical to the process.  

As I work to build a brand that focuses on what golfers like me can’t be without, I sometimes find myself racing to perfection instead of embracing the process of evolution.

Samples and setbacks.

As an example, samples.

Creating samples is part of the building process. You design a product, you build a sample, you test the sample. The process can take weeks or even months as you work on designs, refine your technical pack, test different materials and communicate with different factories globally.  

When the first batch of branded samples for Fulcrum arrived, I was optimistic. But, I needed to confirm if what I made would pass muster on the course.

Crash & burn.

The blended fabrics were supposed to create a cooling effect for the golfer. The hotter it gets, the cooler the golfer would feel because the material was designed to pull moisture away from the body. Golfers don’t like it when their clothing sticks to them when they sweat. “I hate wearing this polo!” is not an ideal “swing thought.”

The polo did the opposite of what it was intended to do. I felt like I was in a sauna. It also felt like the polo was trapping heat instead of pulling it away from my body. I was, literally, sweating through the shirt. And, that created noticeable sweat stains. What’s more, the collar bubbled as a result of rubbing against the shoulder straps of my golf bag.

Bottom line: The first polo sample was a mess. But that’s why you go through the sample and test process. Had I skipped this step, I might have thoght what I produced on paper was good enough. And, I might have invested in inventory and sold a product that sucks. My customer has discerning taste. He would want a refund (or a new polo at the very least) and he would be 100% right.  

Real talk: the failed golf polo made me want to quit. It was a low point. All I could think about was how much time, effort, and energy I had invested, only to end up with a product that literally worked against me on the course.

Failure is not the enemy.

Perfectionism is a psychological plague. As we increasingly live in public, via social media, there seems to be an allergy to any sort of failure or risk. as I mentioned, I’m guilty of this from time to time too. 

But failure is how we learn. In fact, we shouldn’t even call it failure. Instead, we should call it “experimentation.” 

I’m trying to make experimentation a relentless habit. Every “fail” is really a win because I’ve learned something that may help me grow and succeed going forward. 

What’s the question?

This setback taught me that when it comes to my brand, I’ve been trying to solve the wrong problem. This experience helped me realize that. What’s more, I started asking myself, “What problem do I actually have?” and “What problem do golfers want solved?”

Next week I’ll share the process I used to distill it down to one word and how that exercise helped me refocus on an entirely different brand and experience. Hopefully, it will help with something you’re working on too.

RAZ