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Good and Bad Reasons to Procrastinate Your Website Project

There are many possible reasons you have been procrastinating getting your new website project underway. Some of those potential reasons are valid – based on an accurate view of where your business is right now and what your next steps are, and many of them aren’t so good – based on some confusion about the process of getting a website, perfectionism, fear, and other limiting beliefs. Which of these are your reasons?

Bad Reasons

We’ll start with the bad reasons – because even if you also have some good reasons, clearing these up will make your decision process clearer.

Perception of a Lack of Time and/or Money

“I have so many other things I have to do and spend money on to get this business started.” “I don’t have any money for a high quality website.”

Especially if you are just starting out, dealing with resource constraints is a common situation. And it is true that you might not have infinite time or money at this point in your business. That being said, I still count this as a “bad” reason because marketing your business should be a top priority (up there with servicing your clients).

If you feel that you don’t have any time for working on a website, I suggest that you look carefully at how you are spending your time, since if you can’t manage your time well, your business will always be an exhausting struggle for you. What do you spend your time doing each day? Keep a detailed time log for a week or two if you aren’t sure.

If you are spending the bulk of your time servicing clients, congratulations! It sounds like your business is doing great right now. However, you should carve out some time – at least one day a week – to devote to business development and marketing activities, since you want to maintain your full load of clients into the future, and the only way to do that is to consistently be doing things that will “fill your pipeline” of new potential clients.

If you are spending the bulk of your time on administrative things, you should consider whether it might be time to hire an assistant or otherwise delegate some of those items off of your own plate. If hiring help really doesn’t seem possible for you right now, at least take a hard look at those tasks and eliminate or defer as many as possible. Try to cut down the time you spend on administration to only one day a week, or to only one hour each day. Do it all at once. Don’t fritter away all your time on paperwork and emails.

If you are being pulled away from your business by personal tasks, friends, and family responsibilities, look at ways to set up boundaries around your “work” time. It can be a challenge, especially when you work from a home office, but you need to have a heart-to-heart with the people in your life so they understand that you are serious about your business and that they need to respect that as much as they would respect your time if you went each day to a corporate office from 9-to-5.

If you are feeling constrained financially, it’s time to look at how you are spending your money in your business, and how you are funding your business. If, like many smaller businesses, you are self-funded, it’s important to make sure that the money you are spending is going to the right things. The money you spend should either be completely necessary for basic operations (for instance, paying for your phone or internet service), or should have some sort of reasonable ROI (return-on-investment) associated with it. Money spent on self-development, business development, and marketing tends to have a good pay-off. Just make sure you have a strategy and are utilizing the information you are gathering and the opportunities you are participating in.

You might need to invest beyond your current cash-flow or seed money, at least when starting your business, re-launching, or going through a growth spurt. This is okay. Taking on a manageable amount of business debt can be a smart decision, as long as you are spending it on things that will bring more revenue into your business in the long-term.

Confusion, Uncertainty, or Lack of Trust about the Process of Getting a Website

“I need to learn more (aka everything) about websites before I can get started.” “I don’t know what to write about my business on my website.” “I’m not a good writer.” “I don’t have anything for my portfolio or testimonials page yet.” “I am worried that I won’t get the best site for my money.”

It can be daunting and overwhelming to face the prospect of building a website for your business. Web technology is constantly changing. There is no single way to build a website. And most business-people do not consider themselves experts when it comes to technology or online marketing. To clear some confusion, here are a few things to consider:

  • Being somewhat educated can be beneficial to making the right choices, but you don’t need to be an expert. That is the job of your web professional. If a need for information is holding you back, set yourself a time limit – 3 hours, for instance, to research business websites, and focus on the basics. (My website offers many articles about websites specifically geared towards solo-businesspeople.) After that, move directly into locating a knowledgeable web developer to work with.
  • The most important things you need to get when selecting your web developer:
  • A quality visual design
  • Solid, standards-compliant programming & site construction
  • A highly usable site developed with a focus on functionality designed to market your business
  • Someone who you are comfortable speaking with, who understands marketing for solopreneur businesses, and can make recommendations for your website

You shouldn’t be too concerned with being “perfectly ready” to have your website. A website is never really “finished” – it is continually developing along with your business. If you don’t yet have a lot of testimonials or materials written for your website, look at establishing what you can – focus on the basic content you need in order to have the bare minimum for your potential clients and revisit your website content frequently after the launch to update your bio or service listings or add more testimonials. Ideally your website text should be written in your voice, which will help your clients get to know you. If you are concerned about your writing ability, create some drafts and enlist the help of a friend to edit your content, or consider hiring a professional writer to assist you.

Fear of Failure/Success, etc

“I am scared to finally announce to the world that I am really in business.” “I don’t feel ready to have clients purchasing my services yet.” “I don’t know if my business is going to be successful enough to support the costs of having a website.” “ I don’t think I could handle having lots of clients or orders.” “What if I put it out there but still don’t get any clients?”

Whether they want to admit it or not, deeper emotional issues are frequently what are blocking many solopreneurs from doing what it takes to fully launch their businesses. They will often delay not only their website, but other important “getting out there” strategies. Sometimes they occupy themselves with busy work to fool themselves into thinking they are “doing” their business, but in reality they don’t have many clients and are worried about how they will ever make money.

If this resonates with you, there is some work you need to do, internally, to break free from these self-imposed constraints. Most likely you won’t be able to eliminate the fear you feel, but if you can identify it, and explore it, then you can move forward in spite of the fear. To fully commit to your business, you need to have some faith. Going into business is always risky to some degree. You can’t remove all risk, you just take calculated risks, and make adjustments as you go. Very few mistakes will completely sink your business. Keep this in perspective as you do what it takes to succeed.

Advice from Others

“My lawyer/accountant/business coach/assistant/spouse said I should wait.”

If people around you are advising you to wait on getting your website established, ask them “Why?” They might be influenced by some of the limiting beliefs you are, or might not be sure about the value of a website or what is required to get one. On the other hand, they might see some things about your business which you really need to work on before creating a web strategy (such as the things in the “Good Reasons” list, below).

Consider their advice carefully and make sure you agree with their reasoning before following their recommendation to delay.

Good Reasons

What you’ve got right now is working for your business

If you have some sort of marketing already and are satisfied with your business – the number of customers you serve and the amount of money you are making – you probably don’t need a new website right now. Just because something is possible doesn’t mean you need to do it.

Unclear about your business direction

If you are feeling very fuzzy about what the purpose of your business is, who you want to work with, how you will deliver your services, and other fundamentals, getting a website is not the most important thing for you to work on right now. First you need to have that clear vision and some idea of your market, structure, and overall strategy. Then getting a website created will be an easier process with a better result.

Not ready to commit time and resources to your business / Not actually having a business

If you are just starting to think about the possibility of having a business, but aren’t quite sure yet, or if you are working a full-time job and don’t have your business established in any solid way, creating a website isn’t the best use of your limited time right now. You should create your plan, start working with people and make sure this is really what you want to do before committing to a branding strategy and website. If you have an interest or hobby, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to have a business based on it. Consider what you really want to get out of your life before deciding to go into business.

Web Action Steps

  • Which reasons are you using to procrastinate your website project?
  • Are they good or bad reasons or both?
  • Does having additional insight into your reasons for delaying your website change any of your thinking about the project?
  • What is your decision regarding next steps for your business development or website launch?

Understanding your motivations for delaying your website launch can bring clarity to feelings of stress and uncertainty, and can guide your next steps. If your next step is to throw away your excuses and get started on your business website, please contact me today to explore whether I would be the right developer for you. If you are feeling confused about whether this is the right time for starting your business website, send me a message letting me know your current business circumstances and reasons for delaying and I will do my best to give you an honest assessment.