Why Your Incomplete Ideas Are THE Secret to Success.
I think there is a "fear" I see amongst most people starting out...and one that is preventing people from creating their own significant success.
The reality is that most people wait to "start" something.
They wait for the perfect idea. The grand plan, the “eureka” moment that will suddenly make everything click. But as Mark Zuckerberg (Founder of Facebook/Meta) said in his Harvard commencement speech:
“Ideas don’t come out fully formed. They only become clear as you work on them. You just have to get started.”
That hits home for me. Because that’s exactly how Wealthy Affiliate came to life. And that is how ALL success comes to life.
The Myth of the Big Epiphany...
Pop culture loves to sell us the idea of a single spark. Zuckerberg called it out:
“Movies and pop culture get this all wrong. The idea of a single eureka moment is a dangerous lie.”
And it is.
Waiting for the “perfect idea” is one of the biggest traps I see new entrepreneurs fall into. They think they’re not ready yet. They convince themselves they need a crystal-clear business model or a polished product before they can take the first step.
The reality? None of us start fully ready.
How Wealthy Affiliate REALLY Started...
When we launched Wealthy Affiliate back in 2005, there wasn’t some perfectly mapped-out master plan. We didn’t know it would turn into what it is today. We just STARTED. Literally. We decided on an idea, we didn't research the size of the audience, we didn't architect a vision of where it was going to end up (as we didn't know).
We began small, building one piece, then another. As people joined, they gave feedback. We listened, adapted, and integrated what made sense.
It wasn’t glamorous. Quite frankly, it was rather messy at times (and still can be). Sometimes we built features that didn’t quite work, or added training that later had to be reshaped or removed. But each step gave us more clarity.
Looking back, the platform has evolved into something we couldn’t have predicted. This is not because we had it all figured out from the start, but because we were willing to begin without the full picture.
Why Incomplete Ideas Are the Ones That WIN.
Here’s the thing I want you to remember. When starting with an incomplete idea isn’t a weakness. It’s the path to momentum.
- You move faster.
- You stay flexible.
- You learn in real time instead of just theorizing.
Zuckerberg himself said, “But let me tell you a secret: no one does when they begin.”
That’s liberating. It means the pressure’s off. You don’t need the final draft of your idea before you take action. You simply need the courage to begin.
You Shouldn't Wait Until It's "Ready".
If you’ve been sitting on an idea, waiting until it’s “ready,” let this be the reminder you need: it will never feel completely ready.
Your clarity comes from the work, not before it.
I’ve seen this again and again in business. The people who succeed aren’t the ones who overthink forever. They’re the ones who start small, learn fast, and keep building.
So, don’t wait for the perfect epiphany.
Get started.
Because the truth is, that’s where every great idea begins.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this, and whether or not this is relevant to you and your story. Are you waiting for an epiphany before you start, or are you just in "start" mode all the time and you learn as you go (and as you get feedback on incomplete ideas). Drop your comments below!
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Recent Comments
102
Good morning Kyle,
That's a great post, Kyle, thank you!
I think fear, holds too many people back.
There is never a perfect time to start a business, we just have to jump in.
Our ideas don't always work, but some of them will, we need to get out there and try!
We know that every entrepreneur has had failures, but the difference is that they refuse to give up, which is huge.
I probably have too many ideas, at times, Kyle, it's kind of good, but we should really get one thing completed at a time. So in other words, too many ideas can also hold us back.
Have a great day.
Roy
Our ideas surely don't always work...sometimes they are huge failures. Well not really, you still end up learning a lot.
The fun is that you get to try these ideas not knowing if they will work or not, and if they do, you learn. If the don't, you also learn. And then as you continue to move forward you get more precise on your decisions of what will work, and what won't (and hopefully you throw out your ideas too).
I guess that's how we can make a failure a good thing, and that we learn from it, but at the same time, we keep moving forward.
I think so many of us can see a failure, as a massive mistake, but if we can accept it and learn from it, it's massive! I hear where you're coming from, Kyle, it's so important that we enjoy the journey and maybe not take it too seriously, within reason, of course, there is a balance.
Have a great day.
Roy
Well failures are just learning experiences at the end of the day. If they are not treated as that and they are treated as some sort of "end point", we are not learning from them and moving forward.
We have to become immune to failures, but also successes as people tend to over-celebrate those as well and that lack of humbleness can set someone up for failures as well.
Good morning Kyle,
One of the many great things and the things I like about Wealthy Affiliate, is the fact that we are talking to people who have been there and done that! We have so many teachers in the world, that are just teaching from a textbook, but in reality, they haven't actually done it for themselves! That difference is massive!
I hear you, Kyle, regarding your first paragraph, that's powerful!
That sounds like a good place to be, "becoming immune to failures"! I always think there's quite a fine line in life, between getting it right and wrong!
I really appreciate the advice, Kyle, thank you.
Have a great day.
Roy
I agree, Kyle. You need to start with one idea and then build on it. I've found that when I start something, it begins to develop and become more interesting. I have to take things step by step, otherwise I get decision paralysis and I quit.
Another related issue is wanting to wait until you "have time". Truth is, we make time for the things we want/need to do.
I feel like I'm always starting things. I like to start things because it's interesting and fun and I learn a lot. Now, I'm learning to see building things as an adventure, and that helps get to a point where it's fun again after the initial novelty wears off. Emotions count a lot, so it's better learn to manage them.
Yeah, exactly. It starts as something simple, and gains complexity as you get feedback and as the project starts to gain traction. The problem is when you overinvest in a project before you know whether or not it will work or if you have done it correctly, only to find out that it doesn't meet the mark.
Start things, start frequently, and realize it is OK to have incomplete projects.
Hi Kyle,
Your post truly resonates with me — especially the idea that incomplete ideas are not a weakness, but a gateway to momentum.
That’s exactly how LANICHEDUCLIP came to life. I didn’t wait for a perfect plan or a polished concept. I started with a vision rooted in emotion, heritage, and digital wellness — and built piece by piece, adapting through feedback, trial, and intuition.
Some ideas felt raw, some workflows were messy, and some visuals had to be reshaped. But each step brought clarity. Each iteration helped me connect deeper with my audience and refine the emotional impact I wanted to create.
I’ve seen firsthand that clarity doesn’t come before action — it comes through action. And the courage to begin, even when things feel incomplete, is what unlocks real growth.
Thank you for reminding us that success isn’t born from perfection — it’s born from movement.
Warm regards,
Claude — for LANICHEDUCLIP
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
So awesome and thanks for sharing your story. You are a starter, and that is all it takes. And then you need to just continue working on all the incomplete ideas as those will continue to fill the gaps that we need to fill to reach newfound success (and to build amazing things).
Success definitely is not perfection. Far from it.
I've been feeling a bit discouraged this week, and two messages have come along at just the right time.
1. This post.
2. This comment from Steven Bartlett:
"6-12-18-24 months of slow growth while making very minimal revenue and questioning your business model daily is entrepreneurship's way of filtering out everyone who wasn't supposed to take part. "
Lesson: Start something, and keep going. It's a long game, and you have to keep at it.
Lots of entrepreneurs (or so called) get filtered out, very quickly. Many are gone within a month, and it is simple...they are not entrepreneurs. Being an entrepreneur takes grit, and persistence and even those that thrive online or offline go through dips along the way.
Start something, keep going, and don't stop. The key is to starting, and not fearing the outcome before you even start (which so many do). As time goes on, you are naturally outlasting all of your competition. 20 years in, I still see long time competition dropping like flies when things get tougher.
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Hi Kyle:
This makes perfect sense. I'd rather put my ideas forward, working on them diligently through the hills and valleys along the way. I don't expect perfection at the outset, at least not any more. I've learned otherwise as I continue pushing forward one step at a time.
Thank you for the motivation!
Veron
Yeah, that is the approach. Lay out your ideas and goals, and then work towards them. :)