You’ve probably heard the (semi?) old adage that giving birth to a creative work of art is a lot like giving birth to a child. (Minus the placenta. Is that an acceptable thing to say in the opening line of a blog post? Placenta?)

–And while I’ve never given birth to a child?

I’m somehow sure this is an accurate analogy, if only for the gut-wrenching contractions and umbilical cord that, at some point, needs to be cut in order for both the creator and the baby to survive.

(Shitty attempt at profound. But you need to know something, and baby analogies always seem to be real show stoppers–ha.)

What I need you to know is this:

I’ve birthed a lot of projects over the years–

–everything from books to marketing campaigns to travel guides (my first, written at the hilarious age of 21, and probably as shortsighted as you expect it to be); websites, to workshops to classes to retreats to full-scale businesses…to other people’s websites, workshops, classes, retreats and full-scale businesses–and then some.

Right now, I’ve just finished giving birth to a new project–our Small Business Bodyguard legal resource for anyone doing business on the internet. It’s being released on Wednesday (yes, THIS Wednesday, and yes, I need a drink), and somehow this project has taught me even more about what it is to build something you’re proud to show to the world–and have it STAND FOR YOU.

Whether you’re writing a book, developing a class, building a business, starting a non-profit, or just in the dreaming stages of it all, there’s a lot that goes into creation. Some things come intuitively, and some things simply…don’t. Some stuff comes easy, and some stuff simply…doesn’t. And some stuff you can only learn by showing up and putting your ass in a chair.

Putting your ass in a chair, of course, is the moment when you finally pull the trigger and create *that thing* you need to create–and when you do?

This is what I’ve learned.

You will overestimate everything.

Your intelligence. Your energy levels. Your creativity. The number of hours in a day. How much you can get done in those hours. And probably even your own level of commitment. In short, you’ll think you’re superhuman. And at some point, you’ll need a huge reality check.

You will underestimate everything else.

Namely, your work. And how good it (actually) is. You’ll be overly critical. A bit belittling. And always think it could be better. But chill. You know when you’re putting forth your best effort (and when you aren’t.) Do everything in your power to make this sensational–and you won’t have anything to worry about.

You’ll hate yourself.

You’ll notice all of your flaws—magnified times 110. That habit to procrastinate? Will haunt you more than ever. Your inability to write a decent sentence? Will feel like a death sentence. Remember to be fucking kind to yourself. You are doing great things. And, yeah, it’s HARD.

You’ll become a complete control freak.

I’m making this all sound really great, aren’t I? But, really. Even the most laid back of the bunch will suddenly find themselves with clenched fists and the insistence on doing everything themselves. Don’t. Do. That. The best thing I’ve learned how to do is hire people that are smarter than me to do the stuff they’re better at. On Small Business Bodyguard? We have a team of TEN. Ten! That’s a lot of people. And we tapped into all of their brains to create the best resource we could–from every angle. 

You’ll get so excited about the big picture, you’ll be tempted to let some of the details slip through the cracks.

But the details are NECESSARY. Don’t leave ‘em hangin’. By details, of course I mean things like putting everything in writing–and getting anyone you work with to sign off on it. For example, one of the first things Rachel & I did on this project was draft a joint venture agreement that went over all the details like, say, the fact that Rachel was PREGNANT and it was actually a high-risk pregnancy—so in the event that there were complications and she had to bow out for a while? We had to have in writing what, exactly, would happen with our project. (Fortunately, there weren’t complications and Rachel has a new baby boy, whom I just met this past weekend, when we got together to put the final touches on Small Business Bodyguard. Note: Work together in person as much as humanly possible. It’s good for everyone.)

For the love of god, use Google Docs.

This is more useful advice than you think. The worst thing in the world is editing a Word document, then saving it, then emailing it to X person, and then having them download, save, edit, and then reattach to an email and send back. (Especially if there are more than two people involved.) It’s inefficient and archaic. Why do all of that when you can co-collaborate on the same document, real time, in Google Docs? Please. FOR THE LOVE.

Pay people what you’d pay yourself.

This is going to go against the entire fleet of folks who feel real smart about hiring VAs from India for two cents on the dollar, but listen: Your project is the sum of its parts, right? And each one of those parts needs to GET IT. They need to be on the same wavelength, and they need to have a vested interest in helping you SUCCEED. That doesn’t often come from folks who are just hired to do a “job”–it comes from folks who are passionate about what they do–and what YOU’RE doing–and want to bring their skills to the table, and be a part of something life-changing. Period. And guess what? If you want to be the best, you’ve got to hire the best. La la la la sum of its parts, sum of its parts, sum of its parts. (If you don’t have the budget, fucking find it. It’ll make all the difference.)

Don’t underestimate your hook, Captain.

By hook, I mean that perfect name, or that perfect tagline, or that perfect teaser copy that instantly grabs people’s attention–and locks ‘em to a stare down. And by perfect, I mean PERFECT–no less. Why? Because you might have the most revelational project/product/service/creation on the planet, but if you can’t make it MARKETABLE? Then you’re wasting your time, because no one’s going to care. Most people work on building the project–and then things like the marketable hook are left as details, because they assume the project will “speak for itself.” NOT TRUE. Projects can’t speak. You have to speak for them. And what you say? Is everything. 

Nitpick EVERYTHING and apologize NEVER.

You’re always being told to “ship.” Being told that it’ll never be perfect, so just launch. BUT–and this is a big but–never prematurely launch, either. You’re better than that. And the details COUNT. You’ve got to pay attention to the little things–the things that can (and will) make or break you. Hire that proofreader (because typos undermine your authority, like it or not). Ask for another mock up with that same color–in just a shade lighter. Re-read everything at least 14 more times. Question everything. Experiment with bigger font. And re-do it ALL if it isn’t 100% what you need it to be. (You’ll know when that is.)

At the end of the day, I’m not a mother–but I know what it’s like to give birth. It’s messy. Emotional. Overwhelming. And beautiful. 

And it’s extraordinary.

But perhaps what’s even more impressive isn’t the final product, itself.

Perhaps what’s most impressive is the byproduct of the product–

–the quiet little pieces of yourself that didn’t exist before.

Because as you know, when you have a baby, the baby isn’t the only one to grow.

Turns out, the person who really does the growing?

Is you. 

And that?

Makes it all worth it, regardless of the outcome.

Placenta (JUST CAN’T STOP TALKIN’ ABOUT IT)

… or not. 

Download our (free) legal clinic

for small business owners, bloggers,

and anyone doing anything online–

before the paid version launches

on Wednesday!