There’s a quiet frustration so many high-performing women carry.

You have the ideas.
You have the credentials.
You have the work ethic.

And yet… there’s something sitting unfinished. A course that never launched. An offer that’s been “almost ready” for months. A bold move you keep postponing because it’s not quite perfect yet.

From the outside, it looks like discipline and high standards.
On the inside, it feels like pressure, overthinking, and exhaustion.

In this episode of Build & Scale Boldly, Dr. Leti Alto names what’s really happening: perfectionism isn’t protecting your success. It’s quietly slowing it down. And for women building toward 6, 7, and 8 figures, that cost compounds fast.

Why Perfectionism Feels Like a Strength—But Acts Like a Bottleneck

For most ambitious women, perfectionism didn’t appear out of nowhere.

It was trained.

As Leti explains, many high achievers were raised to be top performers:

“We were raised from kids to be A-plus students… we were driven and we were the top performers and we didn’t mess up.”

In school, in medicine, in corporate roles, perfection kept you safe. Mistakes had consequences. Excellence was rewarded.

But business plays by different rules.

“Perfectionism cannot exist in business… What business really rewards is movement more than perfectionism.”

In entrepreneurship, speed of learning matters more than flawlessness. Momentum matters more than polish. And waiting until something feels “ready” often means waiting too long.

Leti walks through the common pattern:

You get a great idea.
You research endlessly.
You plan, refine, and rebuild.
You hire help.
You tweak again.

Months—or years—pass.

And nothing launches.

Underneath it all is fear:

“If something’s perfect, it can’t be judged… If you’re perfect, maybe it’s safe to be seen.”

Perfection becomes emotional armor. But it also becomes a ceiling.

The Three Hidden Ways Perfectionism Kills Growth, Revenue, and Momentum

Leti outlines three major dangers she sees repeatedly among high-potential women founders.

1. You Never Put the Product Out

The first cost is invisible: unrealized impact.

“Sometimes it never goes live. It dies on the vine.”

Ideas that could change lives stay trapped in drafts, folders, and private documents.

Leti puts it bluntly:

“You don’t change lives from inside your Google Drive.”

Meanwhile, you burn energy refining something no one has ever tested. Burnout builds. Motivation drops. And eventually, the project fades.

2. You Build Something No One Wants

Perfectionists often overbuild before validating.

They assume:

“If I make it perfect, it will sell.”

But markets don’t reward effort. They reward alignment.

Leti explains:

“You don’t really know if you have real traction until you put it out there.”

Without early feedback, you risk spending hundreds of hours creating something misaligned with real demand. When it finally launches and gets “crickets,” discouragement hits hard.

Iteration becomes impossible when you’ve already exhausted yourself.

3. You Neglect Marketing and Audience Building

The third danger is strategic imbalance.

While perfecting the product, many founders ignore visibility.

“They neglect the marketing and audience building… and then when they do finally have that product ready, they don’t have anyone to sell it to.”

No audience.
No email list.
No momentum.

Which means every launch feels heavier, riskier, and more emotionally loaded.

For women scaling to higher levels, this imbalance becomes a major growth constraint.

From “Make It Perfect” to “Make It Work”: The A–Minus Strategy

The heart of Leti’s reframe is simple:

Stop optimizing for perfection.
Start optimizing for proof.

She shares a powerful story from Tony Robbins’ Business Mastery involving a marshmallow tower challenge. The groups that won weren’t the most strategic. They were the ones that iterated fastest.

“They iterate. They try something. It doesn’t work. They try again.”

That’s how real innovation happens.

Leti references the idea popularized by Brooke Castillo:

“B-minus work changes the world.”

For most high achievers, that’s uncomfortable. So Leti reframes it:

A-minus work changes the world.

Good enough to launch.
Strong enough to help.
Flexible enough to improve.

Her practical guidance:

“Outline and build your A-minus version… Set a launch date that you cannot negotiate with.”

Then shift your internal goal:

“From ‘I’m going to make this perfect’ to ‘I’m going to get proof this works.’”

Proof creates confidence.
Feedback creates clarity.
Momentum creates scale.

Balancing the Artist, Manager, and Entrepreneur Within You

One of the most strategic parts of this episode is Leti’s framework around business roles.

She identifies three:

The Artist

Loves the craft. The transformation. The product.

Most women founders live here.

“Most of us are artists… and we love the product.”

This is where perfectionism thrives.

The Manager

Focuses on systems, delivery, operations, and structure.

Many women have this skill—but don’t enjoy it.

The Entrepreneur

Loves the game of business. Risk. Strategy. Growth.

This role thinks long-term and systemically.

Leti explains:

“Over time… we really need to strengthen our ability to manage and also strengthen our entrepreneur.”

Scaling to 7 and 8 figures requires balance.

When 99% of your energy lives in the Artist role, growth stalls. Sustainable success comes from integrating all three.

Your Next Step: Launch Before You Feel Ready

Leti closes the episode with tactical moves you can apply immediately.

1. Build the Simplest Version

Ask: What’s the smallest version that still delivers value?

Not the ultimate version.
Not the dream version.
The viable one.

2. Set a Non-Negotiable Launch Date

Shorter than feels comfortable.

Deadlines force clarity.

3. Launch Before You Build the Machine

Especially in online businesses:

“You can put an offer out there and build it once you’ve sold it.”

Validation first. Infrastructure second.

4. Collect Proof

Early testimonials. Early wins. Early data.

These compound into confidence and conversion later.

5. Reflect Honestly

Leti leaves listeners with this question:

“Where in your business are you currently waiting on something to be perfect before you move?”

That answer is your growth edge.

Your Next Level Requires Courage, Not Perfection

If you’re building toward 6, 7, or 8 figures, perfectionism isn’t a personality trait anymore.

It’s a strategic risk.

Every delayed launch is delayed learning.
Every overbuilt offer is delayed revenue.
Every hidden idea is delayed impact.

You don’t need more credentials.
You don’t need more preparation.
You need more movement.

As Leti models in this episode, sustainable success is built through courageous iteration—not flawless execution.

Ready to Scale With Strategy, Not Burnout?

If this conversation resonated, here’s where to go next:

👉 Apply for The Wing — Beyara’s high-level container for women entrepreneurs building scalable, profitable businesses with systems, confidence, and wealth in mind.

👉 Join the Flight Plan Newsletter — Leti’s weekly insights on business, leadership, and sustainable growth.
 

You’ve already proven you can work hard.

Now it’s time to build in a way that lets you move faster, breathe easier, and scale smarter—without waiting for perfect.