The Wednesday Play: Forget About Perfection

Hi Playmakers,

What a week it has been so far. Whew, pregnancy is taking it out of me.

Yesterday, I thought to myself, “wow, I am so glad I am not starting the raise for my VC fund right now, because I don’t think I’d have it in me.”

The reality is: I didn’t really think I had it in me before I started Joyful Ventures back in 2023 either. I figured I wasn’t good enough to become a venture capitalist. I was so worried about getting the right degree, building the right resume, and stacking up all the skills before taking a swing.

I distinctly remember staring at the UCLA Anderson MBA application page, thinking to myself, “well, only an MBA will get me there.” (side note: never give those MBA sites your email, because I’m still getting emails, ugh)

But then I wondered what happens if I don’t do all the fancy schooling… and go for it anyway?

That was me, starting a VC fund.

No MBA. No finance background. No Wall Street experience.

So I did the only thing I knew how to do: I started.

I cold emailed and pitched. I stumbled my way through diligence calls and legal docs. I had to research things late at night that most fund managers probably learned in business school. Sometimes, I’d be in pitch meetings and get asked about a term (lol IRR), then smile and give the funniest anecdote I could think of, while Googling the term as fast as my hands could type.

Eventually, I got the hang of it and realized that people were looking for specialists who had industry insights and connections that others didn’t have. Luckily, I had been hosting pitch competitions in the industry for years, plus I’d written a bestselling book.

I realized that having financial insight was an easy learnable skill — but having a deep knowledge base and industry insights was actually the much bigger competitive advantage.

Eventually, I started to get yeses. I got support. And eventually, I got wires.

$23 million dollars, to be exact.

It still blows my mind.

Because here’s the thing I’ve learned: people aren’t looking for perfect.

They’re looking for conviction. For someone who actually believes in what they’re building.

Perfection is a trap. It’s often just fear in a prettier outfit.

I didn’t wait to become an expert to get started. I became an expert by being willing to start. And that messy, imperfect beginning? It turned out to be the most important part.

So if you’re standing on the edge of something big and waiting to feel “ready”, I’ve got a secret: you never will.

You don’t need to know everything to begin.

You just need to be brave enough to ask yourself: “Why not me?”

Jenny

Before she launched a billion-dollar AI lab, Kanjun Qiu was a first-generation immigrant studying computer science at MIT. To pay her way through school, she wrote high-frequency trading algorithms. Her path didn’t follow the typical VC-backed startup playbook. It was built around curiosity, community, and a deep belief that intelligence should amplify human potential — not replace it.

Read the story now.

Kanjun Qiu was born in China and moved to the U.S. as a child. She attended MIT, where she majored in computer science and worked at the MIT Media Lab. Even as a student, she had a rare mix of technical skill and entrepreneurial instinct.

After graduation, she joined Dropbox as Chief of Staff to CEO Drew Houston. At the time, Dropbox was growing fast. Kanjun helped the company scale from 200 to over 1,200 employees.

Read how she’s building her AI company.

Insights are only valuable if they’re acted on. Let’s turn this knowledge into impact with small but powerful action steps.

This week’s challenge: make progress on an area in your life, even if it’s not perfect.

Let’s be real, if you wait for things to be perfect, you’re going to be waiting forever. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Sometimes you have to move forward and tell yourself “this is good enough.” Trust that you’ll improve upon it later. Take a step forward anyway.

Call to Action:

1️⃣ Think about an area in your life where you’ve stalled and push forward, even if it’s nowhere near perfect.

2️⃣ Report back and let me know how it went! Drop a comment or share your post below. The best responses may be featured next week.

This week’s play is from the one and only Codie Sanchez. Her simple, but tight message, on how to be the best leader you can be is what everybody needs to see this week.

… especially a certain concert-going CEO, who seems to have forgotten how to run his own team. :)

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The Wednesday Play isn’t just a newsletter — it’s a community. I’ll be announcing much more in coming weeks and months! For now, let’s connect across social.

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