In this episode, Susie breaks down what really stops people from starting, not time, not money, but hesitation and overthinking. She shares the behavioural research behind action paralysis, why “ready” is a myth, and the three practical steps anyone can take to finally begin. This is a straight-talk, zero-fluff episode designed to push you into visible action today.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 01:32 – Why “I’ll start when…” is holding you back
- 03:02 – Action paralysis and mistaking planning for progress
- 04:54 – How imperfect action rewires fear
- 06:38 – Susie’s 3 top tips for building anything
- 10:18 – The power of accountability
- 11:30 – Your action for this week
CONNECT WITH SUSIE:
Follow on Instagram: @_susiebatista
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TRANSCRIPTION:
You’re listening to the Just Build It Podcast. Real conversations about business, growth, and everything that comes with chasing a bigger life. I’m Susie Batista, property developer, speaker, and someone who’s learned that building anything worthwhile never really comes with a manual. This isn’t about perfection or overnight success. It’s about that messy middle The lessons, the setbacks, and the courage to keep going when no one’s clapping yet. You’ll hear stories from entrepreneurs, mentors, and creatives who’ve turned struggle into strength, and sometimes just from me, sharing the unfiltered side of building a business and a life on your own terms. Let’s get into it. Welcome to episode one of Just Build It. I really wanted to call this podcast Just Do It, but Nike took it, so it’s just build it, which is a perfect play off on what I do as a property developer and had a career as an interior designer. So we call Just build it, just build it, which is actually quite a good way to say if you just put one brick on top of the other, on top of the other, on top of the other, slowly, slowly, if you just do it, in the end, You will build something incredible.
So we are on episode one, and today I want to talk about how to start building when you have no time, no money, and no idea where to begin. And what I would say to all of those things is you’ve just got a lot of excuses, really. And you know that voice that says, I’ll start when I’ve got more time, I’ll start when I’ve saved a bit more. Or I’ll start when I’m ready. Honestly, that voice is holding you back. It is not your friend. It’s keeping you in your comfort zone. There’s actually a fact from the London School of Economics, and they did a behavioural study last year that found 68% of adults in the UK delay starting a new goal or venture because they feel they don’t know enough yet. 68 %. But here’s the thing. The clarity doesn’t come first. It’s created by starting it. Did you know how to walk before you walked? No. Did you really know how to talk before you talked? No. But you heard people and you mimicked it and you tried and you babbled and you got it all wrong and then eventually you started to talk.
The same with walking, the same with anything that you’re doing now. You weren’t good at it at the beginning. And the truth is, nobody feels ready. Every entrepreneur that I know, at least, even the ones who look like they have it all together, started scared. They didn’t have a full plan, and some didn’t even have momentum. There’s something psychologists call action paralysis, and it’s when you mistake planning for progress. Oh my gosh. I have done this a lot, trust me. And you make lists, you tweak your logo, you read one more article, and it feels like you are actually doing something, but you’re really not. And it’s the reason why nowadays I just go for it within a matter of days, because if I start to procrastinate and I start to get everything perfect or want to get everything perfect, it just doesn’t happen. And again, University College of London found that the longer you delay taking the first visible action, the lower your chance of ever starting it at all. Because hesitation strengthens fear. Action, even imperfect action, is what rewires it. I’m going to say that again. Action, even imperfect action is what rewires it, which is your brain.
When I started, I didn’t know what bridging finance was in property. I didn’t know how to find investors. It was all so new to me. My entire life had been interior design, but not really property development. And we can talk about my whole journey within interior design and cabin crew, but right now I am a full-time property developer. And all I could do is take one step at a time. I’d go and view a property, I’d talk to an agent, I’d start posting on Instagram about what we were doing. And every small action, built evidence, and evidence builds belief. So what do you actually need to begin? It’s the biggest question. Forget any Any 10-step business plan or 10-year goal. And I know even my mentor would kill me for saying that. It’s just something I don’t believe in. I feel like you should really start to break things up into weeks and months and just bite-size pieces. Like the famous GCSE bite-size education, there’s a reason for it. If you start Start asking GCSE students what they want to be when they’re 40 and 50, and they suddenly start to freak out a bit.
But if you just take things bite size, it really genuinely works. So here are my three top tips to start building anything. So I would always say, number one, direction, not detail. You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need a reason. What is your why? Why do you want to do it? And if you write one sentence that finishes this, I’m building this because… Then that is your compass. That’s where you want to go. I’m building this because of financial freedom. I’m building this because I want to be able to go out to any restaurant that I want at any time of the day and not have to worry about the bill. I’m building this because I want to be able to take my children to activities or theme park over the holidays and not have to worry about money. I’m building this because I know I can do more with my life. I’m building I’m doing this because I’m later on or I’m mature in life and I just want to do something for me and worthy. There are so many reasons. Just write that down. Why do you want to do what you want to do?
Why are you building this? Two, consistency before confidence. Confidence does doesn’t lead to consistency. Consistency builds confidence. Small steps daily builds confidence. To what you want to do. And according to Cambridge’s Wellbeing Institute, people who take one small measurable action daily Increase self-belief by up to 50 % within a month. That is incredible. Number three, accountability. So another study has found that you are 65 % more likely to achieve a goal when you commit it to someone else. So tell someone and ask them to check in with you. Even one message of accountability changes everything. I am so fortunate enough that I have remained or my husband. And as soon as I tell him that I want to go for something, gosh, he is on me. He holds me massively accountable. And if you are a friend of mine or a family member of mine, that has ever told me that you are interested in doing something, you can bet that is the first thing I will be asking when we’re together over a message, how’s it going? And yes, it makes people feel uncomfortable when they’ve not actually done anything about it, and it should make you feel uncomfortable.
And that is the difference between an entrepreneur and somebody that just wants to feel very comfortable. If I’ve not done something and Ramaya says, How are you getting on with it? It makes me feel so bad and so embarrassed, and I will just go and just do it straight away. So let’s end this podcast short and sweet, and I want to give you an action to do this week. So if you pick one thing that you’ve been over thinking and make it visible. So at Actually, find an image on Pinterest, on Canva. Think about that one thing that you’ve been wanting to do and get it in an image and have it on your phone because it suddenly starts to become real. And then send the message that you need to send to help you get there. Make the call, post something on Instagram, book a viewing. You don’t need to make it perfect. You just need to make it real. You need to make it come alive. You need to put it out there. If you liked this podcast, then you can join the Just Build It newsletter at www.Justbuildit.uk And if your team or event ever needs someone to talk about business, mindset, and taking brave action, then you can get in touch with me direct through Instagram or at justbuildit.uk
I’m Susie Vatista. And remember, don’t wait for perfect. Just build it.