Don’t Wait to Be Proud

My dad read every Biz Love Letter first: a few little edits, then the same line at the bottom, every week. As Issue 70 of the magazine goes to print, a letter for women in business about perfectionism, and why you can be proud of your progress long before anything is finished.

By Tricia Scott 

It’s Monday morning and I’m still a little excited because I went to my first Christmas market of the year last weekend.

The Living North Christmas Fair has become a non-negotiable in my diary for the end of October.

I know. I KNOW.

But the lights were up and I cannot resist the urge to drink hot chocolate with marshmallows and take in the cinnamon-y smells of Christmas and a sweet mince pie (or two). And anyway, who decided we need to wait until December for permission to enjoy the festivities? Also, I came away with the sweetest little Christmas-themed mug which I am currently enjoying a latte from as I come to you today.

Also, the 25th October would have been my lovely dad’s 72nd birthday.

The First Reader

When I first started sending these letters, long before there were thousands of you opening them every week, my dad was always the first person to proofread them. That was always something I did with my dad, run something by him before I did the thing: whether it was a Biz Love Letter, a change of job or another idea I was ridiculously excited about.

Every week, without fail, an email would come back from him.

A few little edits.

A missing comma.

A word I’d used twice.

A sentence that had wandered off somewhere (shocker, right?)

And then, at the bottom, always the same line: I’m very proud of you.

Every week.

Not only the good ones, not only when something brilliant had happened and not only when the letter was polished and clever and exactly how I wanted it.

The rough ones too. Especially those, actually.

I’ve been thinking about him a lot this week because we’re getting Issue 70 of The Female CEO Magazine ready to go out at the end of October.

Seventy Issues

Seventy issues. From that first ever template and nervously hitting send and announcing to the world that I was, in fact, a publisher.

And somewhere between the proofs, the final checks and all the hundreds of little things that need fixing before anything gets published, I caught myself saying something I hear a lot in business conversations: I’ll be proud of it when it’s done.

And then I thought about my dad.

Because he never waited for it to be done to be proud. It could be a work in progress with several hundred tangents, spelling errors and grammar that would give my old English teacher a coronary and still there it was.

I’m very proud of you.

And as I reflect on this today, I realise that might be one of the most useful things anyone ever taught me about work.

Most of Us Open Monday With the Edits

Most of us open Monday with the edits.

What needs fixing?

What’s behind?

What haven’t I done yet?

What should be better?

What still isn’t quite right?

And we save the pride for some point later, when everything is finished and polished and sorted and, you know, behaving itself.

But businesses don’t really work like that and neither do people.

There is always another edit, another deadline, another version, another thing we could have done better.

Be Proud Before It’s Perfect

So this week, I want us to try something slightly different.

Notice what needs fixing and fix it. No drama.

But don’t let that be the whole story. Be proud of it. Be proud of you.

Before it’s finished. Before it’s perfect.

And tell someone else you’re proud of them while you’re at it.

So before you disappear into the to-do list, write down two things: One thing to fix this week and one thing you’re already proud of.

In that order. Let the proud bit get the last word.

And on that note, if no one has said it to you lately, allow me: I’m very proud of you.

So, who are you going to be proud of out loud this week? Email me or drop a comment and let me know.

I’ll read every one.

I believe in you (always).

👉🏼If you want to receive a Biz Love Letter directly to your inbox every week in 2026, I email our Hello CEO mailing list every Monday. To join, head to The Homepage and sign up! 

 Tricia Scott is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Female CEO — a global platform, magazine, and community dedicated to helping women build confident, aligned, powerful businesses.

A startup mentor and multi-company director, she’s spent the past decade helping women move from overwhelmed and isolated to empowered and intentional.

Most days, she’s juggling her MacBook, her next big idea, and a very necessary caffeine supply. Connect with her at thefemaleceo.com.