It is often said that online business success consists of having a great idea that solves a legitimate need and employs a solid marketing strategy.

As it turns out, there is another component that is absolutely critical. The entrepreneurs who are most successful are those who follow-up and follow through — they do what they say they are going to do.

The Art of Follow Through

Many small business owners who aren’t following through think they are; and mistake a plethora of ideas and outreach of making “the ask” as being a “do-er,” or someone who does a lot.

Somewhere along the line, they forget that someone who does a lot needs to also finish a lot, if they want to get traction. Here are four examples:

• Inconsistency. Some small business owners will update social media or company blog content for months at a time and then … stop. Then they wonder why they aren’t able to build a platform around their content or message.
• Dead on arrival ideas. Other entrepreneurs will email a bunch of people and request that they write guest posts, promote, or do video interviews for this “big new thing!” Then people rally to produce and the person never actually produces the “big new thing.”
• Missed opportunities. An entrepreneur with influence and a large audience announces that they’re open to being interviewed to promote a new book, course, product or offering coming out soon. If you rally behind them, they’re going to share your support with others. Yet, you don’t follow-through and actively support them in a tangible way. So, you don’t put yourself in the running to follow through on an opportunity that could lead to business.
• Lost connections. Someone who’s really busy agrees to speak with you. Then you cancel on them with less than 24 hours notice, over something that was not an unavoidable emergency — “It’s been such a busy week, and I really don’t feel up to it, today.”

Every entrepreneur lacks some follow-through at various places in their personal and business lives. This isn’t about perfection — we’ve all dropped the ball. Instead, I am speaking to a general trend.

If you say you want to create a business that is profitable, do you act like it? What you’re aiming for is not perfection, but consistency. Reliability. A sense that you can be counted on.

Overcome the ‘Lie of Busy’

The important thing here is to stop believing the lie of busy. This lie suggest if we weren’t so busy, we’d always follow through. “It’s just that I’m so busy,” you say.

For example, I have interviewed several people who are busier than ten of us combined; people like Oprah’s Life Class teacher Dr. Brene Brown, best-selling author Chris Guillebeau, and personal growth guru, SARK. Despite having hectic schedules, what they all have in common is this: they showed up. They follow through.