Episode Summary

In this episode of The Own Your Brand Show, Victoria Odekomaya takes listeners behind the scenes of another lesson from her Million Dollar Journey: learning how perfectionism changes when a business grows beyond the owner.

Victoria explains that she has always placed a very high value on the quality of her work. Earlier in her career, while working in drug research, that attention to detail made sense to her because the work carried real responsibility. She wanted everything done correctly and eventually became someone who trained others, created SOPs, and helped build training systems used by other departments.

But one experience helped her realize that the same standard could affect the people around her differently. Victoria remembers being called into a conversation with an HR leader who also served as a mentor. She was told that team members felt uncomfortable because Victoria wanted things done perfectly and they worried their work would not be good enough.

Her mentor helped her look at the situation differently. If someone could perform the work well, even if it was not done exactly the way Victoria would have done it, that could still be acceptable. Systems were also in place to catch mistakes and help people improve. That conversation became one of Victoria’s earliest realizations that her desire for excellent work could cross into perfectionism.

As an entrepreneur, perfectionism initially felt easier to justify. When Victoria was doing most of the work herself, she could control how everything looked, sounded, and was delivered. Her clients benefited from the care she put into the work, and being known for strong quality became part of how she operated.

The problem became more obvious as LiMStudios grew. Victoria explains that scaling requires a team, and keeping a strong team requires more than hiring talented people. Leaders also have to train them, trust them, allow them to learn, and accept that they will sometimes make mistakes.

She shares how difficult it can be for a business owner to release something they have personally done well for years. The instinct is often to look for someone who thinks exactly like the owner, anticipates every step, and produces work in exactly the same way. But a team member approaching the work differently does not automatically mean that person is incapable or that the result is wrong.

Victoria says one of the lessons she is currently practicing is becoming comfortable with someone performing at roughly 80 percent while continuing to learn. That does not mean lowering the standard for clients. It means recognizing that there may be more than one good way to reach the desired result.

She connects that lesson to a Nigerian saying about there being multiple roads to the market. The market represents the result. The path someone takes to get there may not be the same path Victoria would have taken, but the result can still be strong.

The conversation also reflects the reality of building toward a bigger business goal. Victoria talks openly about the uncertainty that can come with pursuing a million-dollar company even when you believe you are doing the right things. She is investing in mentorship, surrounding herself with people pursuing similar goals, staying consistent with marketing, and continuing to follow the roadmap even on days when the destination still feels far away.

By the end of the episode, Victoria makes an important distinction. She is no longer trying to be perfect, either with herself or with her team. She is learning to practice grace. But that does not mean she is abandoning high standards. Excellence remains non-negotiable.

The bigger leadership lesson is that growing a business eventually requires the owner to release some control. Someone doing the work differently can still produce a strong result, and allowing capable people to contribute is often better than trying to carry everything yourself until you burn out.