Ride a Rough Horse Before You Buy a Ferrari

January 24, 2026

When we dream of starting a business, we usually visualize the finish line. We see the sleek office, the polished website, the expensive software, and the "perfect" product that works flawlessly from day one. We convince ourselves that to be a professional, we need professional tools. So, we spend our savings on the best MacBook, the premium subscription to marketing tools, and a logo designed by a high-end firm—all before we have sold a single thing.

This is the "Perfection Trap," and it is one of the fastest ways to kill a new business. You burn through your budget trying to look like a unicorn company when you are actually still an egg.

In Iceland, they have a proverb that perfectly captures the antidote to this perfectionism. It reminds us that people often have to use what is not good enough if there is no better option.

"Ekki er allt vakurt þó riðið sé."

Translated into English, this means: "Not everything is smooth-gaited, though it is being ridden."

The Horse Doesn't Have to Be Perfect

To understand this saying, you have to understand Icelandic horses. A "vakur" horse is one that possesses a specific, incredibly smooth gait (like the famous tölt). Riding a "vakur" horse feels like gliding on air. It is comfortable, beautiful, and prestigious.

But not every horse is a prize-winner. Some are rough. They jolt you around. Their trot is bumpy and uncomfortable. But the proverb notes a crucial fact: It is still being ridden. The rider is still moving across the landscape. They aren't stuck walking in the snow just because they didn't have a perfect horse. They are making do with the "poor" option because it gets the job done.

The "Crawling Phase" of Business

Think about a human baby learning to move. A baby doesn't lie still in the crib, refusing to move until they have perfected the art of a confident, two-legged stride. If they did, they would never go anywhere.

Instead, they do whatever works. They scoot on their butt. They army-crawl on their belly. They stumble, fall, drool, and get back up. It is clumsy. It is messy. It is definitely not "vakur." But it is effective. They are building the muscle, the coordination, and the confidence to eventually stand up and walk.

Starting a business is exactly the same. Your first "gait" will be ugly.

Your first website might be a basic template you built yourself.
Your first product might be taped together.
Your first marketing campaign might just be you telling your friends.

This isn't failure; it's the "crawling" phase. It is the rough ride that builds the muscles you need for the smooth ride later.

The "Best Tools" Can Be a Trap

Many entrepreneurs fail because they try to skip the crawling phase. They buy the best option—the expensive tools and the perfect branding—too early. This leads to two fatal problems:

You Run Out of Cash: If you spend your capital on making things look good, you have no money left to fix things when they inevitably break or need to change.

You Lose the Lesson: When you use a "rough" tool—like doing your own accounting on a spreadsheet instead of hiring a firm, or packing orders yourself—you learn the deep mechanics of your business. You feel every bump in the road, which teaches you how to steer better than a smooth ride ever could.

Embrace the Bumps

If you are hesitating to launch a project because you can't afford the best equipment, or if you feel embarrassed because your current setup is "poor" compared to the competition, remember the Icelandic wisdom: "Ekki er allt vakurt þó riðið sé."

Don't wait for the smooth ride. Don't wait until you can walk perfectly. Get on the rough horse. Crawl if you have to. As long as you are moving forward, you are doing it right. The smoothness will come later; for now, just ride.

Word	Meaning
Ekki	Adverb meaning "not."
Er	Verb, 3rd person singular of vera (to be).
Allt	Pronoun meaning "everything" or "all."
Vakurt	Adjective meaning "beautiful," "fine," or "smooth-moving" (specifically used for horse gaits).
Þó	Conjunction meaning "though" or "although."
Riðið sé	Passive construction meaning "is being ridden."