Talking about the factors most important to the success of a business enterprise, Arnold Kling writes:

I personally would emphasize a desire to sell. If you cannot overcome your fears and insecurities about selling (and who doesn't have those fears and insecurities?), then you are very unlikely to be successful. The notion that you can have such a great idea that it will sell itself (or "go viral," as they say) is very seductive and in my view almost always wrong.

I don't know how many businessmen are seduced by this idea, but I know ridiculously large numbers of musicians are. All of them would be better off if they dropped this concept and stopped being ashamed to sell themselves. Even if your ideas and your music are really, really good there are thousands of other bands out there competing with you. At least some of them also have ideas that are really, really, really good, plus have charismatic personalities. To have a shot at getting anywhere you need to have good ideas, at least one person with a ton of charisma, and the willingness to self-promote (in non-stupid ways, of course). Your ideas will sell themselves only if you are extremely lucky or working in such a small niche that you don't have much in the way of skilled competition.

This goes double for bands that aren't in it to make money and prefer other rewards. They suffer from this delusion the most. Most of the members of my middle-class avant-pop band certainly do, but luckily they have a shameless pimp like me to provide a reality check.

Once you get over those fears and insecurities, selling your ideas and selling yourself feel pretty damn good. So go for it!