𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗜𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹

Entrepreneurship is filled with uncertainty, and uncertainty breeds fear.

Introverted founders may find the world especially daunting because they constantly interact with others, are front and center, and make quick decisions.*

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear,

and the oldest and strongest kind of fear

is fear of the unknown”

― H.P. Lovecraft

Everyone is born with the instinct to avoid fear. Historically, this instinct helped us avoid danger and survive.

However, today's fear of uncertainty can prevent us from taking calculated risks and exploring bold options necessary for growth.

What happens if you move toward the fear?

Move Towards Fear

In her book Startups and Downs: The Secrets of Resilient Entrepreneurs, Mona Bijoor describes fear as a brilliant beacon of opportunity.

Visualizing fear as a beacon transforms it from a danger signal into a guiding light—like a lighthouse that both warns of rocks and guides ships to safety.

Weighing the pros and cons objectively can help reduce fear.

What's the Worst That Can Happen?

To move towards fear, start by understanding what scares you. Visualize what could happen, both good and bad. Talk with trusted family, friends, mentors, and peers who will be candid and offer perspective and support.

Review your concerns and create a plan to address them. Use the vision of success as motivation to push past fear.

Visualize Failure 

It's scary but valuable to face your worst fear—the failure of your business.

Imagine everything you built is gone. Now, imagine having unlimited resources to rebuild and consider these questions:

• How would you redesign the company?

• What would you value?

• Who would you bring to help?

Take notes without judgment. Then, compare these notes to your current business and decide how to move closer to your ideal company.

Follow This Process

To move forward:

• List all the steps between your startup and the future company

• Keep dividing those steps into smaller, clearly defined tasks

• Identify the next steps to get started now

• Ask others for advice on how to accomplish any task that is unclear

• Track your progress along the way and adjust as needed

Facing your worst fears focuses your energy on what truly matters and lets you envision success without being trapped in the present.

Whether shared publicly or held privately, most successful leaders faced numerous failures before discovering what worked for them.

These leaders confronted their fears directly, responded decisively, and then learned and adapted from their experiences.

Here's your takeaway: Spend 5 minutes (yes, right now) to identify one area that needs clarity and set up three meetings to discuss.

______________________________

90% of startups fail. Build Scale Grow solves problems for fast-growing startups, specializing in Social Impact, EdTech, and Health Tech and focusing on Introverted Founders.

I wrote this post with AI editing. Photo by Sammie Chaffin.

* Refer to last week’s post on Introverted Founders and Their Quiet Powers (and Flaws)

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