Part 3: Enemies of Deliberate Entrepreneurship
Just like any superhero, Deliberate Entrepreneurship has enemies. Not only do these four approaches to entrepreneurship make it more difficult for you to achieve your goals, but they also give you false ideas about what it takes to succeed.
So in no particular order, the Deliberate Entrepreneurship enemies include:
- FOMO
- Busypreneurship
- Success by Accident
- Get-Rich-Quick Schemes
Let’s have a closer look at all of them.
FOMO
FOMO, the Fear Of Missing Out, drives us to take actions that are not in our best interests. We can easily fall into the trap of thinking that we need to do everything and be everywhere to succeed. This leads to us spreading ourselves too thin and being unable to focus on what is truly important.
FOMO is the feeling that you’re not doing enough, that you’re missing out on opportunities, and that you’re not reaching your full potential. It is the enemy of entrepreneurs because it can lead to decision paralysis, imposter syndrome, and other self-defeating behaviors.
We get it – so many things are happening all the time, and it can be hard to know what to say “No” to. And to make things worse, we live in the age of rapid technological developments (just think about cryptocurrencies, Web3, metaverse), so new exciting projects appear in abundance every day.
No wonder many entrepreneurs feel like they are missing out just because they are not part of the latest developments.
When we look at FOMO through the lens of Deliberate Entrepreneurship, we don’t just wholly cross out any possibility of new business ideas, projects, and entrepreneurial adventures. Instead, we look at these opportunities with a question in mind – “Is this worth pursuing?” and evaluate them properly so we can make an informed decision.
So, instead of jumping on the next bandwagon just because it’s trending, Deliberate Entrepreneurship helps you evaluate each potential opportunity’s pros and cons and make a responsible choice.
Busypreneurship
Have you ever felt like you are working 24/7, and yet your to-do list is getting longer, not shorter? Busyprenerueship is another curse that many business owners face because of a lack of prioritization and often not knowing how (or not wanting) to delegate properly.
Being busy and being productive are not the same thing. Just because you are always on the go and always have something to do, doesn’t mean that you are actually getting anything done that is moving you closer to your goals.
When you have your own business, it can feel like there are always small fires to put out, and you are the only person who can take up those crucial tasks. So you keep putting more and more on your plate, eventually losing sight of what is really important.
In this case, Deliberate Entrepreneurship helps you to work effectively, not just hard. As silly as it may sound, one of the goals of Deliberate Entrepreneurship is to help you get more fun and enjoyment out of your entrepreneurial journey.
But how can you do this when all your tasks are marked urgent, and you don’t remember when you last had any time off (without your phone and laptop)?
By focusing and prioritizing the most important aspects of your work, you can create more space for working on the tasks that make the most impact and help you move your business forward. There’s no secret to it – just work on what you are good at and find other people to help with the rest (more on this later)!
Success by Accident
In business (and in life), we often try things with the hope that they’ll work out, but we don’t always know why or how. Sometimes, we get lucky, and things just…work. So the question is, how do you take things to the next level?
The good part is that you already have the foundation. The challenge is that now you need to meticulously figure out how to keep it going and growing (which is quite the opposite of throwing spaghetti at the wall to see if it sticks).
So why is this an enemy of Deliberate Entrepreneurship? Isn’t creating success what it’s all about? Not exactly.
Success by Accident is pure chaos. This strategy might work for you once or twice, but overall you will have a much lower chance of making it to the top. On the other hand, the Deliberate Entrepeneship approach is all about creating a controlled environment where you can make informed decisions and move forward with clarity and confidence. Deliberate Entrepreneurship doesn’t leave your success to chance!
Get-Rich-Quick Schemes
One of the modern entrepreneurship’s biggest and most dangerous misconceptions is overnight success. Although the media makes it seem like overnight success is achievable, in reality, it is incredibly rare. It usually only happens to those working in the industry for years. For the rest of us, it takes hard work, dedication, and a lot of luck to achieve any kind of success.
So if anyone promises you quick results, chances are they’re not being entirely truthful. The truth is that success takes time, and there are no shortcuts. So if you’re serious about becoming successful, you need to be prepared to do the work. There’s no other way around it.
Building something significant and sustainable takes time. But the good news is that the longer your business is in the game, the higher your chances of success. And by using the Deliberate Entrepreneurship approach, you will be able to get there without losing sight of what’s important. It might take longer, but it’ll be worth it in the end.
If you’re feeling discouraged because you haven’t yet achieved success (whatever that means to you), remember that success is a journey, not a destination. And as long as you keep moving forward, you will eventually get there. Just don’t give up, and never settle for anything less than your best!
