The Remarkable Joy Of NOT Being A Fear-Based Entrepreneur

For much, much longer than I’d like to admit, I navigated entrepreneurship with white knuckles, a knot in my stomach, and a whole lot of fear.

I was afraid clients wouldn't listen when we told them how to build an MVP that would actually make money. 

I was worried my team would miss a bug and the client would flip out. 

I had so much fear that our Neutech Academy was missing something important and we weren’t training our engineers thoroughly enough.

And I know I’m not the only entrepreneur who feels like this. Harvard Business Review literally has an article titled “How Fear Helps (and Hurts) Entrepreneurs.”

Tips to shift away from fear-based entrepreneurship

A big part of my move away from fear-based entrepreneurship is the birth of my daughter Makena.

But I realize not everyone can have a baby to redefine their relationship to work. Regardless of where you are in your entrepreneurial journey or your family or relationship status, removing fear from your work life can benefit you and your team. 

• Identify your triggers
  
  Recognize the situations or thoughts that trigger fear in your business. This could be sales calls, meeting people at conferences that seem “further along” than you, or discovering a bug in the code of a client’s new code base.
  
  Understanding what sparks anxiety allows you to address it head-on rather than letting it control your actions.
  

• Separate your identity from your business success
  
  I know it can be hard to internalize, but your worth isn't tied to your business’s performance. Embrace the mindset that your business is something you do, not who you are. This helps reduce the pressure and anxiety around decision-making.
  

• “Diversify” your identity
  
  The same way any good financial advisor would want you to diversify your stock portfolio, you should diversify your identity and invest your time, money, and energy in those other aspects of your identity.
  
  Beyond “Founder and owner of Neutech,” I’m also a dad, husband, son, Jew, LA Lakers fan, and whiskey aficionado.
  

• Embrace the “I never lose. I win or I learn.” mindset
  
  Credit for this wisdom goes to Nelson Mandela! Do your best to shift your perspective on failure. Instead of fearing mistakes, view them as opportunities for growth. Each setback is a chance to learn and improve, not a reflection of your capabilities.
  
  Making a mistake is not a failure. If you learn from it, that’s what I call a lesson. If you don’t learn the lesson, then you’ve failed. 
  
  Shout out to a friend and client Everett Graves, CEO of Buyr who recently told me, “Show me the development environment, I want to see things break! I want to see how far you can push it, how quickly we can learn and adapt! Let’s test our boundaries by going past them.”  Everett embraces the process in the name of innovation and progress.
  

• Prioritize self-care
  
  It’s easier to fall down a fear spiral when you're only consuming beef jerky and Red Bull and sleeping 4 hours a night. Taking care of your mental and physical health is crucial. Regular exercise, mindfulness practices, and time away from work help reduce stress and maintain clarity.
  

• Build a support system:
  
  Surround yourself with mentors, peers, and a team that supports and challenges you. (Sidenote: If you identify as Jewish and are in tech, please join us at our Jews In Tech events!) Sharing the burden and having trusted voices can ease fear and provide valuable perspective.
  
  I think it’s also good to have friends who don’t work in tech. It’s a good reality check for me to hear about the challenges my wife faces every day as a second grade teacher! 

While Makena was the catalyst for this mindset shift, I realize that even my role as a father isn’t my sole purpose. As any parent will tell you, your children are a huge part of your life, but they don’t define you entirely - I still want to drink a whisky watching my beloved LA Lakers with my wife! I’m still down for a few hours of Halo, Super Smash Bros. or NBA2K  with my friends on a Sunday afternoon!

And while my work is deeply important to me, it’s no longer my entire identity either.

What I’ve learned is that purpose is fluid; It changes as you grow and evolve as a person. Right now, my purpose is to be the best father I can be and to create a successful, purpose-driven business. But I’m also aware that this will continue to evolve as I navigate the complexities of life and work.

What’s most important is that I’m no longer bound by fear. I’m driven by a sense of purpose and joy that makes me not only a better entrepreneur but also a better person. And that, in turn, makes Neutech a stronger, more resilient company.