For entrepreneur Emma Hernan, the fear of failure is less significant than the regret of procrastination. She advises aspiring founders that the greatest risk isn't that a venture might fail, but that it might never start. The opportunity cost of waiting is higher than the cost of a potential misstep.
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The allure of a safe, prestigious corporate job can be a trap for young entrepreneurs. The logical choice to 'learn how large enterprises work' can override passion and kill momentum. The time for maximum career risk is when personal responsibilities are lowest; delaying risk-taking makes it exponentially harder later in life.
Many creators delay starting due to fear of not having the right tech or skills. Starting imperfectly with what you have is crucial, as this "messy action" builds momentum and self-belief. Waiting for perfection is simply an excuse to not begin.
While it's easy to regret known bad decisions, like passing on an investment, the far greater mistakes are the unseen ones. The meeting you canceled or the connection you didn't pursue could have been the pivotal moment of your career. This mindset liberates you from the fear of making visible errors and encourages action.
Many creators stall not because they fear failure, but because they fear the operational burden that comes with success. The anxiety of not being able to sustain momentum or manage a growing project as a "one-person show" can be more paralyzing than the fear of never starting at all.
Perfectionism isn't just a mindset; it's a tangible cost. It manifests as a 'time tax' through delayed projects, an 'opportunity tax' by missing market windows, and a 'confidence tax' where waiting longer erodes your self-belief instead of building it. Quantifying these costs reveals the high price of inaction.
Entrepreneurs often view early mistakes as regrettable detours to be avoided. The proper framing is to see them as necessary, unskippable steps in development. Every fumble, pivot, and moment of uncertainty is essential preparation for what's next, transforming regret into an appreciation for the journey itself.
Agency leaders often delay decisions for fear of being wrong, creating significant opportunity costs and mental distraction. This paralysis is more damaging than the risk of an incorrect choice. Any decision is better than indecision because it provides momentum and learning, a lesson especially critical for small or solo-led agencies.
A founder's retrospective analysis often reveals that delayed decisions were the correct ones, and the only regret is not acting sooner. Recognizing this pattern—that you rarely regret moving too fast—can serve as a powerful heuristic to trust your gut and accelerate decision-making, as inaction is often the biggest risk.
Most people let good ideas pass by. The key to becoming an effective entrepreneur is to consistently shorten the time between having an idea and taking the first small step. This builds a self-perpetuating "muscle" that generates momentum and compounds your ability to execute.
The number one reason founders fail is not a lack of competence but a crisis of confidence that leads to hesitation. They see what needs to be done but delay, bogged down by excuses. In a fast-moving environment, a smart decision made too late is no longer a smart decision.
