12 Entrepreneurial Mindset Rules Every Entrepreneur Should Adopt

Rule 1: Get Started

If you tell 10 people about your idea, it’ll go something like this: 5 will say it won’t work; 3 will say you’re crazy; 2 will be indifferent.

The best part? None of these people’s opinions matter. Just get started. It’ll be the hardest thing you do. Momentum compounds, and once you get the rock rolling down the hill, good things materialize.

Rule 2: Never Stop

The leading cause of startup failure is founders giving up. If you don’t give up, you can’t fail. Easier said than done, I know. Some days you’ll feel on top of the world, some days you’ll feel like everything is breaking.

Whatever it is, never give up. You’ll be astonished how many startup stories are just about persistence paying off — not genius, not exceptional design, not some secret code. Just dogged, day-in-day-out persistence.

Rule 3: Hire Uncomfortably Good People

I had to hire people who could teach me something — and who were some things themselves.

Most people think they should hire people they can one up. I did the opposite: I hired people WAY out of my league. It was a forcing function to mature fast.

Rule 4: Get Your Sh*t Together

Preparation builds confidence. Do the work so that you can trust your instincts. Think of your mind as the foundation atop which all the other things — including your company — rests. If you fix the foundation, you’ll save yourself a lot of grief.

Rule 5: Be OK with Failure

I’ve studied hundreds of successful startups. Lots of differences between the lot, but one commonality: they all have risk-seeking cultures. To get 10x outcomes, you have to take 10x risks. If you fail, do it fast, and move on.

Rule 6: Don’t Be OK with Too Much Failure

Embracing failure is important but don’t fall in love with it. This is one of Bezos’ iconic leadership lessons from Amazon: “Be right, a lot.” People who are right = people who listen + people who change their minds.

Rule 7: Eat Healthy, Stay Balanced

This is so underrated. Your company is a reflection of you. If you are unhealthy and imbalanced, your company will be, too.

I used to think I was invincible. As I (and everyone) eventually learned, nobody is. I hit a wall, made mistakes, and had to fix myself. Once I did, everything changed for the better. Take care of yourself.

Rule 8: Sometimes Get Unhealthy and Unbalanced

You should go into the red for short stints — this gets maximum intensity. Don’t be afraid to step on the gas, but don’t run this way for too long.

Rule 9: Creativity is a Pillar of Execution

Early on, I put a premium on logical thinking. While important, too much logic is too much rational thinking. To build something great you need to think outside the box. You need creativity.

This is especially true for technology start-ups, which often pride themselves on rigorous rationality. Remember that there’s an element of magic to successful products and that magic requires creativity.

Rule 10: Don’t Let People Get Too Creative

Creativity pushes you to think outside the box. But here’s the thing: a lot of building a company is blocking and tackling. It’s boring, humdrum, day-to-day execution.

Boring is good because it creates predictability and durability. Be creative in planning, and boring in execution.

Rule 11: Take It Seriously

Conviction is cascading. Nobody is going to care more than you as the Founder. And honestly, you can’t expect them to. But everyone can have the same level of conviction. Aspire for that. Show your team you’re serious by making every day count.

Rule 12: But Don’t Take It Too Seriously

If you’re not having fun along the way, you’re going to break. It’s not a question of if you’ll break — more like when and how seriously.

And that’s it!

Startups are tough — wherever you are in your journey, I salute you. I hope these 12 mindset rules help you as much. I still reflect on all 12 of these every day, and they’ve helped me become a better founder, leader, and human being.

I hope you found this post honest, actionable, and insightful. If you’d like to support me as a writer, Buy Me a Coffee!