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 published an article titled “How Fear Helps (and Hurts) Entrepreneurs.”

Why so many entrepreneurs operate from a place of fear

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I’d tied my identity so closely to the success of my business that any potential failure felt like a personal attack. Click To TweetThe result? Anxiety, sleepless nights, and a constant, nagging sense that I was never doing enough. This fear-based approach fueled my work ethic but in a way that was unhealthy and unsustainable.

Is fear a powerful motivator? Sure, but it’s a double-edged sword. It can push you to work harder and achieve more, but it also creates a space where mistakes are feared rather than viewed as a necessary part of the process. A fear-based work environment is one where creativity is stifled and the joy of entrepreneurship is overshadowed by the dread of failure. Click To Tweet

Over time, this fear-based approach to entrepreneurship took a toll on my mental health. I knew I had to reassess what I was doing and why.

Can you shift from fear to purpose? 

The turning point for me came with the birth of my daughter, Makena. Becoming a father forced me to take a step back and reevaluate my priorities. I realized that my purpose didn’t have to be solely tied to my business success. My identity didn’t need to be defined by my company’s achievements or failures. Instead, I found a new purpose in being an amazing father, and that shift allowed me to see my business in a new light.

My ambition and my love for what I do don’t have to be driven by fear. Click To TweetThey can coexist with a sense of purpose that is rooted in something much deeper and more meaningful than just business success. Understanding this has helped me approach my work with a renewed sense of joy and creativity.

Tips to shift away from fear-based entrepreneurship

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 identityThe 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.” mindsetCredit 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.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.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.

     

  • 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 systemSurround 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 dinners!) 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! 

The benefits of letting go of fear

I’ve been really surprised by how letting go of fear has impacted my business and my approach to entrepreneurship. I’ve become more decisive, more confident in my decisions, and less bogged down by the anxiety of what might go wrong. My mental health is better and I feel like I’m a better leader.

Without the constant burden of fear, I can see opportunities more clearly and take calculated risks without the paralyzing dread of failure. I’m no longer micromanaging every aspect of my business, which has empowered my team to step up and take on more responsibility.

This has created a more collaborative and innovative environment at Neutech, where ideas are encouraged and mistakes are viewed as opportunities for growth rather than as catastrophic failures.

Moving towards a purpose-driven business

This identity shift has also had a ripple effect through the whole of Neutech. As I’ve moved away from a fear-based approach, I’ve started to build a company culture that prioritizes purpose over profit. This doesn’t mean that we’re not focused on growth and success—we absolutely are. But our success is now driven by a sense of purpose that goes beyond just making money.

At Neutech, we’re committed to creating technology solutions that make a real difference in the world. Whether we’re developing apps, platforms, or websites, our goal is to provide value to our clients and their customers in a way that is meaningful and impactful.

This purpose-driven approach has not only made our work more fulfilling and genuine but has also made us more successful. When you’re passionate about what you do and you’re not held back by fear, you can create truly remarkable things.

You probably have more than one “purpose” 

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 Paloma 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. Click To TweetRight 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.