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Why most entrepreneurs fail: The hidden dangers of doing too much
In a world obsessed with hustle, action, and relentless execution, entrepreneurs often overlook the most powerful metric of success: restraint. We celebrate the moves people make but rarely analyze the ones they don’t. Yet, history shows that the greatest fortunes, careers, and companies weren’t built just on smart decisions but on the discipline to avoid costly ones. If you analyze successful entrepreneurs, you’ll find that they spend a lot of time planning for things not going according to plan.
Take Warren Buffett, arguably the most successful investor of all time. His long-term wealth isn’t just a product of what he invested in but what he chose to ignore. As Morgan Housel explains in The Psychology of Money, Buffett’s refusal to take on debt early in his career shielded him from financial ruin. During 14 recessions, he stayed calm, avoiding panic selling while others folded. He also refrained from chasing speculative tech stocks, missing out on some explosive gains but ensuring his portfolio remained within his circle of competence. As Buffett famously puts it, “We swing only at things we like.”
This concept extends beyond investing. Jobs is often remembered for his visionary leadership, but his genius was also in what Apple didn’t do. When Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, the company had dozens of…
