Impatience—it’s something I struggled with early in my career and, truthfully, still wrestle with today. As a young entrepreneur, I had a tendency to move fast, always eager to jump into the next opportunity. I believed success would come to those who acted quickly and decisively. What I didn’t realize back then was that rushing into things without proper planning often led to avoidable failures.
Over the years, I’ve learned that success in business isn’t about how fast you move, but about moving with intention. I’ve come to appreciate the importance of slowing down to properly evaluate opportunities before diving in. That’s been one of the most important lessons in my entrepreneurial journey: sometimes, the fastest way forward is to slow down.
The Early Days of Impatience
In the early days, I made a lot of decisions driven by excitement and impatience. When I started my first business, I already had plans for a second location before the first one had even opened. I had a vision of rapid expansion, inspired by other successful chains that had been in business for years. I thought that if I moved quickly, success would come just as fast. But the reality was different.
Without a solid plan or the patience to properly assess my moves, I made mistakes. I underestimated the importance of preparation and overestimated how quickly success would come. I found myself facing challenges that could have been avoided if I had taken the time to plan carefully and seek advice from those with more experience.
Learning to Slow Down
What this article doesn’t reveal is how my impatience caused failures that could have been avoided. I still pursue opportunities aggressively, but now I’ve gained the knowledge and wisdom to slow down and vet those opportunities thoroughly before diving in.
I used to think that being busy meant being productive, that action—any action—was better than standing still. But I’ve since learned that real progress comes from taking the time to plan, seek advice, and evaluate situations from all angles before moving forward. This mindset shift has allowed me to avoid costly mistakes and make more informed decisions.
Think of a running back in football. When they receive the ball, they may hesitate before charging forward. This brief pause isn’t indecision—it’s strategy. They’re assessing the best route to gain yards. Business is much the same. If we rush in blindly, we may miss better opportunities. But by slowing down to evaluate the situation, we can move forward with more confidence and precision.
The Value of Execution and Flexibility
One of the key lessons I’ve learned is that executing a plan is just as important as making one. But execution requires flexibility. Even with the best-laid plans, unexpected challenges will arise. When that happens, it’s crucial to be willing to adapt. This is another area where I’ve learned to slow down. Instead of pushing forward with a plan that isn’t working, I now take the time to reassess, make necessary adjustments, and then proceed.
This concept applies across industries. Whether you're managing inventory in a retail business or overseeing operations in a restaurant, you need to anticipate challenges and be flexible in how you handle them. For example, a restaurant owner must balance food inventory with customer demand, knowing that unexpected events—a snowstorm, a canceled reservation—can disrupt their plans. Planning for these uncertainties and being ready to pivot is critical.
Failing Forward: A Key to Growth
Failures have been some of my greatest teachers. I’ve learned more from the things I did wrong than from the things I did right. Early on, I’d push forward without fully thinking things through. As a result, I encountered setbacks that could have been avoided. Now, I take a different approach. I still move quickly when the time is right, but not before I’ve done my due diligence.
The phrase "fail fast" gets thrown around a lot in entrepreneurship, but it’s important to remember that failure should come with learning. My impatience led to some avoidable failures early on, but those failures taught me to value the process of careful vetting and planning. Today, I slow down not out of fear of failure, but out of respect for the process.
The Art of Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is often thought of as a science—something that can be mastered through strategies, formulas, and processes. But there’s an art to it as well. The art of entrepreneurship lies in knowing when to move fast and when to slow down. It’s about understanding when to accelerate and when to take your foot off the gas.
Starting a business is like beginning with a blank canvas. You may have a vision for the picture you want to paint, but it doesn’t become clear all at once. It’s through learning, adapting, and making mistakes that the image starts to take shape. For many entrepreneurs, that picture gains clarity over time, through experience and reflection.
Looking back, I realize that while my impatience led to some early mistakes, it also pushed me to grow and learn. The art of entrepreneurship isn’t about moving fast all the time—it’s about moving with purpose. It’s about having the patience to wait for the right moment and the wisdom to know when to seize it.
The true essence of entrepreneurship is learning, adapting, and recognizing that success often comes to those who are willing to slow down, evaluate, and then move forward with intention. And that’s something I continue to remind myself every day.
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