Successful Business, Once Made a Courageous Decision
Introduction
Analysis paralysis is a common challenge for start-ups. Founders often feel overwhelmed by the immense demands of building a successful business. The daunting odds can sap your energy and leave you questioning whether any action is the right one, creating a sense of futility that weighs heavily on your mind. Over the years, I’ve witnessed many start-ups struggle and fail under this pressure. It’s not something to be ashamed of—these experiences are part of personal and professional growth. I’ve faced similar challenges myself, and while they’re never easy, with time and perspective, you learn to navigate them and make the most of each crisis.
Thinking too long about doing something often becomes its undoing
A common approach to handling such situations is to stay proactive and embrace action. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes—at worst, your circumstances will stay the same. In most cases, however, your efforts will lead to improvement. Overthinking and dwelling on fears achieve nothing and can even backfire. It may project an image of weakness and cause your team members to question your leadership or commitment. This can undermine team morale and cohesion, significantly reducing your chances of success.
On other hand there is a common misconception in the start-up world: many equate making quick decisions and taking rapid actions with being efficient. True efficiency, however, lies in achieving meaningful goals. Acting quickly but inaccurately does not lead to efficiency—it simply creates the illusion of productivity for employers, investors, or customers. The popular “fake it until you make it” mindset has significantly contributed to the problems we face in the IT industry. This approach often blurs the line between those who genuinely work toward sustainable solutions and those who rush to "fake" progress, only to fail spectacularly in the end.
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift; the rational mind, a faithful servant
As a contestant, I noticed a common pattern in programming contests: you’re typically given three challenging tasks and five hours to write the best code you can. The focus is on rapidly switching strategies and churning out code as quickly as possible. To be honest, this format didn’t work well for me. It’s far removed from real-world programming, which is more like a marathon than a sprint.
On the other hand, there were the “pure” IT contests where the main task was to create a website. The jury’s role often boiled down to guessing whether you actually made it yourself, and then, after a few months, scoring your work. I genuinely dislike this approach because it lacks any sense of innovation. If your perspective is to treat websites like street-sold steaks, where the goal is purely transactional, that might be fine for some, but it’s not for me.
There's another type—the "marathon" category. In this format, you're presented with an exceptionally challenging Computer Science problem, often an NP-hard problem, and tasked with developing a solution. These problems are typically inspired by real-world challenges the authors encountered in their work, offering contestants a chance to tackle them.
This was a format where I truly excelled, far more than the traditional ones. Years later, I realized this was due to my strong programming intuition. My solutions often came to me subconsciously, usually while taking a walk in the park. Interestingly, the same skill set—intuition, experience, and occasionally a bit of luck—is exactly what's often needed in start-ups.
Conclusion
In mathematics, intuition plays a crucial role. A notable example is Ramanujan, who initially worked in isolation and faced challenges gaining recognition from established mathematicians due to the novel and unconventional nature of his work. Deeply religious, Ramanujan relied heavily on his intuition and insights rather than formal methods.
In truth, when speaking about start-ups, both intuition and formal methods are essential, as they provide complementary approaches and tools. While making quick decisions and acting decisively is often necessary, there are times when stepping back to see the bigger picture is vital for making the next significant leap forward.
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