Mastering the Balance: The Strategy > Hustle Approach to Startup Success

One thing that really struck me while working in the U.S. was just how busy startup founders are. Always hustling, always on the hunt for the next opportunity, the next big thing. With so many opportunities out there, it feels like you gotta catch ’em all, right? Because who knows which one is going to be your next big thing.

This constant chase often means jumping from one meeting to another, to a team meeting, to a board meeting, barely pausing to think if these meetings are even leading anywhere. It’s all go, go, go, with no time to stop, relax, and strategize.

Now, don’t get me wrong, action is great. You always prefer action to no action. But the issue with too much action without a game plan? It just leads to a ton of busy work. You feel like you’re doing a lot, but you’re not really getting anywhere, no results, no real progress, you know?

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Think about how busy you are. When I stopped and asked myself how much of what I was doing actually mattered? I found that I could scratch off 60% of my tasks without losing any progress. So, does what you’re doing actually matter or are you just doing stuff because you’re scared of missing out?

Listen, burnout doesn’t come from hard work. Burnout comes from doing work you don’t want to do, from stuff that feels pointless or doesn’t seem to lead anywhere. 

Trust me, I’ve been there with my last startup, you don’t want that. You want to be focused on the big picture,  knocking down tasks that lead to real results.

 And for that, you need strategy.

Look, I know, it’s hard to find time for strategy when there are opportunities around every corner and you sort of have to chase them to, to find your next big thing. But, here’s an example. Back in the U.S. I knew this founder who was basically just on calls all the time, trying to connect with everyone but not really targeting anything. 

And it didn’t result in any real progress. He was just busy and burning out because he was on Zoom all the time and not doing the work. He was burning out and his team couldn’t get hold of him. They didn’t get the feedback so the jobs weren’t done. The company wasn’t moving forward because he was too busy being busy.

And I get it, it’s tough to take time out for yourself when it seems like everyone else is working non-stop. Especially when you see all those LinkedIn posts showing how great everything is with other companies, all of your competition. It’s like a constant fear of falling behind if you stop working for a minute.

But here’s my challenge to you. Open your calendar and block out Friday mornings with a task called “strategy”. Consider it booked. Treat it like an important call with a client.

And in the next newsletter, we are going deeper into strategies. I’ll be sharing my solutions on how I keep myself accountable. See you next time.

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