The Real Reason 90% of Creators Fail
The Unspoken Reason Businesses Fail
Every founder starts out with a powerful vision. You're dreaming big—launching that business, building your creative empire, turning your passion into your livelihood. It’s exhilarating, fueled by late nights, boundless ambition, and countless cups of coffee. You picture the freedom, the impact, maybe even the TED Talk you'll eventually deliver. So you devour every strategy, tactic, and success story out there, convinced you've cracked the entrepreneurial code.
You feel invincible. Then along comes a dude (hi, it's me) telling you that 90% of businesses fail. Sorry to crash the party… but it's true.
Why am I being such a pain in the ass? Honestly, I'm not trying to discourage you. In recent years, I've seen businesses collapse left and right, including those of some of my clients. Witnessing this firsthand forced me to ask a simple but essential question: Why do businesses really fail?
Businesses fail for exactly two reasons: either your strategy sucks or your psychology sucks. And shockingly, it's your psychology 80% of the time.
That's right. Most entrepreneurs obsess over strategies, totally overlooking the fact that their mindset, beliefs, and internal narratives are quietly sabotaging them. Brilliant plans crumble all the time. Not because the strategy is flawed, but because the person behind it can't manage their psychology well enough to execute.
I'm not telling you this as some wisenheimer theorist. I'm a strategist and entrepreneur myself. I've watched countless great ideas collapse under the weight of impatience, self-doubt, and misguided beliefs.
Here's the deal: you can have a killer strategy, but if you can't get your mind straight, you're doomed. Strategy matters, sure, but your inner game is the real secret sauce.
So, before you dive headfirst into the next tactic-heavy blog post, let’s unpack why psychology, not strategy, is what actually decides whether you win big or become just another statistic.
Strategy Isn't Your Real Problem
Don't get me wrong, strategy is important. But let's be honest: strategies are everywhere. Right now, within seconds, you could find detailed plans for launching an online business, building a social media empire, or even starting your own llama farm (seriously, it's a thing). The problem isn't access to information. The problem is execution.
In reality, execution fails because we make things unnecessarily complicated. Complexity is the enemy of execution. You could have the perfect blueprint to success laid out right in front of you, but if you're overwhelmed, impatient, or uncertain, you won't follow through. Most people fail not because they lack a solid plan, but because they can't stick to the plan when the initial excitement fades.
Think of it like getting fit. We all know how: eat healthy, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. Simple, right? Yet, obesity rates keep climbing because knowing what to do isn't enough. You must manage your psychology, your motivation, and your state of mind to consistently take action.
Your business journey is no different. You can have the perfect workout plan (strategy), but if you can't consistently get yourself to the gym and do the reps (execution), you won't see results. Knowing what to do is only half the equation. The other, much larger half, is actually doing it consistently, especially when it gets tough. And that depends almost entirely on what's going on inside your head.
Uncertainty Is Sabotaging You
So what exactly do I mean by "psychology"? Let's unpack it.
Your psychology is made up of your mindset, your emotional state, and the internal stories you consistently tell yourself. Your mindset is essentially the lens through which you view your capabilities and the world around you. It shapes every decision you make and every action you take. Your emotional state, whether it's confident or fearful, energized or exhausted, dramatically impacts your ability to execute your plans.
I've seen this repeatedly in my work. Clients with incredible strategies often stumble because they're impatient, uncertain, or caught up in limiting stories about themselves. Their mindset becomes the barrier between knowing what to do and actually doing it.
The problem is they start by asking how. They are asking how they can reach their goal. "Okay, how do I make $100k a year?" or "How do I get 10,000 subscribers?“ But if you never did it before your brain goes into a state of uncertainty. It sends your brain searching for proof that doesn't exist. It triggers fear and paralysis.
When you first ask HOW and you're uncertain, you won't follow through. Even if I show you the exact strategy.
Think about this: Have you ever tried to help someone who was genuinely struggling? You could see the solution clearly, maybe a specific system or approach. The of course you offered it to them. But they pushed back. "No, no, no," they might say, "I've tried that," or "You don't understand my situation," or the classic, "I've tried everything." It feels like they're fighting your help, doesn't it? What's happening here? They aren't truly rejecting the strategy you offered. They are rejecting the story you are offering. They are rejecting it because it doesn't fit the story they are telling themselves about their situation or their capabilities.
The real problem is that they're missing a different S. Story. They have a disempowering story. The story that keeps them from finding the right strategy
Which Stories Are You Telling?
Your internal stories are the narratives you keep replaying in your head. Things like: "I've tried everything," "I'm not good enough," or "This won't work." We tell ourselves these things over and over, often unconsciously, until we achieve absolute certainty about them. And that's precisely what a belief is: a story you hold with certainty.
Whatever you are certain about dictates your reality. If you're certain you're a terrible dancer, you'll move awkwardly. If you're certain your business idea is doomed, you'll subconsciously sabotage it. Your story controls what you perceive as possible and, therefore, the actions you're willing to take. You can't execute a strategy that fundamentally contradicts the story you believe about yourself or the world.
Your story is controlling so much of what you achieve or don't achieve. You have stories about the economy ("It's too uncertain to start now"), stories about your potential customers ("They won't pay for this"), stories about your industry or niche ("It's too competitive"), and most importantly, stories about yourself ("I don't have what it takes"). And if the dominant story isn't empowering, you simply will not succeed in the long run, no matter how brilliant the strategy.
Stories shape us. They define our limits and possibilities.
But there's one more power, and it's actually the most influential one of all. It dictates the kind of stories we tell and our ability to change them. It's often the last place people look, yet it's what truly creates momentum and resilience. And that is another S - the state you're in. The state you live in consistently.
The Real Secret to Entrepreneurial Success
We know limiting stories block us, but why do they feel so intensely real sometimes and less potent at others? Why can we feel paralyzed by doubt one minute and surprisingly resourceful the next, even when facing the same challenge? The key isn't just the story itself, but the underlying State you're in when you access it.
Think of your State as your internal operating system in any given moment. It's your neuro-physiology. That is the combination of your physical posture, your breathing patterns, your muscle tension, your focus, and the resulting biochemistry flooding your system. It dictates your energy level, your mood, your focus, your level of resourcefulness. Are you feeling powerful, clear, and ready to tackle anything? Or drained, anxious, scattered, and overwhelmed?
Your state, like the weather, constantly shifting based on factors like sleep, nutrition, physical movement, your environment, and even the thoughts you entertain.
Now, maybe you're thinking, "Hold on, I came here for business advice. What is all this physiology crap?" I get it. But what you might not be understanding is that building a successful business requires training your nervous system, just like training a muscle. It demands learning to force yourself into a higher energy, more resourceful state especially when you don't feel like it.
Anybody can perform well when they feel good. But sustainable success comes from pushing through when things are tough. Think about building muscle. If you want to build your biceps, do you just lift a super light weight for 10 easy reps? No. That might maintain what you have, but it won't create growth. To grow stronger, you need to lift a weight that's challenging, maybe one you can barely lift eight times. And where does the real growth happen? On those last, difficult reps, the ones that push you beyond your comfort zone.
A great trainer doesn't let you stop when it gets hard. You say, "I can't do one more!" and they yell, "Four more!" You grit your teeth, push through, maybe get two or three more reps than you thought possible and that is where 90% of the growth occurs. Learning to manage your state is exactly like this. It's about conditioning yourself to access resourcefulness and determination on demand, not just when inspiration strikes. Your state is everything.
Think about it in relationships. When you first fall deeply in love, you're in a peak state of passion, connection, and generosity. "Take out the trash? Of course, my love! What else can I do for you?" You'll do anything. But maybe after seven weeks, seven months, or seven years, the state shifts. The initial intensity fades. Now it's, "Could you take out the trash?" and the reply might be, "What do I look like, your janitor?" The passion seems gone. Why? You stopped doing what you did in the beginning because you stopped cultivating that initial state.
So, if you take only one crucial thing from this article, let it be this:
Your state controls your story, and your story controls which strategies you find effective and, most importantly, which ones you actually execute.
When you cultivate an empowered, confident, resourceful state, the stories you tell yourself naturally become more empowering ("I can figure this out," "There's always a way," "I'm capable of handling this"). This powerful combination of state and story then unlocks the clarity to find the right strategies and the drive to implement them relentlessly.
Why is focusing on state so vital? Because anytime you make a strong change in your physiology (how you move, breathe, focus) your biochemistry changes, and your brain literally works differently. In a better state, you access better stories, perceive better strategies, and ultimately get better results.
This flips the common approach on its head. Instead of starting with, "Okay, how do I achieve X?" (which often triggers uncertainty and inaction if the story isn't there), the more powerful approach is: "First, let me get myself into a peak state to tackle this, even though I don't know exactly how yet. From this state, I will find an empowering story about how I can do this or find the way. And then, the strategy will emerge, and I'll make it work.“
I Almost Lost My Business
This isn’t just a nice idea I came up with. I live by the State → Story → Strategy framework1 because I’ve seen it work. Not just for clients, but for myself, in moments when it really mattered.
Over the years, I started to see a pattern. Strategy alone wasn’t enough.
It’s painful to watch clients struggle after I’ve given them everything they need to succeed. A clear roadmap, a solid brand, everything they asked for… and still, something wouldn’t click. I started to question myself. Did I miss something? Was I lacking something? Other times, I could see them heading in the wrong direction. I knew what needed to happen, but they wouldn’t hear it. I’m the strategist and branding expert, not their therapist. And I couldn’t reach them.
Eventually, it became clear. The real barrier wasn’t the strategy. It was what was happening internally for them. Their mindset. Their energy. Their state.
This is one of the main reasons I started my personal brand and why I’ve become so focused on psychology.
And I didn’t just see it in them. I went through it myself.
Several years ago, my business was on the brink of collapse. I was literally days away from bankruptcy, staring failure right in the face. I had tried everything I could think of. Nothing was working. The story looping in my head was getting louder and darker: "It's over. You failed. There's no way out."
I felt frustrated, definitely not resourceful. And from that state, what answers could I possibly find? None. I couldn’t think clearly. I knew I wasn’t going to solve the problem in that state, so I did the only thing I could control. I got outside. I went for a run. I put on music that made me feel something. I wasn’t trying to come up with answers. I just needed to move. To change my energy. Anything to change my physiology and break the pattern.
And somewhere out there, sweating like a man who owed money to the wrong people, something shifted. As my physical state changed, my mental state followed. I was entering a more empowered state and the old narrative of failure began to fade. I started tapping into a different, higher story: "There's always a way. I can find the way. People are counting on me, I will figure this out."
It was only then, fueled by this potent combination of a resourceful State and an empowering Story, that the effective Strategies started to crystallize. Ideas that seemed impossible before now felt achievable. Connections I hadn't considered suddenly seemed obvious. I saw pathways where moments earlier I only saw roadblocks. I started making calls, reaching out with renewed conviction, exploring unconventional options. My threshold for what felt controllable expanded. Within days of that deliberate internal shift, I was able to secure the necessary funding and pull my business back from the edge.
The strategy didn’t just magically appear. I just finally had access to it. The conscious decision to manage my state allowed me to rewrite my story, which, in turn, unlocked the strategies and the resilience needed to execute them. That experience burned into me a simple truth: your psychology isn't just part of the game. It is the game.
How to Master Your State and Rewrite Your Story
Alright, let's be real. This thing has officially become a monster. And yes, I'm apparently genetically incapable of writing a short article. Seriously, someone should probably stage an intervention.
If you've actually read this far, seriously, thank you. Either you're incredibly dedicated or masterfully procrastinating on something really important. Either way, I appreciate you sticking around.
But here's the raw truth: untangling the deep-seated psychological knots that cause 80% of entrepreneurs to faceplant isn't some simple, 5-step hack you can digest in 60 seconds. If it were that easy, the failure rate wouldn't be abysmal. Understanding the power of state and story is critical, but knowing why your mental engine keeps stalling doesn't magically fix it. You need the actual tools to get under the hood.
So, for those of you who are serious about not becoming another statistic, let's shift from theory to tangible action. Because insight without actually doing something differently is just... well, a very eloquent way to stay stuck. Let's get our hands dirty with how you can start managing this stuff today.
1. Control Your State
Your state is the most immediate aspect of your psychology you can influence. Think of it like adjusting the thermostat. Remember the muscle analogy? Managing your state requires consistent practice, training your nervous system to shift into resourcefulness on command, especially when you don't feel like it.
Become Aware of Your State
You might have heard the famous line by Peter Drucker: "You can’t manage effectively what you don’t measure." The same applies to your internal world.
Increase Awareness: Start paying attention to your internal State throughout the day. Ask yourself regularly: "On a scale of 1-10, what's my energy level? What's my dominant emotion right now? How focused do I feel?" Don't judge it, just notice.
Identify Your Triggers: What typically sends you into an unresourceful state (e.g., checking competitor stats, difficult client feedback, financial worries)? What reliably boosts your state (e.g., exercise, completing a small task, talking to a supportive friend, listening to specific music)? Knowing your triggers gives you power over them.
Change Your Physiology
The easiest way to change your state is to change your physiology. Experiment and try what works best for you. Here some ideas:
Power Pose: Stand tall, shoulders back, chest open for 60 seconds (like Superman or Wonder Woman).
Breathing: Try Box Breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Repeat for a minute or two. This calms the nervous system.
Quick Burst of Movement: Do 20 jumping jacks, run up and down the stairs, or take a brisk walk around the block. Getting your heart rate up changes your biochemistry instantly.
Sensory Input: Play your favorite music, specific scents, cold water splash on the face, ice baths, sauna.
Redirect Your Focus
Another powerful way to change your state is to redirect your focus. What you focus on determines how you feel.
Ask Better Questions: Instead of "Why is this so hard?", ask "What can I control right now?", "What's one small step I can take?", or "What's great about this challenge?"
Practice Gratitude: Quickly list (mentally or on paper) 3 specific things you're genuinely grateful for right now. It's hard to stay stuck in negativity when you're feeling thankful.
Visualize Success: Briefly close your eyes and vividly imagine yourself successfully handling a challenge or achieving a small win. Feel the positive emotions associated with it.
2. Rewrite Your Story
Changing deeply ingrained stories takes more conscious effort and time, but it's absolutely possible. It's about becoming the deliberate author of your internal narrative. Here’s how to begin:
Listen to Your Self-Talk: Pay close attention to the recurring narratives that pop up, especially when you feel stressed, stuck, or are procrastinating. What are the exact phrases you use?
Write Them Down: When you catch a limiting story ("I'm not qualified," "This will never work," "They won't like it"), write it down. Seeing it on paper can reduce its power.
Question Them: Ask gently: "Is this story 100% true? What evidence contradicts it? What's a more empowering story I could choose to believe right now?" (Remember, this is most effective from a resourceful State).
3. Use Strategy To Your Advantage
Now, what about strategy? I won't go into the specifics of strategic planning here. You can check the archive for that. Plus I'll be publishing more detailed posts about it. The most important point to grasp right now, in the context of everything we've discussed, is this sequence: Stop asking HOW first. Start by managing your state. From an empowered state, consciously choose or refine your story. Only then, turn your focus to finding and executing the strategy. Strategy deployed from a foundation of resourceful psychology is exponentially more effective.
Shout out to Tony Robbins for this framework. In fact most concepts in this article are inspired by him.
Great article. I learned a lot today. Thank you!