In a world that’s ever-changing, change is the only constant. As entrepreneurs, change that compliments growth is not an option – it is a necessity. There’s a popular thumb rule in entrepreneurship – every single day, if you don’t encounter a single moment of doubt, uncertainty or confusion, you’re definitely doing entrepreneurship wrong.

For entrepreneurs, it is extremely necessary to be able to look at the smaller details while being equally comfortable with zooming out and looking at the bigger picture. This complex challenge gives rise to a lot of ambiguity. One can lose their way obsessing with the finer details, on the other hand, it is equally easy to be led astray by focusing too much on the larger picture. 

Learn to draw a fine line between micro and management

This helps you deal with perspective; it helps to disassociate from things in your control and things not in your control. Learn to understand the gestation period and how much of a time can you give to something before feeling the need to step in.

Relax, stand back and take a look

This one goes without saying. Sleep on it, take a vacation, go on a walk and do something you love if you’re stuck with ambiguity. Often thinking about the problem obsessively only multiplies the problem, standing back and taking a breather allows for your brain to protect itself from saturation.

Listen to your people

If and when you’re in a place where you don’t get to see much of on-ground reality, listen to feedback, problems and questions that’s put forth by the people who are at the receiving end. Make sure to hire and surround yourself with people who have the right balance of aptitude and attitude, for that could be instrumental in shaping your entrepreneurial journey.

Have your own definition of excellence

It can be easy to get swayed by societal definitions of excellence. There is no need to abide by quantitative and qualitative parameters that were set forth by others. You know what’s best, you know how far you’ve come and the areas that you need to work on; set your own standards.

Keep track

Often, there will be a pattern when it comes to decision-making, if a certain kind of decisions make you nervous or if certain functional decisions make you unsure, keep a track. If financial and marketing decisions make you feel unclear, dig deeper and see what about the ambiguity makes you uncomfortable so that you can counter it better in the future.

Don’t be afraid of contingencies

Not everything goes according to the plan, there will be times where one needs to adapt, improvise and overcome. Bracing yourself and staying open for plan B helps deal with unexpected outcomes better. Being able to bounce back and get up fast makes or breaks an entrepreneurial journey.

Master the process of unlearning and relearning

We live in an era where nothing stays constant for too long. Prepare to grasp the cycle of learning by understanding when you have to unlearn to stay relevant. On the other hand, it is also extremely important to be able to relearn and constantly move towards self-betterment as often as possible. 

Learn to embrace the grey

More than anything, as an entrepreneur – it  is important to view things while understanding the grey area. There is no black and white, right or wrong, it is imperative to acknowledge that not everything has a right or wrong answer. The ability to accept ambiguity is probably the most underrated trait of an entrepreneur.

As an entrepreneur, it is a 24*7 firefighting job that comes with its own set of quirks, surprises and challenges. Make ambiguity your friend and embrace it, for change is the only constant in the entrepreneurial world.

Author(s)

  • Khushboo Jain

    Co-Founder and COO at ImpactGuru.com

    Khushboo Jain co-founded crowdfunding platform ImpactGuru.com in July 2014 and has since served as the company’s Chief Operating Officer. In addition, she heads ImpactGuru’s Marketing arm, Communications and Design teams. Khushboo is actively involved in the company’s marketing and communications strategies, community building activities, the ImpactGuru product users’ experience, and with ImpactGuru’s work with non-profits. Khushboo was recently featured in the Fortune 40 under 40 list in India and was amongst the Top 15 winning women entrepreneurs at NITI Aayog & United Nations, 2019 Women Transforming India Awards. Khushboo is alumna of Sydenham College, Mumbai, where she studied Business Management, and WE Business School – Welingkar Institute of Management Development & Research, where she earned an MBA with a focus in Marketing. She went on to study fashion marketing at the London College of Fashion and at Parsons, the New School of Design in New York, where she honed her skills in Fashion Management & Merchandising. Prior to co-founding ImpactGuru.com, Khushboo Jain worked as a fashion marketer for Valiram in Singapore, handling a brand portfolio that included Hackett, La Martina, and Jimmy Choo. She has also worked with celebrity fashion designer Manish Malhotra in a fashion merchandising and buying role, and with actor/model/designer Malaika Arora Khan’s The Closet Label (now The Label Life). Khushboo began an entrepreneurial career and co-founded ImpactGuru.com with a mission to help India’s people find crowdfunding solutions for patients struggling to fund critical illnesses.