This is the silent business killer

It's not what you think. And that’s exactly the problem.

Let's talk about ego. That sneaky bastard lurking in every entrepreneur's mind. It's the voice telling you you're special. That you deserve attention. That your ideas are golden.

Newsflash: They're probably not.

Ego is the enemy of good business.

Here's why:

Ego makes you resist feedback. You think you know better. You don't.

Ego pushes you to build in public. To tweet about your "journey". To chase likes instead of customers.

Ego convinces you to go on podcasts. To "share your wisdom". Meanwhile, your business is on fire.

Ego tells you to raise millions before you have a single paying customer. Because surely, you're the next unicorn, right?

Don't get me wrong, I still let my ego get stroked from time to time. In fact this entire post is probably my subconscious finding an excuse to share this crazy news. But this accolade wasn't achieved from podcast appearances and PR interviews.

Here's the truth: Your business isn't about you. It's about your customers. Your team. The problem you're solving.

Every minute spent stroking your ego is a minute not spent serving them.

Want some real-world examples of ego killing businesses? Here you go:

1. The founder who refused to pivot. Their original idea was “genius” so they ignored market feedback and ran the business into the ground. Genius.

2. The CEO who blew millions on a fancy office, a private chef and team retreats before having a stable revenue. Looking cool is more important than being profitable, right?

3. The entrepreneur who spent more time on speaking circuits than talking to customers. Guess whose product became irrelevant while they were busy “inspiring” others?

4. The startup that focused on vanity metrics and “growth hacking” instead of sustainable business practices. They grew alright - right into bankruptcy.

5. The founder who couldn't delegate because “no one does it as well as me”. Spoiler alert: the business stagnated because one person can't do everything.

You know what successful businesses do? They shut up and build. They listen to their customers. They iterate based on feedback, not feelings.

They don't need Twitter clout. They don't crave podcast appearances. They're too busy solving real problems for real people.

Want to build a successful business? Here's your mantra:

Serve your team. Serve your customers. Everything else is noise.

Feeling the urge to share your “entrepreneurial insights”? Resist it. Channel that energy into your product instead.

Got invited to a startup event to “network”? Skip it. Spend that time talking to your customers instead.

Tempted to raise a big round to feel important? Don't. Bootstrap until it hurts. Let your revenue be your ego boost.

Remember: The market doesn't care about your feelings. It cares about the value you provide.

Your team doesn't need a visionary. They need a leader who listens and executes.

Your customers don't care about your personal brand. They care about how well you solve their problems.

So, how do you keep your ego in check?

Simple. Ask yourself this before every business decision:

"Does this serve my team or my customers? Or does it just serve me?"

If it's the latter, bin it.

Build in silence. Let your results do the talking.

Maybe that's hard to hear. Maybe it's exactly what you needed. Let me know.