Ignorance got a bad rap

One of the best skills to develop as an entrepreneur? Ignorance.

I think a lot of folks are spending way too much energy trying to know it all. They’re trying to be over-informed. Soaking up every piece of advice. Following every story, watching every video. Trying to understand too many things about how things currently work. Who’s doing what, what the latest techniques are, which list of steps to follow, etc.

They’re collecting mentors, stories, anecdotes. They’re asking for 15 minutes to pick people’s brains. They’re queuing up dozens of podcasts, looking for that one quote, that one piece of sage wisdom that’ll make everything make sense.

Stop it.

You’ll make something new when you’re new. You’ll make something also when your mind is filled with other people’s ideas.

Certainly other people’s experiences and ideas can help you avoid missteps. There’s some value in avoiding a mistake, but it’s more costly to close your mind to a possibility because someone else tried it and it didn’t work.

And further, the more you know, the more likely you’ll be to talk yourself out of it. The deeper you get, the more things you begin considering. As the knowledge piles up, it becomes a heavier burden to take the first step.

So go on, be ignorant and just make something. Ignorance is bliss, but sometimes it’s even better business.