The solitary guy who sets up shop in his garage or carves out a space at the local cafe to use as an office has nothing to lose. He can tell his friends that he’s following his passion, that it might not work but he’s giving it a go anyway. Not so easy to be blasé when he has something to lose. When his little garage venture becomes a success and he can now afford an office in town.

The trick once you start succeeding (even a little) is to convince yourself that you still have nothing to lose and to build that mindset into your strategy for growth.

Because once you start thinking you’ve got something to lose. You’re killing the strategy that made you successful while no one was watching.

Image by Sanjay Parekh.