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Key Takeaways
- Fear stalls progress, but better questions reframe risk into opportunity and momentum.
- Asking “how” transforms vague ideas into practical actions that generate real results.
- Tiny steps compound over time, creating clarity and long-term success.
“What if it doesn’t work?”
That single question has stalled more great ideas than a bad economy. The moment it grabs hold, your brain starts building a case for staying put. You see risk everywhere. You find reasons to wait. You convince yourself that later is safer.
Let’s give your brain a better job. And the tools to go from entrepreneurial fear to confident action. When you want to change your life or business, swap the fear question for three better ones.
Question 1: What if it does work, and what would that make possible?
Possibility propels you forward. When you ask, “What if it does work?” your brain stops scanning for danger and starts looking for opportunity. It’s like changing the channel. New inputs, new ideas, more progress and more momentum.
And there’s even science to support this. Ever buy a new car and then see that model everywhere you go? That’s called “frequency illusion.” The world didn’t change. Your attention did. Once something becomes relevant, your brain flags it and brings it to the forefront.
Let’s use that to our advantage. Decide what you actually want, then give your attention a target. Let’s say you’re starting an online membership business. That could mean that your focus is 25 founding members, a four-day workweek or the freedom to pick up your kids every day after school.
Paint a short “if this works” snapshot you can read each morning. Two or three sentences. Clear, simple, specific, and outcome-based.
When you hold space for that picture, you’ll start noticing conversations and people aligned with it. Not because you’re manifesting, but because you’re finally tuned into the right station. Your brain works for you, not against you.
Question 2: How could I make this happen?
“How” turns ideas into plans and action. It’s a bridge builder. Ask it, and your brain connects dots you couldn’t see from the sidelines.
A few years back, my wife, Amy, and I were travelling through the U.K. In the airport, she spotted a gorgeous leather jacket. Price tag: $1,700. It was way outside our spontaneous shopping budget.
Instead of shutting down, Amy asked a better question. “How could I make enough to buy the jacket when we return in two weeks?”
Her brain jumped into problem-solving mode. We were heading to Kenya, and she usually picked up jewelry as gifts. Amy posted a simple note on social media to see who wanted a piece. Interest turned into orders, orders turned into just over $2,000 in sales, and two weeks later, she bought the jacket. No budget gymnastics required.
That result didn’t appear because we stared at the price tag. It happened because of a “how” question. You can do the same in your business.
- “How could I pre-sell five spots before I build anything?”
- “How could I launch this without it being completely done yet?”
- “How could I test my offer with the warmest part of my audience first?”
- “How could I partner with someone who already serves my people?”
Write ten “how” questions. Most of your ideas won’t be perfect. But one might be practical enough to try today after reading this article. That’s the one that counts.
Question 3: What’s one tiny step I can take today?
Big ideas freeze us because “big” is vague. Your brain can’t push a fog. It can, however, take one small, simple step.
My friend and mentor, Michael Hyatt, taught me this with book writing. Day one, create a new document with a working title. That’s it. Day two, sketch a rough outline. Day three, write a messy introduction. He builds momentum by making the first steps tiny and doable. Those actions create progress, and more importantly, momentum.
Stanford’s BJ Fogg calls this the power of tiny habits. Small changes change everything. When the step is small, you stop negotiating with yourself and start moving. Once you move, you keep moving.
We use this same idea when we teach a Founding Member Launch. We strip away the heavy stuff. No long sales page, no fancy video sequence, no complicated campaign, and no complicated funnels.
We teach our students to return to the essentials and focus on the small things that produce big results. To boil it down, the whole strategy is based on a simple message to your audience that says who your product or program is for (like a membership, course, or coaching program), what result you’re after, how it works, and the founding rate.
It’s so simple that people take action the same day. And here’s the wild part. Within hours, they often see sign-ups for something that was “just an idea” that morning.
Linda, a banking professional in our community, started exactly this way. Her founding launch welcomed two members. You might be thinking, is it worth it for two? Four years later, she’s about to cross $1 million a year. In hindsight, those first two weren’t small; they were just the initial starting point.
Taking action creates clarity. Even if you don’t get the result you wanted, you didn’t burn months or empty your budget. Instead, you learned what the market responds to, which is priceless because that feedback shapes your next tiny step.
So keep it super simple. Draft the interest post. Record a ten-minute Loom. Invite five past clients to a quick call. You don’t need a full website, the perfect funnel, or a highly produced video. You just need one tiny step that builds momentum today.
Your brain is a powerful tool. Point it in the right direction, and it becomes your greatest unfair advantage.
When fear asks, “What if it doesn’t work?” answer with better questions.
- What if it does work?
- How could I make this happen?
- What’s one tiny step I can take today?
Ask, act, adjust. That’s the game. And when you play it, you don’t lose. You either win or learn, which means you’re always moving forward.
