Just make a decision

Before I started my solopreneurship journey mid-2024, I worked at an AI Fintech startup for some years.

Our CEO was a seasoned banker who was very experienced and good at what he did.

However, he was terrible at making decisions, hurting the company in the long-run.

Soon after I joined, momentum was very high. We had just had a superb event, signed our first few clients and had numerous conversations with banks about our product.

We decided to capitalise on the momentum by starting our next funding round early.

My boss and I put together an investor pitch deck.

Our CEO wasn’t quite happy with it and wanted to change a few things.

This was the start of a six-month journey to perfect the pitch deck. In some rounds, the only changes were the font type and size.

Nearly every day he would change his mind, often going back a few versions and adding in new slides that he had removed.

During those six months, the funding market went from “easy to get funding” to “close to impossible”, and the opportunity was lost.

When he was finally happy with the pitch and presented it to a few investors, they said that the deck was missing crucial information, so we went back to using the first version of the deck that had been prepared.

It was a valuable lesson for me to remember when I’m in similar positions in the future.

It is better to decide than wait for a perfect situation.

If things had gone well, we would have had a higher chance of getting funding.

If they didn’t, we would have received feedback earlier and could have addressed that quickly.

Today’s Prompts

Area

Write about a situation where someone else’s indecision affected you. How did you feel?

What is one decision you’ve been putting off recently? Why?

Create a pros and cons list for a decision you’ve been delaying, then pick a side.

Quote of the day

“More is lost by indecision than wrong decision.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

The 'If you don’t have time’ Prompt

What are three decisions you need to make in the next week?

Get the most out of your journalling:

• Choose one prompt: Focus on just one prompt each day to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

• Be brutally honest: Reflect openly and honestly. This is your safe space to explore your thoughts and feelings.

• Take your time: Sometimes it takes a few days to clarify your thinking. Here’s permission for you to take your time to unravel a prompt and not take on any new ones during that time.

• Journal your way: Whether you prefer writing, audio recording, or video, choose the method that suits you best.

• Don't stress about streaks: If you miss a day, don't worry. You can always revisit a previous prompt.

I’d love your feedback

What was your favourite prompt of the day? Is there any specific challenge you want prompts for? How can I improve the content of the newsletter? Reply this mail and let me know!