What would you do if fear wasn't in the way?

By Holly Tucker MBE

I speak to so many founders, and aspiring founders, who tell me being scared is holding them back. Scared of failing, of being told no, of running out of money, of not being "enough". It stops people before they even start. In the UK, 58% of adults who see a good opportunity to start a business say fear of failure would stop them.1 That's a lot of good ideas that never get their chance. But the most successful founders aren't fearless. They've just learned what to do with fear. Here's where to begin.
 

Uncomfortable isn't the same as unsafe

Fear works like a smoke alarm. It's meant to go off when there's a fire, but it goes off for burnt toast too. Pitching to a shop, putting your prices up or posting your first video can set it off as loudly as a real threat. Your body can't always tell the difference, but you can.

So when you feel it, ask yourself one question: "Am I actually in danger, or am I just uncomfortable?" Most of the time, the honest answer is uncomfortable. And uncomfortable is often what growing feels like.
 

Finish the sentence

Fear only turns up when something matters to you. So instead of pushing it away, finish this sentence:

"I'm scared because _______, which means I care about _______."

"I'm scared to email that stockist because they might say no, which means I care about my products being somewhere I'm proud of." Or: "I'm scared to call what I do a proper business because people might laugh, which means I care about it being taken seriously." Suddenly the fear isn't a stop sign. It's pointing at what you want.

There's research behind this, the Harvard Business School found that people who reframed their nerves as excitement before singing karaoke, speaking in public or sitting a maths test performed better than people who tried to calm down.2 You don't have to get rid of the feeling. You can turn fear into fuel.
 

Swap the fear for a fact

Most business fears are made of unknowns. What will they say? What will it cost? What if I get it wrong? Overthinking never answers those questions, but five minutes of doing something often does.

So try this. When fear shows up, take one small action within five minutes, before it talks you out of it. Send the email. Ask the question. Look up the answer. If it's your prices you're scared of, spend five minutes looking at what three businesses like yours charge.
 

Borrow a little courage

Fear gets louder when you think you're the only one feeling it, and you almost certainly aren't. Researchers at Stanford University found that people consistently underestimated how often those around them went through difficult, negative experiences. The people who underestimated it most also felt lonelier and less satisfied with life.3 So the founders who look fearless online? You're seeing their launch posts, not their 2am doubts.

The fix is simple: ask. Pick one founder who's a step ahead of you and send them one specific question: "What scared you most at my stage, and what did you do about it?" If you're worried it'll make you look out of your depth, the research says the opposite. In a series of experiments, researchers at Harvard and Wharton found that people who ask for advice are actually seen as more competent, not less, especially when the problem is a hard one.4 Keep it short and easy to answer, a message rather than a meeting.
 

So, what would you do?

Here's your challenge for this week, in four steps:

  1. Write down the one thing you'd do if fear wasn't in the way.
  2. Ask yourself: is it dangerous, or just uncomfortable?
  3. Finish the sentence: "I'm scared because _______, which means I care about _______."
  4. Take the first five-minute step, then tell someone you've done it.

You don't have to make the whole leap today, just the first move. The most successful founders haven't stopped feeling scared. They've got into the habit of moving anyway, and every time they do, the fear gets a little quieter. So, what would you do if fear wasn't in the way? Start the first five minutes of it today. I'm right there with you.
 

Sources

1. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, United Kingdom 2024/2025 National Report, 2025.
2. Brooks, A. W. (2014), "Get excited: Reappraising pre-performance anxiety as excitement", Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
3. Jordan, A. H., Monin, B., Dweck, C. S., Lovett, B. J., John, O. P. & Gross, J. J. (2011), "Misery has more company than people think: Underestimating the prevalence of others' negative emotions", Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(1), 120–135.
4. Brooks, A. W., Gino, F. & Schweitzer, M. E. (2015), "Smart people ask for (my) advice: Seeking advice boosts perceptions of competence", Management Science, 61(6), 1421–1435.