What I wish I had known: practical advice for new entrepreneurs (from someone who learned the hard way)

You know the feeling. You’re a young entrepreneur, full of ambition, running your business like your life depends on it (because, let’s be honest: it kinda does). But instead of building the empire you dreamed of, you’re stuck putting out fires. A client is threatening to leave, your team is arguing over Slack, and your inbox is a graveyard of “urgent” emails. You’re not running a company: you’re running a 24/7 emergency response unit. Sound familiar?

When I started BearStudio, I already witnessed the chaos in my previous company, but I knew that it shouldn’t be part of the job. I knew being a good entrepreneur wasn’t about solving problems the second it popped up. Some managers try to make you feel it’s the way to go, but in my opinion, it’s just a posture to look busy and efficient. Because in reality, if you treat every problem like a fire, you’ll burn out before your business even gets off the ground.

I’ve built an organisation to solve urgent problems fast but to not treat every problem as an urgent one. Let me show you a better way.

1. Not every problem is a fire (stop panicking)

When I started BearStudio, I knew one thing for sure: panicking doesn’t solve anything. I’d seen it before in past companies: leaders running around like headless chickens, treating every little issue as if the entire business was about to collapse. It was tempting to fall into that trap, especially when everything felt urgent. But I knew better. I’d learned the hard way that if you treat every problem like a fire, you’ll end up burning yourself (and your team) out.

The real challenge isn’t solving every problem immediately; it’s figuring out which ones actually need your attention. If everything is urgent, nothing really is. Managing priorities is the real urgent thing. You have to assess: is this a problem that truly needs immediate input? If yes, handle it. If not, don’t treat it like it’s life or death. Most issues are just loud, annoying, and distracting noise, but not worth derailing your focus.

Here’s a simple rule I’ve learned the hard way: squash problems while they’re still tiny annoyances, not when they’ve grown into full-blown disasters. Prevention beats reaction every single time. Instead of waiting for your inbox to explode or your team to start a Slack rebellion, set up smart systems that catch issues when they’re still whispering politely rather than screaming in your face. Think inbox-zero habits, clear delegation, and regular check-ins.

By proactively addressing root causes, you ensure today’s urgent headache doesn’t become tomorrow’s recurring nightmare. Trust me, your sanity and your team’s productivity will thank you for solving problems before they become actual problems.

The software development world has taught us this lesson in the clearest terms possible. The IBM System Science Institute’s research reveals a brutal truth: fixing a defect during the design phase costs 1 unit of effort, but waiting until testing and that same fix costs 15x more. And if it makes it to production maintenance, you’re looking at a staggering 100x cost multiplier. This isn’t just about money; it’s about the cascading chaos that unfolds when small problems are ignored until they become system-breaking disasters. A simple logic error caught during code review might take an hour to fix, but that same error discovered by customers in production could mean emergency patches, rollbacks, angry users, and weeks of firefighting.

The lesson is crystal clear: the earlier you catch and squash problems, the less they’ll cost you in time, money, and sanity. Every minute spent on prevention during the design phase saves you from hours of expensive crisis management later.

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255965523_Integrating_Software_Assurance_into_the_Software_Development_Life_Cycle_SDLC

2. Delegation is powerful, but dangerous

Delegation is like handing someone a grenade. If you give it to the right person, they’ll defuse it and save the day. Give it to the wrong person, and you’ll spend weeks cleaning up the mess.

Delegation isn’t about blindly handing off tasks and hoping they’ll magically resolve themselves, nor is it about trading one headache for another. Instead, it’s a strategic exchange: you’re shifting from direct problem-solving to the nuanced challenge of oversight. Effective delegation demands ongoing attention and regular check-ins, clear accountability, and timely interventions before minor issues escalate into major crises. The best entrepreneurs understand that delegation isn’t a one-time event but a continuous process of guidance and adjustment. They build resilient systems where problems are addressed at the right level, empowering their teams while freeing themselves to tackle higher-impact challenges. Remember, successful delegation isn’t determined at the moment you assign a task; it’s shaped by your consistent vigilance and thoughtful course corrections along the way.

Of course, there are those rare unicorns who make delegation look effortless, team members who take ownership so completely that problems never even reach your radar. When you delegate to these autonomous superstars, magic happens: they anticipate obstacles, crush deadlines, and deliver results that exceed expectations without a single check-in from you. While these cases are the exception rather than the rule, they represent the delegation’s holy grail. When you find these reliable partners, cherish them, because they’re not just solving problems, they’re creating the space you desperately need to focus on growing your business rather than babysitting tasks. Just don’t make the mistake of expecting this level of autonomy from everyone you delegate to.

Without effective delegation, you’ll inevitably face the bigger problem of hitting a growth ceiling; one person can only solve so many problems alone. As I explored in my article on scaling up businesses, your company’s growth potential is directly tied to your ability to distribute problem-solving capacity across your team. The most successful entrepreneurs aren’t those who handle every crisis personally, but those who build resilient systems where problems get solved at the appropriate level.

3. Sometimes, the best move is no move (the art of strategic patience)

Here’s something counterintuitive I’ve learned: sometimes, the smartest way to handle a tricky situation is to do nothing, at least for a while. Let things simmer quietly in the background, and trust your subconscious to find the right solution.

We once had a UX project for a UK client that required a specialized technical profile we didn’t have internally. So, we brought in a freelance expert. The problem? We had zero visibility on how long the mission would last. The freelancer was working week-to-week, and despite multiple emails and gentle reminders, the client simply wouldn’t clarify the timeline. Weeks passed, then months, still no clear answer.

Now, here’s the tricky part: the relationship was good, the briefings clear, and invoices paid promptly. The last thing I wanted was to create unnecessary friction by pushing too hard. So, instead of escalating, I decided to wait it out, occasionally checking in with the freelancer to gauge his comfort level with uncertainty.

Then one day, after months of silence from the client, I realized we didn’t need to wait for their timeline: we could set our own. In June, I informed the freelancer (and the client) that we’d continue at the current pace until October, take a short break, and then shift to two days per week afterward. By proactively setting our own rhythm, we regained control without confrontation or urgency.

The lesson? Not every problem demands immediate action or escalation. Sometimes, strategic patience and letting things quietly simmer until the right solution emerges is the smartest move you can make.

Your subconscious mind is smarter than you think. But it only works when you stop obsessing.

4. Combine problems to cancel them out (the art of problematic matchmaking)

Here’s a sneaky trick I’ve learned: sometimes, the best way to handle two annoying problems is to introduce them to each other and quietly step away. We once had a junior who, let’s just say, wasn’t exactly employee-of-the-month material. Around the same time, one of our engineers (brilliant but dangerously close to arrogance) kept insisting that the junior’s struggles were purely due to poor management. So, naturally, I decided to pair them up. The engineer, accustomed to mentoring top-of-the-class juniors, suddenly found himself face-to-face with reality: not everyone is a prodigy waiting to bloom under his genius guidance. Meanwhile, our junior inadvertently became the perfect humility coach, teaching the engineer patience and perspective without even realizing it. Did the junior magically transform into a superstar? Nope. Did the engineer become a bit less insufferable? Absolutely. Moral of the story: when life hands you two headaches, introduce them to each other. You’ll either solve both problems or at least reduce your stack of issues and trust me, your mental health will thank you.

Conclusion: four things I wish I had known earlier

If you skipped everything above (lazy!), here’s the short version:

• Stop panicking: Most problems aren’t urgent. Wait 48 hours before freaking out.
• Delegate and follow carefully: Choose the right person, and check that it’s done or you’ll regret it.
• Do nothing sometimes: Your subconscious mind solves problems better when you’re not obsessing.
• Try combining opposite problems: When done the right way, it can balance them out or even cancel them out.

Entrepreneurship is messy, stressful, and full of problems. But how you handle those problems defines your success. So next time someone tries to give you advice after the fact, or tells you what “not to do” without offering real solutions, feel free to ignore them completely. They probably never built anything anyway.

And if you’re still reading this, stop procrastinating and go solve some real problems, your business will thank you later. Or better yet, send me a DM, as a professional problem solver, I have an offer for you.