Own It Before You Build It
Phase 1: Foundations
Session 1: Taking 100% Responsibility
When it comes to building a business, most people unknowingly bring the same mindset that held them back in employment - waiting for permission, to see if anyone else takes action first, blaming external factors, feeling powerless when things go wrong.
If you take just one idea from this Blueprint, let it be this:
Success is built on taking radical responsibility for everything in your life and business.
Not partial responsibility.
Not "I'll own it if it goes well but blame the economy if it doesn't."
Everything.
This idea sounds brutal - and it is.
But it’s also the most freeing mindset shift you will ever make.
When you stop outsourcing your results to parents, clients, markets, platforms, governments, or even your own past mistakes, you put yourself firmly back in the driving seat.
It doesn’t mean you control everything. You don’t.
It means you own your response to everything. You own how you show up. You own how you adapt. You own whether you move forward or sit still.
When I lost my first successful business, it was a massive shock, not least because it happened so quickly. We had our best year ever just the year before (2009) and it all collapsed very suddenly in January the next year (2010).
It would have been easy to blame anyone else; my partners, the banks, the economy, the timing. And to some extent, those things played a part. But none of that thinking was going to rebuild my life. Blame never builds anything. Only ownership does.
I spent the next few years, some would say too long, thinking about how I could have prevented that collapse. And some might also say I took it to heart too much. Taking 100% responsibility does not mean beating yourself up for the next three years!
Looking back, the one thing I've come up with that I could have done better, was to push the lower end of our Money Gym membership harder. Then, when our January 2010 launch failed so spectacularly, we would still have had a core business underpinning the company. It's a much easier buying decision when times are tough, to spend £47.50 a month, than £8000 for a year. My fault, absolutely, I didn't listen to my gut and stand my ground on that one.
In interviewing over 150 entrepreneurs during my first set of 'wilderness years' during my search for the "secret of success", I noticed something strange. They almost never spoke about luck, markets, or competition. They talked about decisions. About mistakes they made. About lessons they learned.
They had built their muscles of 'radical responsibility' so strong that when the storms came - and they always come - they could bend without breaking.
How To Practise Radical Responsibility:
Language Audit: Pay attention to your words this week. How often do you say things like "I have to" or "I can't because"? Shift to "I choose to" or "I am prioritising X over Y."
Blame Detox: Catch yourself blaming external factors - and instead ask, "What part of this outcome can I influence right now?"
Micro-decisions: Every decision, no matter how small, is an act of responsibility. What you eat. How you spend your next hour. Whether you scroll or create.
Response over Reaction: When something goes wrong, pause. Breathe. Then ask, "Given this reality, what’s my best next move?"
The more you practise, the more powerful you will feel.
You cannot always control the world. But you can always control how you meet it and respond to it.
And that is the foundation on which everything else will be built.
Today's Action:
Write down three areas in your life or business where you’ve been waiting, blaming, or feeling stuck.
Then, for each one, write a single sentence that reclaims ownership.
Example:
"My mailing list is tiny because nobody is finding my website" becomes "I haven’t built a system yet for attracting and nurturing subscribers."
"No-one is buying because people don’t have money" becomes "I need to refine my offer until it’s irresistible to the right people."
Small shift. Massive power.
Remember:
"Blame is easy. Ownership is rare. Ownership builds empires."
Let's start building yours.
New around here?
The 'Better Entrepreneur Blueprint' is being published on my blog here, and on my Substack totally free of charge.
Sessions drop Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.
Want to start from the beginning? Back to Day One 'The New Entrepreneurs Rising'
In a hurry? Get the book on Amazon, or get the book and interactive app here on my website. However, you still need to subscribe to this course as we'll be exploring the 25 Lessons more deeply and you'll enjoy insights on you can apply each one to your business.
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Photo by Jacob Hodgson on Unsplash