There are decisions you make in a startup—and then there are the decisions.
Who joins your founding team. Which investor you say yes to. Who you partner with on a key rollout.
These are not product tweaks or office logistics. They shape your trajectory.
And while I’ve built frameworks, due diligence processes, and checklists to support them… in the most critical moments, I’ve learned something strange:
Your gut knows before your brain catches up.
Call it instinct, intuition, subconscious pattern recognition—whatever you like. But when things go sideways, it’s almost always because I ignored that quiet voice inside.
That was the theme of my last few weeks. We’re hiring. Fundraising. Building partnerships. Some decisions felt amazing on paper—and terrible in my gut. Others looked risky—but I knew they were right.
So I stepped back and distilled 10 tips that have helped me stay clear-headed (and gut-connected) during high-stakes decisions:
- Slow Down to Speed Up The bigger the decision, the more silence it deserves. Urgency is not your friend here.
- Sleep on It—Twice Real alignment doesn’t fade overnight. If it still feels right after 48 hours, you’re closer to clarity.
- Test the ‘Coffee Test’ Would you want to meet this person for coffee once a week for 3 years? If not, don’t work with them.
- Notice Tension When your stomach tightens or your shoulders tense, that’s feedback. Pay attention before logic overrides it.
- Call the 'No-BS' Friend The one who doesn’t care about optics, and always asks: “What are you really afraid of?”
- Revisit Your 'Why' Will this decision move you closer or further from your founding purpose?
- Track Your Gut Record Look back at the last 5 major decisions. When you trusted your gut, how did it play out?
- Default to People, Not Paper A beautiful pitch deck means nothing if the founder or partner feels off.
- Say It Out Loud If you can’t explain your yes (or no) in one sentence—pause.
- Visualize the ‘Regret Test’ Imagine it's a year later and this didn’t work out. Will you regret saying yes—or not saying no?
Ultimately, great founders aren’t just smart. They’re self-aware. And that means building decision-making muscles beyond logic.
So here’s the question I’m asking myself these days: When was the last time I truly listened to my gut—and what happened?
