Not everyone should be an entrepreneur. In fact, only about 20% of businesses make it past five years. I’ve always been curious about that stat. Not because I was surprised by it, but because of how casually people throw it around. Like a shrug-and-carry-on kind of thing. We talk about business failure like it’s just part of the game. But I couldn’t help asking: Why is that number so low?
So, I started paying attention. I asked different kinds of questions in client calls. I stopped jumping into strategy right away and instead invited people to just talk. To reflect, to ramble, to dig a little deeper than the surface-level “I want to work for myself” answer. And what emerged, over time, was a pattern. A quiet, unspoken truth that cuts through the noise of startup culture: a lot of people are building businesses they were never meant to build.
The Push and Pull of Entrepreneurship
That doesn’t mean they weren’t smart enough, creative enough, or resilient enough. In fact, many were all of those things. They were more than enough, even if they couldn’t see it. But they were building on someone else’s blueprint. Taking steps not out of inspiration, but expectation. Chasing autonomy without asking what freedom actually meant to them.
We don’t talk enough about the emotional tug-of-war that comes with starting something on your own. There’s a push: out of a job you hate, a rigid system you want to escape, or a version of yourself you’re desperate to outgrow. And then there’s the pull: toward an idea you can’t shake, a vision that keeps you up at night, a desire to own the way you show up in the world.
Both forces are powerful. But they’re not the same. And if you’re not careful, you can mistake one for the other and find yourself deep into building a business that never should’ve existed in the first place.
Clarity Before Commitment
At Aducate Digital, we help clients press pause on that cycle. Not with vague advice that leans too hard on the word just. You’ve heard it before: “You just need a website.” “Just post more on Instagram.” As if clarity and momentum were as simple as checking a few boxes. We know better. That kind of oversimplification doesn’t serve anyone.
So instead, we start with questions. Deep, often uncomfortable, usually revealing questions. Questions like: Why this business? Why now? Whose voice is narrating your decisions?
Because everything built on a weak foundation will feel unstable. We see it all the time. People putting in the work, burning through their savings, trying every tactic they can find online, and still feeling like the business just won’t “click.” Often, the issue isn’t with their strategy. It’s with their starting point.
Three Paths We See Most Often
Through this lens, I started to see three types of entrepreneurs show up again and again.
The first group are the folks who, after a little exploration, realize they don’t want to be entrepreneurs at all. They’re talented and thoughtful, but they’re chasing business ownership because it seemed like the next logical step. Or because someone told them they’d be good at it. When they give themselves permission to let go, the relief is visible. Their energy shifts. They finally get to pursue a path that actually feels like theirs.
Then there’s the second group: the people whose egos get in the way. They might be skilled, but they’re resistant to feedback. They bristle at being challenged. They think “ownership” means “I know best,” and that rigidity makes everything harder. Truthfully, we’re not the right fit for them, and that’s okay.
But then there’s the third group. My people. The ones who light up when they’re given the space to figure it out. They don’t have all the answers, but they’re open. Curious. Coachable. They don’t need someone to tell them what to do. They need someone to help them ask better questions. And once they do, they move with confidence. You can feel it.
Walking Away (Or All In) With Confidence
For them, clarity is equal parts relief and rocket fuel.
And that’s why, at Aducate Digital, we don’t start with branding or sales funnels. We start with reflection. We shake the ground on purpose. Because when someone makes it through the process, whether they choose to move forward or walk away, they’ve already won. They’ve reclaimed their narrative. They’re not reacting anymore. They’re choosing.
Sometimes, a client will finish one of our early-stage exercises and tell me, “You know what? I don’t think I actually want to do this.” And I always respond the same way: “Then this was the most valuable work you could’ve done.”
Other times, they come out the other side more focused than ever. Their marketing strategy clicks into place because they know who they are. Their offers make more sense because they understand what they’re trying to change. The path doesn’t feel easy, but it does feel aligned.
Want to Get Clear Before You Commit?
So, if you’re sitting with that tension right now. Wondering if this thing you’ve been working toward is really yours: I encourage you to pause. To ask yourself not just how to move forward, but why.
Because clarity should always come before commitment.
If that resonates, we’ve got some tools to help. Download our free clarity workbook. It’s designed to help you ask the questions that matter most. Or reach out. We’re not here to talk you into anything. We’re here to help you listen more deeply to yourself.
Everything built on a weak foundation will feel unstable. At Aducate Digital, we shake the ground first. On purpose.
