When you ask entrepreneurs why they became a freelancer or started their own business, one of the reasons that always comes up is autonomy. They want to be in charge of what they do and chart their own path.
But be careful what you wish for because you have to decide on everything! There is something ironically freeing in having a boss because you've "outsourced" the responsibility. As an entrepreneur, the list of decisions you have to make is endless. You are the one who has to decide what to pursue; what projects to say yes to; when the work is good enough; how to best do your marketing; who to hire; how to instruct and lead your employees; how to shape your workdays for productivity and fun; when not to work. Like I said, endless.
This can result in decision fatigue. After making a certain number of decisions, your decision-making-muscle gets tired and you start making bad decisions. One way to deal with this is by limiting the number of decisions that you have to make. That's why some famous CEOs notoriously wear the same outfit every day. One less decision to make in the morning. And, one of the tips Steven got when he still ran Onderwijshelden, was that they didn't have to be innovative in every area of their work. Choose one or two areas (probably related to your product), and in the rest you can be thoroughly boring and follow the playbook or best practices.
And note that while you're the one who has to decide, you don't have to be alone in your decision. You can surround yourself with people to help you think it through and come to a decision. People like coaches, employees, or peer groups are great for this.
Lastly, over time you'll develop principles that can act as shortcuts for your decision making. Principles like: No calls or meetings before 11 am. Or, one cold call a week (will result in enough sales). Or, deliver as you promised and a bit more. Through experience, you'll develop trust in these rules. Like Mara mentioned in our conversation, after a few years she found that, even though going on holiday "in high season" would always result in a few missed opportunities, it always balanced out positive in more energy and more opportunities in the end.
Listen to my conversation with Mara Verduin on De Gebakken Peren where we talk about this, and about related to your clients as equals and cultivating a beginner's mind, while also trusting your own knowledge and abilities.
