Effective Entrepreneurs Get Stuff Done

At the heart of every successful business lies one deceptively simple principle: get stuff done. While it may sound obvious, many startups overthink their strategy and fail to execute. The result? Great ideas that never materialize into profitable businesses.

Launching a company and turning it into a revenue-generating operation is no small feat. Becoming self-sustaining and profitable is even harder. But the real challenge begins after that: maintaining stability, managing growth, and evolving with the times.

That’s the ongoing mission for my company, Inicia Incorporated, and our marketing agency, Incognito Worldwide. In the fast-paced world of digital products, we constantly face the tension between “doing” and “learning.” New tools, platforms, and frameworks emerge daily, demanding we adapt quickly to stay relevant.

To put things into perspective, Google’s former CEO Eric Schmidt said years ago that the world generates five exabytes of data every two days—the same amount created from the dawn of civilization until 2003. Let that sink in. With this explosion of data comes exponential technological growth: cloud computing is now standard, mobile technology is still evolving, and Big Data is transforming how businesses plan and compete. Holographic computing may soon make today’s cutting-edge tools feel outdated.

Know Your Strengths — and Build a Team to Fill the Gaps

Every entrepreneur brings different strengths to the table. Some are visionary but struggle with management. Others thrive on human interaction but falter in structure or process.

The most successful leaders aren’t the ones who do everything themselves. They understand their limitations and surround themselves with people who complement their weaknesses. Richard Branson once said, reflecting on why he is successful, “I surround myself with people smarter than me.”

As we age, the ego tends to take a backseat, and that’s a good thing. Humility—acknowledging what we don’t know—is key to learning and growing. But no one can keep up with everything in today’s hyper-speed information era. So, how do we stay competitive?

We don’t do it alone.

We build “A” teams—intelligent, passionate, and committed employees who become experts in their fields and drive the company forward. Success in the modern age is about intelligent collaboration, cross-functional teamwork, and shared responsibility.

The Pitfalls of Emotional Hiring

One of my hardest lessons is the danger of hiring based on emotion. Seeing someone for their potential rather than their character can backfire. Talent without integrity is risky—character flaws often reveal themselves when you least expect them and at the worst possible times. A person with modest skills but solid character will consistently outperform a high-potential candidate who lacks reliability or loyalty.

Gone are the days when a few “rock stars” could carry an entire business. Today’s high-performing companies are built around flexible, knowledge-driven teams that can shift with the market without losing momentum.

Focus, Culture, and Execution

In a New York Times interview, Kris Duggan, CEO and co-founder of Badgeville, shared his approach to building high-performance startups. His hiring philosophy emphasizes a few key traits:

1. Clarity – Create a simple framework everyone understands.
2. Excellence – Hire domain experts who excel in their fields.
3. Enthusiasm – Look for people with genuine energy and passion.
4. Execution – Value those who get things done consistently.
5. Initiative – Test candidates with open-ended tasks to gauge their problem-solving, creativity, and commitment.

Duggan also highlighted a common challenge in organizations: aligning goals across the chain of command. Too often, employees don’t understand how their role connects to broader company objectives.

At Incognito Worldwide, I constantly repeat our short- and long-term goals to the team. But sometimes it still feels like herding cats—when one team member gets aligned, others drift off course.

Still, it’s worth the effort. In today’s world, businesses must operate like a living organism. Each team member, department, and initiative is vital to the company’s brain. Without alignment, the whole system can falter.

In summary: Strategy matters. Innovation matters. But none of it works without execution. Get stuff done—and build a team that can, too. That’s how businesses survive, grow, and lead today. Whether you’re a solopreneur, entrepreneur, or company CEO, you must first decide how large you want your company to grow, and then set the goals, infrastructure, and scalability. But you must first get stuff done, then train your team to do the same.

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