But I'm Not An Entrepreneur: The Alchemy of Action

I probably shouldn’t be the one writing this blog.

Let me explain.

For most of my life, I was obsessed with getting it right—or at least, avoiding getting it wrong. My best friend used to joke about how many plans I made. At one point, he even suggested I catalog them all, just so I could track the ever-revised versions. Is this plan 654 or 652? he’d ask, smirking.

And he wasn’t wrong.

I spent six years being trained in risk reduction. I studied business and economics, learning how to analyze every possible scenario before acting. Then, I went to work at the Federal Reserve, where my literal job was to identify risks before they happened. If there was uncertainty, I learned to hedge against it. If something wasn’t proven, I learned to wait.

Then I left to sell gold—an ancient hedge against uncertainty itself.

For years, I traveled the world, meeting with governments and institutions, pitching gold as the ultimate protection against volatility. I sold the idea that when things go wrong—when the markets crash, when currencies fail, when uncertainty takes over—gold is the thing you can rely on. It’s safe, stable, untouchable.

But at some point, I started to see things differently.

Because here’s the thing about gold: it just sits there. It doesn’t create. It doesn’t adapt. It doesn’t do anything. And yet, for so long, I believed security was more valuable than motion.

I had spent years trying to plan my way into certainty. Years believing the safest route was the best one. But the truth?

Certainty is an illusion. And chasing it keeps us stuck.

So how did I end up here, at NYU Stern, teaching some of the best and brightest students how to unlock their entrepreneurial potential? How did someone trained to mitigate risk end up championing uncertainty, action, and embracing the unknown?

Call it a mindset. Call it a spirit. Call it "founder mode."

It’s the thing that makes you take action instead of overthinking. It’s what pushes you to pursue the idea sitting inside you, even when the world tells you it’s too risky.

And yet, I keep coming back to this one hang-up—the same one I hear from so many students, professionals, and would-be entrepreneurs:

"But I’m not an entrepreneur."

My story is about why that’s a lie.

Not just for you. But for all of us who were taught to wait for permission, to find the “right time,” to analyze instead of act. We’ve been conditioned to avoid risk instead of engaging with it. To trust the security of the gold standard over the fluidity of action.

I used to believe that, too.

This blog is about how I unlearned it.

And how you can, too.

Why subscribe?

Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication archives.

Stay up-to-date

Never miss an update—every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. For a spam-free, ad-free reading experience, plus audio and community features, get the Substack app.

Join the crew

Be part of a community of people who share your interests. Participate in the comments section, or support this work with a subscription.

To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.