Congrats, you know too much to succeed

For the seasoned professional who's tired of planning, let's talk about the art of driving in the dark.

From our collection, The Unshakeable. Because any ambitious structure needs a foundation that is deep, stable, and completely unshakeable. We work on that.

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It's a strange paradox, isn't it?

Think back to the first act of your career. When you were a rookie, you were fearless because you were naive. Your lack of knowledge was an asset, it gave you the freedom to take risks, to make clumsy mistakes, and to just move. You didn't know what you couldn't do.

Now, you're in act two. The seasoned veteran.

You have the experience, the wisdom, and probably thousands of LinkedIn followers you acquired during that whole 'personal branding' craze a few years back.

You've managed teams, swam in complex politics, and earned a title that carries weight.

And yet, when you look at the blank page of your next chapter, you find yourself frozen.

More hesitant than you've been in twenty years.

This is the Competence Trap.

I’ve seen it stall more brilliant careers than any market downturn. An addiction to the certainty of a clear map, in a world that now demands we learn to drive in the dark. After spending years working with executives everywhere from structured Scandinavia to the 'anything-goes' China, I see this pattern everywhere.

We need a new mental model for moving forward.

Think of it as the art of driving at night. You can't see the entire road, and that single fact keeps you parked on the shoulder.

But the people who actually finish the trip? They know the secret: you don't need to see the destination. You only need to see the next 50 meters.

See what you CAN see

The first step is a radical acceptance of reality.

When you're driving down a dark country road, you accept that your headlights only lit a small patch ahead. You don't pull over and curse the darkness.

You trust the headlights.

Certainty is an illusion. The future is, and always will be, a black box. Your new job isn't to predict it, but to get damn good at dealing with the unknown.

You must accept, deep in your bones, that you will only ever see the next immediate step with perfect clarity.

And that is enough.

Know your general direction

Of course, driving blind is just chaos.

While you can only see the next 50 meters of road, you must have a view of your North Star locked in. This is your "why," the fundamental, unshakable mission you are on.

You may not know what a "perfect" consulting business looks like day-to-day, but you know your North Star is "I'm gonna use my operations skills to help early-stage companies build supply chains that don't suck."

That is enough.

Once you've got that North Star, you have permission to make small, tactical turns. Veer left, test a new service offering. Veer right, try a different marketing channel.

The road will give you feedback, the bumps, smooth patches, all that. That tells you if you're on the solid ground.

But the Star is what keeps you from driving in circles.

🔳 When your North Star is clear, it makes decisions way easier.

Just ask yourself: "Does this get me closer to my star, or further away?"

A question that is surprisingly effective at killing 90% of a day's 'good ideas.'

Price in the "wasted" time

Here’s a truth that your old, efficiency-obsessed mindset will hate:

on any new adventure, probably two-thirds of what you do will feel like a total waste.

You will take wrong turns, chase bad ideas, and burn time on stuff that goes nowhere.

But here’s the thing, that's no failure. It’s just the cost of figuring things out. It's the exploration tax.

So, before you begin, create a mental "detour budget." Literally give yourself permission to "waste" some time and money on exploring. Every wrong turn is a data point. You just learned another way not to do something, which is actually super valuable info.

🔳 Set aside 20% of your time and maybe 10% of your initial capital for this.

Call it your "detour fund."

It gives you the freedom to mess up and learn without feeling like a failure.

Find your caravan

Long drives at night get lonely. You'll get tired. Doubt will start creeping in. Your own willpower is only gonna get you so far.

That's why you join a caravan.

A caravan is your small crew of trusted people who are on a similar path. Your peers, the folks in that niche Discord server you found, your private little mastermind group.

When your headlights flicker, you can follow their taillights. When your courage wavers, their presence reminds you that you're not alone in the dark.

My first "caravan" was literally just two other founders I met on Reddit. We didn't have some formal agenda. We just jumped on a call once a month and shared one win and one "f-up." Hearing these two brilliant people were also dealing with disasters was honestly the most motivating thing for me in that first year.

Permission to be a beginner again

Look, this whole "second act" thing isn't about proving you're still the expert. It's about having the courage to be a novice again.

A wise, experienced novice, but a novice nonetheless.

Congrats, you've earned the right to look a little foolish again.

It's where all the interesting growth happens.

So go on, accept the darkness, trust your headlights, aim for your star, and find a few other cars to drive alongside.

It's time to stop studying the map and start driving.

The destination will figure itself out.

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Hi!

I'm Yuehan. After a decade spent building businesses in both the West and China, I'm sharing my most valuable, road-tested lessons right here on Substack.

Since I'm starting from scratch on this side of the world, your support means a great deal. If this piece resonated, a restack or a simple ❤️ is massively appreciated.