The Problem: The Overwhelming Uncertainty of Entrepreneurship
Starting a business feels like stepping into a vast, uncharted territory with no clear road ahead. Unlike a traditional career path, where promotions and next steps are often mapped out, entrepreneurship offers no predefined structure. Many founders get stuck in paralysis, constantly second-guessing their direction, overplanning, or getting lost in distractions.
The truth is, you don’t need to see the entire path ahead. You only need to know the next two steps. That’s where The Map comes in.
What Is The Map?
The Map is a mental model for navigating uncertainty in business. It’s about breaking down your journey into manageable, actionable steps, so you always know what to do next.
At its core, The Map is built on three key principles:
- You only need to see two steps ahead. Stop overanalyzing the future. The next two moves will reveal the next ones after that.
- Big goals must be broken down into actionable next steps. A vision without execution is just a dream.
- Forward motion creates clarity. Action clears the fog—momentum builds confidence.
Let’s break these principles down.
1. You Only Need to See Two Steps Ahead
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
Entrepreneurs often feel overwhelmed because they believe they need to have the entire roadmap figured out before they start. This leads to:
- Overthinking every decision
- Wasting time planning things that may never happen
- Feeling stuck due to a lack of certainty
In reality, certainty comes from action, not from planning. Your job is to identify and focus on just the next two steps. Once you take those, the next steps will become clearer.
Example:
- Bad approach: “I want to build a $1M SaaS business, but I don’t know where to start.” → Overwhelmed, no action taken.
- Good approach: “Step 1: Identify 3 profitable problems worth solving. Step 2: Talk to 10 potential customers to validate an idea.” → Simple, actionable, moves the business forward.
Journal Prompt:
“If I could only take two steps forward this week, what would they be?”
2. Break Big Goals into Small, Actionable Steps
One of the biggest reasons entrepreneurs stall is because their goals are too big and vague. “Launch a business” is not an actionable step—it’s an aspiration.
The key to progress? Chunking.
Think of yourself as a bricklayer. You don’t need to know how tall the building will be—you just need to lay the next brick.
How to Break Down a Big Goal:
- Start with the end goal. Example: “I want to launch a paid newsletter.”
- Break it into milestones. Example:
- Research audience pain points
- Create a landing page
- Write 3 sample newsletters
- Set up a payment system
- Focus only on the next two steps. Example:
- Step 1: Research audience pain points
- Step 2: Create a landing page
Journal Prompt:
“What’s my biggest business goal right now? How can I break it into 5-10 smaller steps?”
3. Forward Motion Creates Clarity
Many founders hesitate to act because they want certainty before they move forward. But the reality is: Action creates clarity.
Imagine you’re driving a car in heavy fog. You can’t see past 10 meters, but you trust that as you move forward, the road will reveal itself. Business works the same way. The only way to gain clarity is to move forward, test, and adapt.
- Afraid your idea won’t work? Test it with a small prototype.
- Don’t know if people will pay? Get five people to pre-pay.
- Unsure about your pricing? Set a price and adjust later.
Progress doesn’t come from standing still. It comes from iterative action.
Journal Prompt:
“What decision am I overthinking? What small action can I take today to test and learn?”
How to Implement The Map in Your Startup Journal
Here’s how you can integrate The Map into your journaling routine:
Daily Habit: “Two-Step Focus”
Each morning, write down the next two steps that will move your business forward. Ignore everything else.
Example:
- Step 1: Draft my sales page
- Step 2: Email 5 potential beta users
Weekly Habit: “Chunk & Review”
- Sunday: Break your big goals into smaller milestones.
- Friday: Review progress and adjust your next two steps based on what you learned.
Monthly Habit: “Look Back & Recalibrate”
- What was my original roadmap? What’s changed?
- What assumptions were wrong? What new insights did I gain?
- What’s the next big move?
Final Thoughts: You’ll Never Have All the Answers—And That’s Okay
The most successful founders don’t have all the answers—they just keep moving forward.
If you wait until everything is perfectly mapped out, you’ll never start. Use The Map to:
- Focus on just the next two steps
- Break down overwhelming goals into smaller actions
- Trust that clarity comes from movement, not from overthinking
What are your next two steps? Write them down and take action today.
Want to go deeper? Download the Startup Journal Execution Framework to track your daily actions & build momentum.