24/08/2026
As a business owner, do you ever find yourself playing it safe?
I was asking myself that exact question this weekend while getting my brain thoroughly scrambled at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas.
Tim Minchin opened with a keynote called "Coward," and it hit hard. He talked about the cost of public silence, the dread of online backlash, and how weโve all been conditioned to keep quiet just to protect our "brand." He was speaking about art and culture, but my mind went straight to business.
I see this all the time with brilliant business owners. We play it safe. We hide our wins, pass up big opportunities, and talk ourselves out of putting our names forward because weโre terrified of being judged, failing in public, or looking arrogant. We tell ourselves weโre just being humble, but really, weโre just staying small.
Walking away from FODI, my biggest takeaway was that backing yourself isn't vanity; it takes real guts.
Entering business awards and putting your achievements on the record means stepping out of the shadows and telling imposter syndrome to take a back seat. Putting yourself out there is uncomfortable, but staying invisible costs way more in the long run.
Time to own your hard work and get those nomination forms filled out.
Whoโs ready to stop playing small with me?
