How to Make Less Emotional Decisions in Startup Tech Companies

Using these strategies, you can make less emotional decisions in your startup.

When you’re running your own business, everything feels more personal. These are your ideas—your babies—that are being executed. This is your time and your salary on the line. These are the people you specifically chose to help you, and this is your vision they’re trying to make a reality.

Combine that with the fact that startups are frequently high-stress, high-pressure environments, and you have a perfect recipe for emotional decision making. But here’s the thing; for the most part, emotional decisions are harmful. Thankfully, there are some strategies you can use to avoid them.

Why Emotional Decisions Are Bad

Emotions aren’t necessarily bad for all decisions, but in general, the more emotional you are when making a decision, the less objective that decision will be. Being consumed by emotions clouds your objective reasoning, and leaves you vulnerable to more impulsive choices. Calmly made, logic-based decisions tend to turn out better when your bottom-line is objective: in this case, making a profit.

Tips to Make More Objective Decisions

So what can you do to make more objective decisions?

Ask for opinions. Check in with other people to get their read on the situation. You shouldn’t necessarily base your decision on the opinions of others, but hearing other perspectives can help illuminate how your emotions are influencing your stance.
Act like you’re giving someone else advice. Treat the situation like you’re giving a friend advice. If a friend were in your position, what would you tell them to do?
Chart out the pros and cons. Make an objective list of the pros and cons of each decision, and try to quantify them as much as possible.
Give it time. Most of all, if you feel emotional, try to give yourself as much time as possible. You’ll cool off, and be able to see things more objectively.

All entrepreneurs get emotional about their startups from time to time, but that doesn’t mean you have to lose control. Keep these strategies in mind when facing tough situations or when planning your future. And if you need help charting out a plan, be sure to contact me!

About the Author

Jose Vasquez is a serial entrepreneur and tech specialist dedicated to helping startup tech companies grow and succeed. As the founder of Build. Brand. Blast., Jose has worked with dozens of enterprises to find direction, gain momentum, and achieve results.