How To Trust Your Instincts During a Pivot

Entrepreneur

5 days ago

Get lessons in leadership and decision-making from renowned health expert Dr. Drew Pinsky and serial investor Kim Perell on this episode of Entrepreneur Therapy.
Roy Scott used to write raps that promoted violence and drug use. But seeing his young son repeating his lyrics changed everything. "That was just a light bulb," he says. "Like, I can't do this anymore."
As the founder and CEO of Healthy Hip Hop, Scott is on a mission to bring clean, positive hip hop to kids and families. He has scaled the company through school partnerships, government contracts, and a new direct-to-consumer app. But with that growth has come pressure. Scott wants to scale the business but worries that he's not making the right decisions.
"I just want to kind of mitigate that risk. I want to make more of the right decisions and [fewer] wrong decisions," he says.
In this episode of Entrepreneur Therapy, presented by Amazon Business, Dr. Drew and Kim Perell help Scott tackle one of the toughest parts of entrepreneurship: trusting your instincts.
Related: Know When to Trust Your Gut and When to Seek Outside Advice
Scott explains that after finding early traction with schools and government contracts, changes in budget availability forced him to rethink his strategy and go direct to consumer.
Perell reassures him that this is not a misstep, but part of the entrepreneurial journey. "99% of all the most successful entrepreneurs I've ever met have pivoted at least once," she says. "Having the courage to make a change is amazing."
Regarding Scott's personal journey, Dr. Drew homes in on on his mindset around decision-making. He notices Scott switching between "we" and "I" when talking about the business and asks, "How does it feel to be in a leadership position — is that comfortable for you?"
Scott says he feels confident as a leader but leans heavily on his team. Dr. Drew challenges him to step more fully into his role: "I'm wondering if maybe you need to sort of take the reins a little more proactively and trust your instincts a little more — because ultimately, it's you."
Scott admits that part of the reason he hesitates to make quick decisions stems from not wanting to make the wrong call. He also confesses: "I am hard on myself… I want to be the best version of myself, so I definitely need to show myself some more grace."
To help him deal with that pressure, Perrel offers one of her go-to strategies: The 70 percent rule. "I know it's hard to make decisions without complete information," she says, "but if you have 70 percent of the information, my rule of thumb is: go."
It's a simple guideline — one that reminds Scott (and anyone watching) that waiting for perfection is often the greater risk.
Related: How to Master Decision-Making in a World Full of Options
Watch the episode to learn more about Ahuja's challenges and the advice Dr. Drew and Perrell give to build smarter while staying grounded at home.
Entrepreneur Therapy is presented by Amazon Business. Smart business buying starts with Amazon Business. Learn more.