Entrepreneurship today is suffering from an inflated expectation problem. While social media is flooded with content about disruptive startups, billion-dollar valuations and pitches for the next unicorn, fewer people are actually starting real, sustainable businesses. The fantasy has overtaken the fundamentals.
The modern entrepreneur is often trapped not by a lack of opportunity, but by the overwhelming desire to create something massive. And in the pursuit of being unique, many forget that most solid businesses are built not on revolutionary ideas, but on consistent execution.
As I write in my book, O Empreendedor Smart, “smart entrepreneurship is about realizing that you don’t need much to achieve a lot.” It’s about starting with clarity, applying simple but strong strategies and executing daily.
Related: Success Comes From Solving Real Problems, Not Chasing Unicorn Fantasies
The myth of the perfect idea
The myth of the perfect idea is pervasive. Many aspiring entrepreneurs spend years searching for that one big concept, the killer product or the flawless timing. However, according to CB Insights, 70% of startups fail even after receiving funding, and fewer than 1% ever reach unicorn status. Meanwhile, a study by Business Insider found that most self-made millionaires built their wealth from traditional, profitable businesses.
We end up admiring the unicorns without studying the real horses behind most success stories. Entrepreneurship, for most people, isn’t about exponential valuations. It’s about building something that lasts and pays the bills consistently. A small team, solving a real problem, using resources smartly and serving a specific audience well.
I often meet aspiring founders who have been preparing to launch for two, three, even five years. They’ve invested time in research, followed every influencer in the business space and bought courses. Yet, they haven’t shipped anything. Why? Because their idea still doesn’t feel “big enough.” That belief alone has killed more businesses than competition ever will.
The truth is that building something that works is more valuable than dreaming about something that might. The market rewards those who ship, test and evolve. Not those who wait.
A smart, low-cost model that works
At Coworking Smart, we didn’t try to reinvent the office space. Instead, we embraced a low-cost, high-efficiency model. We offer virtual offices starting at R$49/month, with everything automated and built around small business needs. It wasn’t glamorous. It was management. As I say in the book, “Revenue may impress, but profit sustains.”
We didn’t start with big investments or shiny tech. We started with an Excel spreadsheet and one rented room. Today, we operate in four major cities — Brasília, São Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro — serving thousands of entrepreneurs.
Our focus was never on building a unicorn. It was on building a smart business. And that meant spending less, simplifying operations and investing in people and processes. That mindset turned our company into a multi-unit operation, and more importantly, into a business with a replicable, sustainable foundation.
And it worked because we paid attention to what mattered: client experience, cost structure, operational discipline and long-term value. In today’s noisy market, doing the simple things well is a superpower.
Related: Working on a Good Idea Beats Dreaming About a Perfect Idea
3 moves that build businesses (not just ideas)
1. Start with what you have
Conditions are never perfect. What matters is momentum. Starting small is often smarter — you get feedback, learn fast and reduce your risk. Harvard Business Review also highlights that small-scale launches allow companies to adapt quickly. Waiting too long to begin is often the most expensive decision.
You’re not too early. You’re just hesitating. Start with one offer, one channel, one client. Action is the best business plan.
Many entrepreneurs overestimate what they need to get started. You don’t need an office, a logo or a perfect website. You need a value proposition, a way to reach someone and the willingness to learn from doing.
2. Manage like a large company from day one
That means knowing your numbers, using data to make decisions and building operational systems. A McKinsey study confirms that startups that scale successfully are those that invest in management processes early on.
The entrepreneurs I mentor often ask, “How soon should I implement systems?” My answer is always: Yesterday. Management is not for when you grow. It’s for when you start.
Simple dashboards, weekly check-ins, basic CRMs — they create rhythm, accountability and visibility. Don’t wait for complexity to arrive before you decide to organize.
3. Build culture before you scale
Culture is not a post-growth luxury; it’s the foundation of growth. Without it, businesses become fragile. As Peter Drucker famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
From day one, we built rituals into our company. Weekly calls. Clear feedback. Defined values. These small habits helped us scale with alignment and clarity. As I emphasize in my course Missão Empreender, culture is the system that sustains your decisions when you’re not in the room.
And culture doesn’t have to be complex. It has to be lived. Your leadership, your consistency, your way of making decisions — that’s what shapes the company people experience.
Related: You Don’t Need to Be Perfect to Start. So, What Are You Waiting For?
Unicorns are rare. Real businesses are built daily.
The issue isn’t that entrepreneurship is broken. The issue is that many are waiting for the next big thing instead of building the right thing.
You don’t need to disrupt an industry to create value. You need to deliver consistently, solve real problems and build trust over time. The smartest entrepreneurs I know aren’t chasing unicorns — they’re building horses that run.
The world doesn’t need more billion-dollar decks. It needs more $100,000 operations done well. As I write in O Empreendedor Smart, “Smart entrepreneurs don’t chase growth — they build what lasts.”
And in a world obsessed with unicorns, building what works is the most rebellious act of all.
So, if you’re still waiting to launch because it doesn’t look big enough, ask yourself this: Would you rather chase something imaginary, or own something real?
Start with what works. Start smart. Start now.
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