Fear gets a bad reputation in business. We’re often told to “be fearless” or “stay calm under pressure.” But after 25 years of building and growing our family business, I’ve learned a different truth: running scared can be a powerful advantage.
1. Fear that fuels, not freezes
When you run scared, you don’t get complacent. You stay alert. You anticipate problems before they explode. You keep asking the hard questions: Are we still relevant? Is the competition catching up? What will break if we stop improving?
Fear—when harnessed properly—becomes fuel. It sharpens your thinking, tightens your execution, and keeps you hungry.
2. Complacency kills discipline
I’ve seen this pattern in our own companies. The moment we feel we’ve “arrived,” we loosen the discipline. We overlook small details. We shift from playing to win to playing not to lose.
But when pressure builds—dropping sales, rising customer expectations, aggressive competitors—we respond with urgency. We confront brutal facts. We close open loops. We move fast and with focus.
3. Stay hungry, stay humble
In Thirsty’s early days, we knew we weren’t the only ones selling fruit shakes and juices. But we operated as if one misstep could take us out. That mindset pushed us to innovate, train better, and work harder.
Years later, that same vigilance helped us grow The Pages Food Group far beyond what we imagined.
Even now, nearing retirement, I still wake up asking: What did I miss? What needs fixing? How do we move forward? Because comfort is often the first step toward decline. Business is a moving target. You either evolve—or fall behind.
4. Vigilance over panic
Running scared doesn’t mean panicking. It means staying vigilant. It means refusing to get comfortable and possibly lose momentum. It means channeling that quiet tension into sharper decisions and better execution. I call it managed fear.
Fear alone isn’t enough. You also need courage, discipline, and the mindset of Kaizen—continuous improvement. But a little fear, well-directed, keeps you sharp.
So if you sometimes feel that discomfort—that tightness in your chest when thinking about your business—it might be a good thing. It means you’re paying attention.
Because in business, it’s the paranoid who survive…but it’s the prepared who win.
So stay sharp. Stay humble. And never stop asking the hard questions. That edge might just be what keeps you ahead.