Creative tension: your superpower

Don’t wait. But don’t rush.—James Clear

Melissa* dreamed of opening a retail store for infant and toddler clothing. She had her eye on a high-traffic location and had already spoken to the landlord. The lease was pricey, but she believed, “This is the perfect area for my business.” Despite having no retail experience, she felt confident in her product choices. However, she hadn’t prepared a cash flow statement. Still, she was ready to sign the lease.

Meanwhile, Mohammed* wanted to start his own energy consulting business. With seven years of experience, he had done extensive research and created a 48-page business plan, complete with charts and a detailed cash flow. Yet, when we talked, he admitted he wasn’t ready. “I just need to do a bit more work,” he told me.

These two cases illustrate polar opposite approaches to decision-making. In my experience, making decisions is rarely about having all the answers—it’s about knowing when you have enough information to act. Finding that balance is both a science and an art.

The 70% Rule

Jeff Bezos introduced the idea of making decisions with about 70% of the information you think you need. Waiting for 90% or more can slow you down, cause stress, and lead to missed opportunities.

For example, if you feel 70% confident in your decision based on what you’ve gathered, that’s usually enough to proceed. This approach strikes a balance between thoughtful planning and timely action. It avoids the trap of overanalyzing while encouraging calculated risks.

Here’s the key: the effort to move from 70% to 80% confidence is far greater than moving from 40% to 60%. Waiting for perfect information doesn’t just delay you—it can convince you to abandon your idea altogether.

The 30–70 Rule and Creative Tension

Creative tension is the uneasiness we feel when creating something new, whether it’s a business or art. It comes from juggling time constraints, incomplete information, and limited resources. At its worst, it can leave you paralyzed by uncertainty. At its best, it fuels inspiration and action.

The 30–70 Rule suggests acting when you have between 30% and 70% of the information you need. It’s not something AI or anyone else can calculate for you. Instead, it’s a self-reflection tool: “How much do I really know about this industry and my business on a scale of 0 to 100?”

Falling below the 30% threshold is risky. At that level, you don’t know what you don’t know, leaving you exposed to costly or even fatal blind spots. My role isn’t to crush anyone’s dream—it’s to guide them toward a strategy that increases their odds of success. Often, that means urging more research or experience before they leap.

How do you know whether to stop at 30% or push closer to 70%? It depends on the financial risk. The higher the stakes, the more informed you need to be.

The Outcomes

With Melissa, we agreed her startup costs were high. When we ran her cash flow based on her chosen location, the risks were glaring. Melissa was operating below 30% readiness. My goal was to help her get closer to 60–70%, given the financial stakes.

I advised her to hold off on signing the lease and told her it could take up to a year to find the right spot. Patience, I explained, wasn’t optional in her case—it was essential. By waiting, she’s gained more insight into her industry and feels increasingly confident in her eventual launch.

Mohammed, on the other hand, was at 80%. He had done the work. His financial risk was low—his business model was a side hustle, and he could have launched even at 40% readiness. I encouraged him to move forward to avoid the trap of perfectionism, which can lead to self-doubt.

It still took Mohammed three more months to launch, but once he did, he found early success.

Your Creative Tension

Every entrepreneur faces unique circumstances. My job is to balance their vision with principles I’ve learned from my own business experience and their specific context.

The question you need to ask yourself is:

“Is my creative tension holding me back because I’m chasing perfect information? Or is it pushing me to jump before I’m ready?”

The best entrepreneurs aren’t reckless or overly cautious. They take calculated risks. They learn to live with their creative tension—and over time, it becomes their superpower.

*Melissa's and Mohammed’s names and details have been changed to protect confidentiality.