How the 3 Evil Es Kill Businesses: Expectations, Emotions, and Ego episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 11, 2026 · 15 MIN

How the 3 Evil Es Kill Businesses: Expectations, Emotions, and Ego

from Built Different · host Marcus Chen

What if I told you that 70% of business failures have nothing to do with market conditions, competition, or lack of capital? Marcus Chen discovered this the hard way when three psychological traps nearly destroyed his restaurant empire. The culprits? What he calls the "3 Evil Es" that sabotage entrepreneurs from the inside out. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • The 24-48 hour rule that improves business decisions by 40% (and why most founders ignore it) • How to set process goals instead of outcome goals to triple your success rate • The specific framework Marcus uses to separate ego from strategy when the stakes are high • Why emotional decision-making killed more businesses last year than the recession 👤 Perfect for: entrepreneurs who make too many decisions from their gut instead of their brain, plus anyone tired of sabotaging their own success with unrealistic expectations. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Marcus Chen reveals the 3 Evil Es that almost killed his business [01:45] Expectations: Why "hockey stick growth" fantasies destroy companies [04:20] Emotions: The 35,000 daily decisions that make or break your business [07:10] Ego: When being "right" costs you everything [09:30] The decision-making framework that actually works [11:00] How to spot these traps before they wreck your next quarter This isn't another feel-good entrepreneurship episode. Marcus breaks down the unsexy psychological reality of why smart people make terrible business decisions, plus the specific systems he uses to stay rational when everything's on fire. No motivational fluff, just the mental frameworks that separate successful founders from the 70% who flame out. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow Built Different on Spotify and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily - your next breakthrough insight is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: entrepreneurship, business psychology, decision making, startup mindset, business failure Listen on your favorite app at Built Different -------- Keywords: anti-fluff business, wealth building, profit strategies, startup lessons Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if I told you that 70% of business failures have nothing to do with market conditions, competition, or lack of capital? Marcus Chen discovered this the hard way when three psychological traps nearly destroyed his restaurant empire. The culprits? What he calls the "3 Evil Es" that sabotage entrepreneurs from the inside out. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • The 24-48 hour rule that improves business decisions by 40% (and why most founders ignore it) • How to set process goals instead of outcome goals to triple your success rate • The specific framework Marcus uses to separate ego from strategy when the stakes are high • Why emotional decision-making killed more businesses last year than the recession 👤 Perfect for: entrepreneurs who make too many decisions from their gut instead of their brain, plus anyone tired of sabotaging their own success with unrealistic expectations. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Marcus Chen reveals the 3 Evil Es that almost killed his business [01:45] Expectations: Why "hockey stick growth" fantasies destroy companies [04:20] Emotions: The 35,000 daily decisions that make or break your business [07:10] Ego: When being "right" costs you everything [09:30] The decision-making framework that actually works [11:00] How to spot these traps before they wreck your next quarter This isn't another feel-good entrepreneurship episode. Marcus breaks down the unsexy psychological reality of why smart people make terrible business decisions, plus the specific systems he uses to stay rational when everything's on fire. No motivational fluff, just the mental frameworks that separate successful founders from the 70% who flame out. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow Built Different on Spotify and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily - your next breakthrough insight is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: entrepreneurship, business psychology, decision making, startup mindset, business failure Listen on your favorite app at Built Different -------- Keywords: anti-fluff business, wealth building, profit strategies, startup lessons Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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This episode was published on March 11, 2026.

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What if I told you that 70% of business failures have nothing to do with market conditions, competition, or lack of capital? Marcus Chen discovered this the hard way when three psychological traps nearly destroyed his restaurant empire. The...

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