The most dangerous emotion in business—and what the Stoics would tell you to do about it

Let me start with a bit of honesty: for years, I thought fear was just a natural part of the entrepreneurial grind. You pitch a new idea, your palms sweat, your stomach twists, and you push through it. 

No big deal, right? It wasn’t until I almost walked away from a huge opportunity—purely out of fear—that I realized just how destructive this emotion can be. And trust me, missing out on a major deal because you’re afraid is a tough pill to swallow.

When we talk about the “most dangerous emotion” in business, fear tops the list for me. 

Why? Because fear loves to hide in the corners of your mind and whisper worst-case scenarios. It convinces you that you aren’t ready, that your ideas are bound to fail, or that you’ll be laughed out of the room. 

And once fear takes hold, it’s alarmingly good at keeping you stuck.

But here’s the good news: the Stoics had a lot to say about fear, and their insights remain surprisingly relevant. 

Thousands of years ago, philosophers like Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus faced real dangers—plagues, wars, political upheaval—and yet they still found ways to manage their dread and move forward. 

If you feel paralyzed by fear or are just tired of letting it steer your decisions, stick around. We’ll explore how to spot fear for what it is, how to channel it productively, and what the Stoics would tell you if they were sitting across your desk, listening to your concerns.

Why fear is so dangerous

Fear isn’t just some passing worry; it can snowball into a crisis that holds your entire business hostage. 

I’ve seen colleagues sabotage their own projects because they were so afraid of failing that they refused to even launch. I’ve personally turned down partnerships that, in hindsight, could have catapulted my brand to the next level. 

It was only later that I realized fear was the culprit, whispering, “You’re not prepared enough,” or “What if they see right through you?”

Marcus Aurelius once said, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” 

The irony is that fear often stands in the way—and if you look at it differently, it’s also the path forward. 

Recognizing fear can be the first step to dismantling it. But don’t let it fester without calling it out. When we bury fear, it grows roots and wraps itself around our decisions, choking out growth opportunities and healthy risk-taking.

Spotting the fear triggers

The problem with fear is that it can be sneaky. It doesn’t always show up as an outright panic attack. Sometimes it manifests as endless “what if” scenarios, disguised as being thorough or prepared. Other times it appears as perfectionism or procrastination. 

The worst part? You can end up thinking you’re just being careful, when in reality you’re letting fear stop you from seizing a chance that might never come again.

So how do we get better at spotting the triggers? One trick I picked up is to note when my intuition says, “This is exciting—go for it,” but I still find excuses to bail. 

Is my internal dialogue all about potential failures, public embarrassment, or losing the little I already have? That’s often fear speaking. 

Seneca had a famous line: “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” As soon as I realize I’m imagining a thousand reasons to say no, I know fear has hopped into the driver’s seat.

Embracing the unknown

A lot of fear boils down to uncertainty. In business, there’s rarely a guaranteed outcome, no matter how much research or planning you do. 

I remember when I was launching my first startup in my 20s, I spent more nights than I’d like to admit lying awake, panicked about the unknown. 

Would I make payroll next month? Would customers even want what we were building? 

But every entrepreneur I’ve met, from solopreneurs to CEOs, has those “what if” questions.

The Stoics, however, didn’t try to banish uncertainty; they learned to live with it. Epictetus famously said, “The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.” 

Instead of trying to eliminate all risk, they focused on preparing themselves mentally to handle whatever might happen.

In practical terms, this means developing contingency plans rather than obsessively controlling every detail. Focusing on what you can influence—like the quality of your product or the clarity of your marketing message—helps mitigate the power fear holds over you.

Using fear as a motivator

It might sound odd, but fear can also be harnessed. When I first started speaking at conferences, I was terrified. I’d picture myself onstage, fumbling my words, and being memed into oblivion. 

But once I got tired of that narrative, I realized I could channel those nerves into extra prep time and a sharper focus during my talks. That tension actually helped me elevate my performance.

According to the team at Better Up, fear can be a useful tool. It can keep people alert and even improve task performance if they channel it properly. In fact, as dangerous an emotion it is, it is also one of the most powerful motivators out there. 

To me, that’s reassuring. We don’t have to eradicate fear entirely; we just have to keep it in check so it fuels productivity instead of paralyzing us. 

The Stoics would agree: you don’t deny fear or pretend it’s not there, but you recognize it as just another emotion—a wave that crests and falls. 

When you take the time to turn that wave of anxiety into a driving force, you’re already miles ahead of those who flee at its first sign.

Reframing the worst-case scenario

Often, fear is rooted in catastrophic thinking. We imagine the absolute worst outcome of a situation, then let that scenario scare us off. 

I used to do this constantly. If a product launch went poorly in my mind’s eye, I’d envision bankruptcy, public humiliation, and a meltdown of my entire professional network—all in the span of a few seconds. 

It sounds dramatic, but in the moment, those visions felt all too real.

Here’s what helped: actually writing down the worst-case scenario. Once I saw it on paper, it often looked less terrifying. Plus, I’d list possible steps I could take to rebuild if that scenario came true. 

Suddenly, I realized that even if I failed spectacularly, it wasn’t the end of the world. 

This is a classic Stoic exercise. They called it “premeditatio malorum,” or the premeditation of evils. By deliberately imagining the worst outcome, you strip it of its power to paralyze you. You accept that failure is a possibility, but you also accept that life goes on afterward.

Closing it out, but not to be overlooked…

Fear isn’t something you’ll ever completely outrun. It’s a natural response to the unknown, and in the world of entrepreneurship, there’s a whole lot of unknown to go around. 

But here’s the kicker: fear becomes dangerous not because it exists, but because we let it steer our decisions and limit our potential.

If you take just one thing away from all of this, let it be that fear can be managed, harnessed, and even turned into a competitive advantage. 

Don’t waste your energy fighting the fact that you’re scared—use that energy to prepare better, test your assumptions, and build resilience. 

Study the Stoics if you need a blueprint; they dealt with far bigger fears than most of us will ever face, and they emerged with wisdom we can use right now.

Until next time, friends.