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Coinbase Global Inc. CEO Brian Armstrong urged aspiring entrepreneurs to act on their ideas rather than let fear of failure and hesitation prevent them from getting started.
Armstrong Urges Entrepreneurs To Take Action
On Monday, Coinbase CEO shared his message on X, arguing that failure often came from inaction rather than making the wrong decision.
“Most people fail not because they make the wrong move, but because they never make the first one,” Armstrong wrote.
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He encouraged people to put their ideas into practice, even if the initial attempt did not succeed.
“Go try the idea. Fall flat on your face if you have to,” he said.
Armstrong argued that unsuccessful attempts could still provide valuable lessons, while refusing to act could mean missing opportunities altogether.
“The cost of inaction is almost always higher than the cost of a failed attempt,” he said
Most people fail not because they make the wrong move, but because they never make the first one.
Go try the idea. Fall flat on your face if you have to. The cost of inaction is almost always higher than the cost of a failed attempt.
— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) August 25, 2026
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Key Lessons for Startup Founders
Earlier, Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham said first-time founders often struggled to judge whether their startups were succeeding because they lacked benchmarks.
He identified growth rate as a key metric, arguing that strong growth usually showed the business was working unless it depended on unsustainable spending.
Investor Kevin O’Leary said founders should focus on proving customer demand, generating revenue and executing consistently rather than simply having a good idea.
He urged entrepreneurs to get paying customers beyond friends and family, prioritize sales and focus each day on their three most important tasks.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos advised aspiring entrepreneurs to work at successful companies before launching their own startups.
He said established companies could teach valuable skills, including hiring and interviewing, and argued that gaining practical experience could improve the odds of succeeding as a founder.
Photo courtesy: Thrive Studios ID on Shutterstock.com
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