MY RESEARCH
In spring 2022, I put out a call to climate entrepreneurs from around the world. I asked them to tell me about their experience of self-doubt in climate entrepreneurship. These pages outline my findings.
This article is for you if:
You’re a climate entrepreneur and want to normalise your experience, plus learn what other climate entrepreneurs find most helpful.
You’re considering making a move into climate entrepreneurship, and want the lay of the psychological landscape.
You’d like to better support climate entrepreneurs in your network / community / business.
You’re just wildly curious about the world and how people function.
How to navigate this long-form article:
Either read it start-to-finish (it makes most sense that way), or jump to a section of interest:
PART 1 — About The Study
Why did I do this?
Interview format
Demographics
PART 2 — Self-Doubt and Climate Entrepreneurs: 4 Key Findings
What every climate entrepreneur has in common
A surprising learning about climate entrepreneurs
What exacerbates self-doubt more than anything
The 9 tell-tale behaviours of self-doubt
PART 3 — The 7 Most Common Triggers for Self-Doubt in Climate Entrepreneurs
How the stage of business influences self-doubt
The 7 areas that are catnip to personal self-doubt
PART 4 — Eco-Anxiety and Climate Entrepreneurs: Key Findings
A note about ‘eco-anxiety’ (or systemic self-doubt)
The common experience of eco-anxiety
The 4 groups of climate entrepreneurs most affected by eco-anxiety
PART 5 — Secrets of Resilience for Climate Entrepreneurs
7 strategies climate entrepreneurs use to manage their eco-anxiety
The #1 differentiator to navigate self-doubt
Types of support that climate entrepreneurs find most useful
PART 6 — Climate Entrepreneurs vs. ‘Regular’ Entrepreneurs: What’s the Difference?
What climate entrepreneurs find helpful about mainstream support
3 ways in which mainstream entrepreneurship support falls short
PART 7 – Summary & Reflections
Summary of key findings
Reflections for the reader