David Cummings on Startups

Control Your Controllables

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David Cummings

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Last week, I had the opportunity to spend time with a group of executives working on a regional project. One phrase that came up repeatedly was: control your controllables.

Although this was said in the context of regional development, it’s incredibly applicable to startups as well. In startup land, it’s easy to worry about competitors, the government, or other external factors that may or may not happen. Of course, it’s human nature to do so. But if you take a step back and sort out what’s within your control and what’s outside of it, things become much clearer. You realize there are a tremendous number of actions you can take regardless of what happens around you.

Take sales as an example. Naturally, the sales team wants to close a certain amount of revenue each month or quarter to hit quota and move the startup forward. The challenge with measuring purely on output is that output is driven by inputs—many of which include factors outside of your control.

So let’s look at sales through the lens of control your controllables.

  • Can we guarantee a certain amount of revenue? No.
  • Can we guarantee a certain number of phone calls and prospect follow-ups? Absolutely.
  • Can we guarantee that every inbound lead will be followed up on within a set amount of time? Absolutely.
  • Can we guarantee consistent outreach to key partners so we stay top-of-mind in the market? Absolutely.

In this simple example, we know that sales has measurable inputs: the number of phone calls, follow-ups, demos, proposals sent, and deals won. The deeper you go into the funnel, the more outcomes are outside of your control. But by consistently executing the inputs, you significantly increase the likelihood of hitting the outputs.

Entrepreneurs would do well to remember this: control your controllables. What’s within your power? What’s outside of it? How can you keep your team focused on what they can control—and not distracted by what they can’t?

At the end of the day, entrepreneurs must control their controllables.

Comments

One response to “Control Your Controllables”

  1. Ahmed Abbadi Avatar
    Ahmed Abbadi

    Great post, David. I completely agree with the message, focusing on what we can actually control, but I also think it’s easier said than done, especially in environments driven by external validation.

    In my experience, most teams know what their controllables are, but they underestimate how emotionally draining it can be to keep showing up when results don’t move right away. It’s not a lack of clarity, it’s the patience and consistency that break most people.

    I’ve noticed this even in smaller projects I’m part of, like fundraising or business outreach, once we stopped obsessing over “getting a yes” and started tracking our daily effort (emails sent, follow-ups made, meetings booked), not only did the outcomes improve, but we actually felt less anxious.

    So I’d add that controlling your controllables isn’t just a productivity tactic, it’s a mindset that protects you from burnout.

    Thanks for the reminder, and I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on how you personally stay consistent when the feedback loop is long or uncertain.

    Reply

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