Dr Connor Robertson
Entrepreneurship is often glamorized as a world of fast moves and instant wins. Media stories celebrate founders who “explode overnight,” businesses that scale in months, and flashy exits that make headlines. But beneath the surface of nearly every enduring company and every successful acquisition lies a less glamorous truth: patience. Strategic patience is what separates those who enjoy short bursts of momentum from those who create legacies. In my own career, I’ve seen the temptation of chasing quick wins, but I’ve also experienced how dangerous they can be. The deals that endure, the businesses that grow sustainably, and the partnerships that create real wealth all come from deliberate, patient strategy.
Patience doesn’t mean sitting still. It doesn’t mean waiting passively for opportunity to arrive. Instead, it means moving deliberately, aligning short-term actions with long-term positioning, and resisting the pull of immediate gratification. Strategic patience requires discipline, clarity, and confidence. It is one of the rarest qualities in entrepreneurship because the world constantly pushes the opposite: speed, shortcuts, and immediate proof. Yet if you study the entrepreneurs who last decades instead of years, you will always find patience woven into their decision-making.
Quick wins are appealing because they feel tangible. Closing a flashy deal, making a burst of revenue, or securing attention creates a rush of validation. I’ve felt it myself—there’s an energy in the room when something moves fast. But the danger is that quick wins are often fragile. They rely on circumstances that can change overnight, and they rarely create the systems or positioning needed to survive the long game.
I’ve seen entrepreneurs chase revenue spikes only to find themselves without cash flow stability. I’ve seen people close a deal at unfavorable terms just to declare victory, only to regret it when obligations weighed them down. These are the costs of prioritizing speed over strategy. Quick wins can provide a dopamine hit, but they rarely provide durability.
Strategic patience, on the other hand, avoids this trap. It acknowledges that not every opportunity is worth pursuing, even if it looks profitable on paper. It values alignment over immediacy. In my own acquisitions, I’ve turned down deals that could have closed quickly but did not fit the broader strategy. It’s never easy to walk away, but in the long term, it always pays off.
One of the hardest parts of strategic patience is enduring the silence between action and result. Entrepreneurs are wired for feedback. We want to see progress, proof that our efforts are paying off. Patience forces you to keep building even when the results aren’t visible yet.
I remember early in my content journey, writing article after article with no obvious return. It felt like talking to an empty room. But the discipline of waiting—while staying consistent—allowed momentum to compound. Months later, those same articles started showing up in searches, conversations, and opportunities. Strategic patience made the invisible visible.
The same is true in acquisitions. The best deals often take months of conversations, due diligence, and trust-building. If you rush them, you sacrifice terms or create friction. If you allow patience to guide the process, you end up with stronger partnerships and better outcomes. Deals are not just transactions; they are relationships. Relationships take time.
Strategic patience is about playing the long game. In practice, this means evaluating decisions not just by their immediate return, but by their five-, ten-, or twenty-year impact. When I assess a potential acquisition, I don’t just look at cash flow today—I look at how the business will position us for the next decade. Will this open doors to new markets? Will it create operational leverage? Will it strengthen relationships?
The long game requires rejecting opportunities that don’t fit. This is uncomfortable because passing on a deal can feel like leaving money on the table. But saying no is as important as saying yes. Every “no” preserves resources for the right “yes.” I’ve learned that patience often pays more than activity. The entrepreneur who jumps at every shiny object exhausts themselves. The entrepreneur who moves patiently, choosing carefully, builds an empire.
Markets are cyclical. Economies expand and contract. Industries rise and fall. What looks urgent today may be irrelevant tomorrow. Patience allows you to see beyond the noise of the moment. During downturns, patience prevents panic selling. During booms, patience prevents reckless expansion.
I’ve seen entrepreneurs crumble because they scaled too fast when the market was hot, only to collapse when conditions shifted. I’ve also seen entrepreneurs thrive because they grew patiently, building resilience into every step. The market always rewards those who can withstand time. The entrepreneurs who chase speed often find themselves burned out or bankrupt. The entrepreneurs who practice patience survive long enough to capture the real opportunities.
Patience also builds trust. People know when you are rushing. Sellers feel it in negotiations, partners feel it in conversations, and teams feel it in leadership. Rushing communicates desperation. Patience communicates confidence.