Mark Twain said it best.
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so."
As entrepreneurs we do this constantly.
"I think my audience wants this."
"I think my offer is clear."
"I think my team understands the vision."
That last "I think" is not knowledge. It is an assumption you stopped checking.
The fix is not complicated. When you catch yourself saying "I think," add four words:
"Let me verify that first."
One question to a customer.
One honest conversation with a team member.
One look at the actual data.
The assumption that goes unchecked longest is usually the one doing the most damage.
What is one "I think" in your business right now that you have been treating as a fact?