A failed neck harness business taught Nick Orchard everything about avoidance. Seven years later, he shares why your busiest moments might be your least productive ones.
A few years ago, I had what I thought was a brilliant business idea: neck harnesses that would prevent concussions for fighters in combat sports. Within a few short weeks, I had a logo, a website, a manufacturer in Pakistan, and a garage full of suspiciously S&M-looking headgear.
Seven years later, those harnesses are still there – untouched, gathering dust and quietly judging me every time I walk into my garage.
What I thought was an exciting side project turned out to be an expensive lesson in avoidance. Like most high performers I now coach, back then I was looking down the barrel of an unsustainable workload and the creeping realisation that something needed to change. But I was trying to avoid that fact, so along came the harnesses…
Those neck harnesses still haven’t made me a cent, but they’ve paid for themselves in lessons. If you’re currently dreaming up an incredibly niche side hustle, here are five lessons in avoidance to consider before you also end up with a shed full of vaguely kinky-looking gym gear.
Productive procrastination is still procrastination
Whenever I dreamt up a great new business idea, I always spent weeks buried in the busy work – logos, manufacturers, colour swatches, spreadsheets – that felt important but achieved nothing.
Leaders fall for this all the time. We tinker with structures instead of tackling performance issues. We sign up for another conference instead of setting boundaries. We convince ourselves we’re being proactive when, really, we’re just decorating our avoidance.
The trick is to spot when your to-do list has become a hiding place. The busier the avoidance feels, the easier it is to mistake for progress. That’s why so many people spend years in the same cycle. Next time you go to add yet another item to your daily task list, ask yourself: Am I actually being productive, or am I just keeping myself occupied so I don’t have to face the hard thing?
“Ready. Fire! Aim” only works when you’re shooting at the right target
Within hours, I had a supplier. Within weeks, I had stock. Within months, I had regret.
Speed often feels like proof of progress, but it’s only useful if you’re heading somewhere worth going. I didn’t pause long enough to ask, “Why am I really doing this?” It was just full steam ahead. Destination: Nowhere.
Action is addictive – it tricks your brain into thinking you’re solving problems when you’re actually running from them. If I were honest with myself, I would have known that my real goal was a more sustainable approach to work, not to solve neck injuries for MMA fighters. When you don’t aim before you fire, you might still hit something… it just won’t be what matters.
Your real goal reveals itself in what you’re running from
Here’s the thing: I have less than zero interest in selling things. That should’ve been a massive clue that I wasn’t on the right path.
This whole fiasco was a distraction from the creeping exhaustion I felt in my actual job. When we’re desperate for change, any change feels like progress.
The next time you find yourself chasing a shiny new opportunity, stop and ask: “What am I really trying to change?” Your brain might be able to trick you into thinking you’ve found the answer to your problems, but your energy is like a compass. If it’s pulling you towards escape rather than purpose, you’re probably headed in the wrong direction.
Unaddressed problems don’t go away
The money I lost on my failed business venture was nothing compared to the time, energy and confidence I burned through. And worst of all, the thing I was avoiding – my unsustainable workload – didn’t magically fix itself while I was pretending to be an e-commerce genius.
Avoidance always collects interest. The longer you ignore the problem, the bigger it gets. And the bigger it gets, the more daunting it feels. By the time you finally turn around to face it, it’s grown twice as tall and three times as stubborn. Moving forward starts with looking the problem in the eye. You can’t solve what you refuse to acknowledge, and no amount of ‘new projects’ will make it disappear.
The shortest distance between two points is usually the hard conversation you’re avoiding
Whether it’s a failing project, a team member who’s struggling, or your own limits catching up with you, avoidance loves to send you on scenic detours. You can zigzag from A to M to Z and back again, or you can go straight from A to B and rip the plaster off.
One honest, uncomfortable conversation will often save you months of pointless activity. And yet, we’ll do almost anything to avoid it. The truth is, the hard conversation you’re avoiding is probably the exact one that would unlock your next level of freedom.
Since 2018, I’ve found a way out of the job that was destroying me, beat burnout, and began coaching leaders, teams, and high-achievers on how to do the same. Those neck harnesses may never make it out of my shed, but they remind me every day that the things we avoid have a way of following us until we face them.
Most of us have our own version of this story. So before you stack your garage with 200 units of your next big distraction like I did, ask yourself: Am I really making progress, or just coming up with a very creative way of running away?
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