EO Ignite 2025
Just back from EO Ignite in Zimbali, Durban, and honestly, I’m still buzzing just a tad.
There’s something powerful about being in a room full of founders and entrepreneurs who get it. Who know what it’s like to build from scratch, to lead in uncertainty, to carry the weight of both vision and payroll. It was incredible to reconnect with crazy old friends (my honorary forum, you know who you are) and meet new ones, people from across Africa and the Middle East, each with wildly different stories, yet very similar battles.
What struck me most is how universal ‘imposter syndrome’ really is.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re running a $1M company or scaling something huge, at some point, we all ask: Am I the real deal?
Am I just making this up as I go?
The answer to that question is actually: Yes, you are totally winging it. And that’s not a problem. It is part and parcel of being an entrepreneur.
I got to share a talk I’ve crafted especially for the good people at EO called “In Praise of Masks.” Here’s the gist of it:
Imposter syndrome isn’t a flaw. It’s a signal.
It tells you you’re in liminal space, that uncomfortable middle where you’ve left the old but you’ve not yet arrived at the new.As entrepreneurs, we live in that space by design.
You’re constantly doing what you’ve never done before. That feeling of faking it, it’s not weakness. It is a sign that you’re pioneering.Instead of seeing imposter syndrome as something to fix, I believe we can see it as an invitation:
To get clearer on our identity, who we are becoming.
To build mastery, skill by skill, day by day.
And to choose bravery, because the only way out is head first through the wall.
I don’t think we need to kill the mask. We need to learn how to wear it consciously.
So to every founder who came up to me afterward, who shared their fears and wins, who nodded quietly when I talked about the chaos, we’re in this together. And I see you.
Huge thanks to EO, the organisers, and the vibrant community that made this event what it was.
Pierre
