“Somebody Should”: The Phrase That Entrepreneurs Never Use
Two little words—‘Somebody should’—can quietly kill your startup’s momentum; here’s why great entrepreneurs never say them (and what they say instead).
In entrepreneurship, words aren’t just words—they’re a window into your mindset, your willingness to own problems, and your readiness to act. One phrase that instantly sets off alarms for me is: “Somebody should.” It’s a phrase that, frankly, doesn’t belong anywhere near the entrepreneurial vocabulary.
“Somebody should send out an invite.”
“Somebody should handle this.”
Whenever I hear that, I don’t just hear delegation—I hear passivity. It suggests that the speaker sees a problem but expects someone else to step up. It’s a huge red flag for me when I hear startup pitches or work with startups, and it’s the opposite of what great founders do.
Entrepreneurs are wired to take action. They don’t say, “Somebody should.” They say, “I will.” This bias toward action—rolling up sleeves, figuring it out even when it’s uncomfortable—is what drives progress. It’s the spark that transforms a good idea into something real.
After years of backing early-stage founders at Ubiquity Ventures, I’ve noticed this: The best entrepreneurs don’t outsource ownership. They lean in. They see a challenge—no matter how small—and take the first swing. That instinct to act, to experiment, to do is often the difference between building something meaningful and just circling the runway.
What to do instead
So here’s my advice: Retire “Somebody should.” Replace it with “I will,” “Let me,” or “Here’s how I can make this happen.” That shift might sound small, but it’s the foundation of leadership and execution. It’s also the kind of attitude that makes investors, partners, and teams believe in you.
At the end of the day, entrepreneurship is about making things happen, not waiting for them to happen. So the next time you catch yourself thinking, “Somebody should…,” pause and ask: “Why not me?”
Ubiquity Ventures — led by Sunil Nagaraj — is a seed-stage venture capital firm focused on startups solving real-world physical problems with "software beyond the screen", often using smart hardware or machine learning.
If your startup fits this description, reach out to us now.