An experienced restaurant owner sees his business fail during an economic crisis. From the just-world hypothesis, fellow entrepreneurs are often inclined to think, "He must not have worked hard enough" or "His concept apparently wasn't good enough." In doing so, they ignore external factors such as the sudden change in consumer behavior, rising energy prices or unfortunate timing - factors largely beyond the entrepreneur's control.
A young entrepreneur wins a prestigious award for fastest growing company in her region. "She did it all by herself," it sounds admiring. What few know is that she started during an extremely favorable market circumstance, right when her biggest competitor was having a management crisis.
A startup raises a million in investment within a month. The story goes that the founder "just had a brilliant idea and worked really hard." What no one tells is that his uncle is an influential venture capitalist who arranged the first major investment.
Using the just-world hypothesis to your advantage
As an entrepreneur yourself, you can be quite troubled by the just-world netherlands mobile numbers list hypothesis, but you can also take advantage of the fact that consumers and suppliers think the same way:
In your communications, emphasize how you deliver value. Explain the concrete steps you take to deliver quality and good service. This aligns with people's natural tendency to associate positive outcomes with conscious effort.
When setbacks or delays occur, you can be proactive and transparent about the causes. People often appreciate this more than vague explanations because it suits their need for logical connections.
Successes allow you to give recognition to external factors and partners involved. This builds trust because it shows you are honest about how success comes about.
In your marketing, you can focus on the tangible value you deliver, rather than just promising positive outcomes. This helps customers develop realistic expectations.