The founder of a ghostwriting business in London, Tom Scourfield, traveled to the US for a workshop.He was shocked by the contrasting approach to entrepeneurship in the States versus back home.Scourfield said he found his American counterparts were less risk adverse and more confident.I help founders tell their stories on LinkedIn. Recently, I spent $5,000 to fly 5,000 miles from London to Arizona for a mastermind event which helps ghostwriters build and scale their businesses.The main workshop lasted one day, but the real magic happened while networking with other founders. I shared an Airbnb with writers, had group dinners and stayed up late talking business. I spent $2,000 on the event and another $3,000 on flights, hotels, and expenses. It was a big investment.As a digital nomad, I'd been surrounded by encouraging American friends and founders for years. But when I returned to London, I felt a shift. If I talked about my business goals, people would smile politely and change the subject.I flew to Arizona, hoping to feel that American energy again.These two weeks showed me why British founders often feel stuck and changed how I view British business culture forever.The enthusiasm gapBrits are more likely to have tall poppy syndrome. People are less open to talk about goals and encourage ambition than in the US.An American founder said he wanted to build his net worth to $10 million the next decade. Nobody flinched. Instead, they asked questions about his plan and offered ideas. Back in London a week earlier, I'd heard a friend call a 100,000 salary "unrealistic." That's the UK mindset we talk ourselves out of ambition before we even start.In Arizona, when someone shared a big goal, the Americans asked "How will you get there?" instead of "Are you sure that's possible?"Back home in London, I'd keep quiet about my wins. When I do share goals, I find myself adding disclaimers to couch my ambition.In Arizona, I could talk openly about my successes without feeling like I was bragging. When I shared concerns, people helped me see them as challenges to solve, not roadblocks to stop me.The energy was contagious. I felt calm about where I was and excited about where I could go. Instead of questioning if things would work out, I started asking how much bigger they could get.Now back in London, I notice how quickly our culture can pull you back into doubt. It's like we're playing two different games: In the UK, we compete to spot problems. In the US, they compete to spot opportunities.Entrepreneurship as a viable careerI think young people are more likely to start businesses in the US because it's deemed a legitimate career path.Whereas, I was pushed to get higher education and a steady job as a young person in the UK.At 17, I knew I didn't want to spend 50,000 the average price of British university on a degree, all to get a job I didn't want. In the UK, you're expected to go to university or trade school. When I said no to both and spoke about starting a business, my teachers were lost.My family pushed me to get a "safe" job like accountancy. The subtext was entrepreneurship wasn't a real career. It was a phase I'd grow out of.In Arizona, I met successful founders from every background imaginable. Some had fancy degrees, others never finished high school. But they all saw entrepreneurship as a natural path to success.The difference being whether people in America or the UK go on to start businesses isn't about intelligence or education. The problem is how entrepreneurship is perceived.This mindset gap starts early. While American kids grow up hearing stories about startup founders, as a British student I was raised to aim for job security.Taking risks is normalIt took four failed attempts to build a business until I finally started seeing results.Growing up, I learned that getting things wrong meant judgment and criticism. I built up walls and was less open about my struggles.One of my first business ventures was becoming a personal trainer at 19. My peers found my website and sent anonymous emails mocking me. I quit after a year, but my family could never understand why.It wasn't the fear of failure that was holding me back, it was the fear and embarrassment of being judged by others for trying.But failure was proof I was building. Each start-up taught me about business, systems and myself.Every founder I met at the mastermind had at least one failure story. They didn't hide them because they saw failure as proof that you're in the game and are resilient.Infectious energy in the USSpending time with American entrepreneurs felt like meeting a cousin who was raised with more confidence.One of the guys in our group was training for an ultra marathon. He had some of the highest levels of self-belief and conviction I've seen.He convinced us all to run a practice marathon with him. With no training and two hours of sleep, we set off at 3 a.m. I had to drop out after the 18th mile, but that's still further than I've ever run before.I'd likely never have attempted it alone, but being around this level of confidence was infectious.Around 9,500 millionaires left the UK in 2024, while the US gained 3,800. We spoke at the mastermind about why so many British founders are looking to exit the UK.In my opinion, it's about the country's energy as much as tax changes. In those two weeks in the States, I felt a source of energy I'd never experienced.Despite the jet lag and constant socializing, I tapped into the enthusiasm of my peers and it meant I had unlimited energy to keep going.Back home, it's hard to not let the grey energy creep in. I have to be rigorous about self-care and my personal routines to maintain a steady baseline of energy.While I was in the States, the positivity and ambition of the people around me was like riding a wave that kept pulling me along.The UK's missing ingredientLondon has access to European talent, free healthcare, and reasonable taxes. We should be an innovation powerhouse, but something's missing.I believe it's a cultural problem. We need push ourselves to think bigger.Growing up in a remote British village, I was taught to keep my head down and expectations low. "Be realistic," they said. But ambition and optimism are good things and we shouldn't hold back those who aspire for more.