Everyone has a mid-point. A position which is their true state of character. But, just luck a pendulum, everyone swings both sides of their midpoint. Stress, kids, emotions, lots of distractions make people veer from their true state. But, the pendulum always swings back to the midpoint. Don’t get too stressed about extremes. The only…
Stand for nothing and you fall for everything
Business is not so much about knowing what you want. It’s about knowing what you don’t want. It’s about knowing when to say no. It’s about focus. That’s why you need to know what your mission is. What’s the mountain top you’re chasing? Never deviate from that goal. And make sure you stick to your…
I have a billion Rand idea
“Did you know there are 10 billion mobile phones in the world? I have an idea for an app. If we only get 1% of the 10 billion users out there, I’ll have 100million users and my company will be worth R1billion. Will you give me R10million for 5% equity?”Is this you?If so, pay attention:Market…
Your letterhead is important
The very first thing you should do when you start a business is establish your identity.Logo, URL, letterhead, website.You may have no clients, no cash, no offices. But if you look “legitimate” then you have a small chance of getting clients, cash and offices.Looking “legitimate” starts with your logo, URL, letterhead, website.
Decks & documents are not important
Decks & documents are useful for forcing you to distil your thinking, but they won’t get you a deal.Only face-to-face meetings get the deal.Only relationships get the deal.Spending your life fine-tuning decks and docs is a form of mental masturbation and delaying the real thing:Sales.If you win over the customer, the rest is just “ticking…
Don’t speak ill of others
What’s the upside? None. What’s the downside? You make an enemy. Why would you do something with no upside, only downside? Don’t speak ill of others.
Who’s fault is it if you misunderstood?
It’s your fault. Don’t blame the other guy. Don’t get upset. Get busy taking responsibility for understanding exactly what the other person wants. It’s your fault if you misunderstood.
Cash windows always close faster than you think
How much time do you have before you run out of cash? That’s your cash window. Beware. Cash windows always close faster than you think.
Your job is to get rid of clutter and rules and bureaucracy.
Curling is one of the great Winter Olympic sports. (Google it.) Running your business is akin to being the sweeper in a curling team. Your job is to clear the way for your “rock” (aka: business), so that it can move forward with minimum friction. Your job is to get rid of clutter and rules…
There is no silver bullet
There is no silver bullet for any problem. There is only hard work. Stop looking for the silver bullet. Start working hard.
The lies that losers tell
“I’m glad he left because I was going to fire him anyway.” “We were going to drop our prices anyway.” “It’s not our fault that we bought the wrong business.” Watch out for these lines. They’re the lines that losers tell to make themselves feel better about being bad businessmen. If you need to fire…
The right thing and the safe thing are usually not the same thing
There will be many times on your journey when you will be faced with uncomfortable choices.Do you do the right thing?Or do you do the safe thing?The former has risk, but leads you to the Promised Land.The latter has no risk, but is a dead end.It’s not a hard decision.Always do the right thing.