How you get there

A few years ago, on the return flight from a business trip to the West Coast, my business partner reminisced about the days we had just spent trying to seal a business deal.  He made reference to several paintings in the conference room where our meetings were held.  He described these six-foot tall paintings with details about the colors, the background, and even the frame.  He talked about the meal we had at one of his favorite restaurants.  He praised the wine I had selected for the dinner with our clients.  He replayed the sunset as it beamed across the Pacific late one afternoon on our last day. 

I remembered seeing chairs and a table in the conference room.  I couldn’t tell you the name of the restaurant or what entree I ordered, but remembered pressuring our clients for another deal.  I remembered drinking wine, but couldn’t tell you how it tasted.  And I remembered bitching at my partner when he wanted to drive out to the beach before catching our flight home. 

In those days, this was a typical trip for me.  Fly in, get it done, get out and plan the next gig.  I’ve been to most of the major cities in America but couldn’t tell you anything about them.  I’ve treated these cities, my clients, and myself with disrespect.

We didn’t get their business. I can only guess they understood what it took years for me to find out and what my business partner already knew:   “How you get there is as important as getting there.”

EDAH

The Kite

The wind is strong and the kites are high.  Kids are running, jumping and enjoying their day.  "Let the kite go higher!" one child begs her father

The seagulls struggle in the wind, but soon navigate the breeze and enjoy the freedom of flight.

Groups of people, and the occasional loner, walk by, some laughing, some contemplative.  One can only wonder who might be ready for something different.  Taking the risk necessary for real change is scary, but a battle worth the fight.

Will these same families be back next year, having spent another year living a lie, or will they return having won the battle of freedom?  Embrace opposition and your flight will be magnificent.

The Business Plan

Just saying the words "Business Plans" to a new entrepreneur can cause a panic attack.  Marketing, Product Lines, Budgets, Key Personal, Legal, Employees, Mission Statement, Exit Strategies, Venture Capital, Yada, Yada, Yada. The fear comes from the unknown, the boring, the ambiguity of wading into this dark swampy wasteland of government forms, people that wear suits to work, and a system designed to make you document every paperclip you will use over the next five years.

When I talk to people about their ideas, I want to know what and why. If you are able to communicate those two with clarity & fervor in your voice, then the details of the "how" will emerge like the sun blasting over the horizon.  You have thirty seconds, what do you want to do and why?