Perspectives on Business Success
Succeeding in business is all about perspective. To be more precise, it’s often about benefiting from a variety of perspectives.
On the one hand, every great business starts with a dream, and you always need that type of panoramic view to keep your company thriving and your people motivated.
You’ve got to be a big-picture person. You can’t spend all day dreaming yourself to success, of course. But you have to take a broad view of where you are and where you want to be, in six months, a year, five years. When you think like that, you discover opportunities — opportunities that would otherwise pass you by.
On the other hand you also need to understand the fine details. If that’s something that you, as the founder, cannot do, then you definitely need to find a skilled professional who can perform that function. After all, business is about profit; and you can easily lose track of your revenue stream and margins if you’re not paying attention to each line of a spreadsheet.
In addition, you need the perspective that comes from reflecting and reevaluating your decisions and the company’s position. Step back, take a look at where you are, where you’re going; think about ways you can improve both your business and yourself. Be honest and reflective. You will always notice things you can improve and do differently, but you’ll also derive immense satisfaction when you look back and see a trail of success.
That sets you up for greater successes, and every true entrepreneur is always looking for new ventures. It’s a restless spirit that keeps you moving.
My first job was as an industrial painter. I could still be doing that — the pay was good — but my heart wouldn’t be in it. At some point I’d likely fall into a punch-clock mentality, daydreaming about when the workday would end. As an entrepreneur, you never do that. In fact, you don’t want the workday to end, because there’s so much you’re trying to cram into it.
If I had been satisfied with my very first business, I would be the friendly shopkeeper that everyone in the community knows. I would be doing small retail, with my confectionary store. As an entrepreneur, my success in one business just magnifies the excitement I feel in starting another.
You can really get hooked on entrepreneurship, because there’s a special thrill and sense of adventure every time you imagine a concept, take a risk, and then make it real. There’s really nothing like it. Entrepreneurship puts you in control of your own destiny and tests your skills, persistence and character.
From an outsider’s perspective, it may look like your success was the work of one man. But in reality, it was the result of focusing the various perspectives that gave you the clarity of vision to chart your path: the over-the-horizon view of the dreamer, the granular view of the master of details, the man checking the rear-view mirror with honest reflection, and the guy with his foot on the gas, gazing intently through the windshield at the road ahead.
