Let’s get right to the business.
“Companies are bought, not sold.” That’s a great one indeed. The idea here is that the founders shouldn’t bother much about selling the business or doing the IPO. There are simply no particular activities tailored towards these goals exist in the course of the regular business years.
What drives me crazy bad is when I have to listen to a person for minutes after I am on top of the idea since the 10th second. Especially when it is the kind of speech, that introduces a lof of things that are new and fun. Of course, all the new stuff isn’t fun, and all the interesting stuff isn’t new. Especially when the speaker is the kind of a person who doesn’t care much about the idea behind the words and cares a lot how sexy (he thinks) he looks saying all these fancy words. Especially when there is no way to escape. Well, I will be sitting and listening then. Smiling but holding a knife.
Time is money? Jesus, there will be a time when money will not mean anything, and you will not be able to buy a single minute with all your money. And this time is approaching with the speed of a miltary jet. So time is much more than money and yet people behaving as if they had eternity to live. I just love our psychological protection stuff. Come on. Wake up! Now that was supposed to be a kind post.
There is always an owner of each win, and every fail is a military mascot.
The funny thing about the success is that you need to listen to people to achieve it, and yet you should not listen to people, or you will never reach it. It is like “listen to no one” and “listening is most important” at the same time. It is the matter of choosing the right people to listen to I guess. As well as understanding that there are times not to listen even to those folks you are typically listening to.
When people talk about the entrepreneurship, one of the definite pluses they mention is this “freedom.” You work for yourself; you report to no one. And then goes this: “you can even skip the work day if you feel like that”. You can. Right. But… “Tell me, Mr. Anderson… what good is a phone call if you’re unable to speak?” What good is a right you never use? In the own business, you are as powerful as Genie. And yet you are a slave to this lamp.
Do you see this thing next to the laptop? It is one of the best investments your company can make ever. In fact, if you haven’t budgeted it, please do it ASAP or just go ahead and spend own money. It will be a wise investment of $5 which will pay back from the very first day. Now the next day you will be profitable and after that ROI will be impossibly high. Provided how simple the mechanism of the sandglass is, and zero maintenance costs – it is a damn perpetual engine. Provided the value it brings it is a philosopher’s stone.
There are only two types of reports founders can present their Board with. Either show income statement or spend two hours explaining why income statement doesn’t mean much and wouldn’t show it all.
“The only guarantee I will not be discussing you with other people is the fact I am not discussing other people with you.” Should be a rule of thumb in any office. Otherwise is counterproductive and destroys the moral and business eventually. As a matter of fact, not the worst principle for the life outside the office as well. Which is not a surprise because business is just a logical extension of the human relations thus most rules working in daily life will suit office life equally.