10 Business Commandments of a 90 Year Old Plain Dealer-Part 1

Posted by Hersh Bhardwaj in Start-Ups | 0 comments

I have been told numerous times that the universal laws of life also apply to business and entrepreneurship. After all it’s a journey as well, they say. An unknown one for most.

When I received this email list with life’s lessons by one Regina Brett, who apparently is 90 years old , I realised how important understanding life could be to understanding your business behaviour.

Lets see if we can find out things to apply to our entrepreneurial mindset.

• When in Doubt Just Take the Next Small Step

How true! You are not sure about that crucial meeting with venture capitalists. You have been asked to pitch the idea informally to the board. Money is on the table. Nervous.

Take the next small step. Sit down and relax. Chalk out an outline. Fill it with words. Throw-in some facts. Expand it. Expand it more. When you think you have everything covered, trim it down to a 10-minute pitch. Find out a one-line statement that’ll aptly describe your idea. Was it hard this way, one tiny step a time?

• You dn’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Vendors, existing clients, and even your own colleagues/staff- they all will infuriate you from time to time with their view diagonally opposite to yours. What do you do? Annoy, yourself and them with your insistence. Learn to agree to disagree if it doesn’t cost you more than the medallion of an argument-winner. Sometimes keeping your argumentative head aside can help you see views you might have shut-off previously.

• Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

This is a crucial entrepreneurial behavior concept. There are people who’ll be inspired by a Kevin Rose or a Mark Zuckerberg breed of entrepreneurs. And there are those who, ever so cruelly, continuously pit themselves against entrepreneurs who have done better in less time. You simply dn’t know their version of the story. You have your own journey. Peddle yours with smile not envy.

• If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it

I would extend it to say that in business situation any act that needs to be kept secret mustn’t involve you. The eventual danger-to-profit ratio of a secret sneaky act always tilts hugely towards the wrong end of the scale. Your business is not a Victorian romantic saga requiring the heart-stirring secrets to keep the readers amused. Stay away.

• Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful

Dave Allen of Get Things Done fame would be rather pleased with this one. Look around your office right this moment to test this statement. Files, computers,  wall-clock, furniture, empty coffee mugs, etc etc. Is there anything there that’s not beautiful, or, useful, or joyful? Get rid of it. It’s a negative bundle of energy. This applies well to your life. This applies to your business relations. This applies to anything that you have to maintain and manage- stuff, relationships, people, thoughts, and even habits.

Although I planned to serve the whole platter in one go, I soon realised that such great stuff is best served in small doses. So nest five lessons in next post.

Look forward to hear what you guys think of this.