good link

long time I do not post anything on this blog. A lot of up and downs in between, in which i will write about it later.

Today I stumble upon a good article – i think it is an important learning for anyone who want to be an entrepreneur one day. Take a look 🙂

http://www.jonathanfields.com/blog/too-smart-for-your-business/

victory and defeat

“There is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it’s better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you’re fighting for.”

It is a quote sent by a dear friend in the morning. It is a tough week, but i think as a newbie in entrepreneurship, this is something you should be familiar with. You should have a fighting spirit. That’s why on the arch of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football club, it is stated “Fight Like a Champion Today!” And the best of all, always remember the chant from Anfield, Liverpool – YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE.

Glad that I have friends who cheered me all the way in difficult times 🙂

something you believe in

“Is it better to succeed at something you don’t really believe in, or is it better to fail at something you really do believe in?”

That is a question I put on my facebook account. Actually the question is not popping up directly on my mind. It’s part of a chapter on a book I read “What Should I do with My Life” by Po Bronson. I came across this book for sale less than Rp 100,000 at Ranch Market, and never opened the book until half a year later. This book about people who answered the ultimate question, and the author interviewed some people about their experiences across US.

Coming back to the question above. A friend said that it is dependent on how you define success. Whether you are the person who are more concerned about your principle, or the result. The caveat is whether to achieve the result, you should go into something that you do not believe in? Most people say that is the wrong way to go. I agree. If you achieve the result you want, but sacrificing your values doing that, you will not be happy at the end. A friend also said if you ask your family, they do not really care whether you achieve your result or not at the office. They just want you to be happy. It’s somewhat true. At some point in our life, you might get what you want in the first place, but not feeling happy because what you do is against your principles. And it will affect your family.

Some people also said success is defined by yourself, so is failure. So if you think you are a success, then you are. If you think you have failed, you are right too. Nobody can say someone is a failure, unless you let yourself feeling so.

Yet there are people who think at the end people has to be successful. I have been thinking about it too. I think many people want to do something different with their life, however they are afraid to do so, because it will put their family or love ones at risk if the endeavor is not successful. So failure at something you believe in becomes a pragmatic question – can you afford to do so? In companies, I see some people just going into a condition that will be a dead end (playing office politics, becoming yes man, doing something against their values) out of fear that they will be out of job and not being able to provide more to their family. It just does not worth it.

Anyway, I think there are thousands of answers about it. It is a classic question of journey vs destination. Which one is more important, the journey or the destination? My preference is journey. That’s explain why I almost never goes on arranged tour and buy Lonely Planet 🙂

Thanks friends who have give input. 

May you have an interesting journey, not just a long life.

rethinking Strategy

Today I have a chance to meet with leader of a very successful consulting firm. He started the business about 10 years ago, and the line of business has growth into a full fledged service, from strategy, operational, HR, assessment, training and public seminars. The meeting was initially meant to explore whether I was interested to join his firm as consultant. I told him that I am interested to make a consulting firm on my own, and would like to explore partnership in a different way.

The meeting is turned into a series of guarded inquiry from both sides. I also learned that his firm provided the very service that I would like to do, thus making me a prospective competitor. I feel a bit awkward. But he was very nice and we exchanged some thoughts about the issue and explore about the possibility to cooperate in the future (although I am not sure it will be in the way I wanted to).

Overall the meeting reminded me to look back to my HBR collection. One of the most famous article is from Michael Porter “What is Strategy”. This is his word: “Competitive Strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value”. So what I am supposed to do is to provide a unique value. In terms of the client base, size of organization and complete services I would be finished in seconds if I fight directly. However I can set a different way to deliver my service to customers. The strategy people called it “Unique Value Proposition”

This might be Steve Job’s state of mind when he started Apple against IBM. Create a unique product against established competitor. Can I wing it? Have to work harder definitely. I am sure that the market is big enough to work in. That leader is also saying the right way “Your strategy might work. I also focus only in one thing when I started the business.”

Thank you Sir, for the lesson. It is definitely useful.

Quote from a friend

This is a quote from my friend, Estienne de Beer in South Africa. He was a former training manager, now running his own business as motivational speaker (Meerkat Motivation). Which I find very true.

“We can no longer relax in the comfort zone of guaranteed lifetime employment with the same organisation. Realistically, major career challenges will enter the equation, usually at times when we can seemingly afford it the least. This is definitely not the end of the world, provided that one charts a course for your career. A loss of momentum in your career presents a huge opportunity for self-reflection and heightened self-awareness. We need to learn how to sense when it is time to close a chapter and start writing the next one.”

to be honest – and left speechless

Is it pay to be honest about wanting to be an entrepreneur?

Well, I wonder. On the waiting lounge at Sukarno Hatta, I was approached by credit card spg from an  bank, asking me to sign up. I think this bank has good reputation and programs (in fact I know some people who are working there and they are really good). She filled in my information on the spot while I am waiting for the plane. She is asking for copy of my other credit card.

One of the question is where I am working now. Iwas  just being honest that I am in process of becoming an entrepreneur. So I am not working now and the company does not exist yet. She is perplexed and I do not know what she is putting in the information.

A week later I got a SMS from the bank: sorry we cannot accept your application. Ups. Had I said that I work for this this this as a director, would that change things? (just 20 days of resignation makes all the difference). Maybe it is a sign from God that I do not need another credit card. However I think that the bank should try doing some clarification, at least to check with my other credit card provider and what is the status now.

Moral of the story: Title can really change how people treats you. So does the car you drive 🙂

Doubts

Hi everyone. I promised some friends that I will write a blog to record what I am feeling and thinking while trying to establish my own company. Well here I start to record interesting observations and thoughts, during the journey.

First is about doubts. According to a book I read “Escape from Cubicle Nation”, the most dreaded fear of aspiring entrepreneur is to “live one day in a caravan near a river”. There is no caravan here in Jakarta but the feeling is true. I have spent some time wondering whether it is a good direction to go. Whether my idea will have wings to fly. Whether I do really have the energy and capability to run my own company. Whether at the end it will be something that will run down my hard earned cash. And to fail  financially. Little thoughts that run around my mind.

Last week I went to Singapore, part of the preparation for this venture. On the Jakarta airport, upon return, I get acquainted with an MBA graduate from Netherlands who will work here as an expat in a local company (which makes me wonder whether this country has shortage of financial analyst).  We chat and I told him that I left my job to establish a company. He shook his head and saying “leaving that big company to run something by your own?” in disbelief. Leave me wondering on the taxi back home whether it is a right thing to do.

Lesson number one is to stay true to your goals. And self confidence are something that you should have when establishing a company. Which left me in awe for someone who really take this path before and become successful.

Roosevelt once said “the credit belongs to the one who is in the arena, who fight valiantly, who at his best knows the triumph of high achievement, and who at his worst, fails while daring greatly, so his place will never be with those timid souls who knows neither victory nor defeat”. Hey, I can said it by heart! Hope to remember it in though days to come… to fight day by day.

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