Category: growth

one hundred

My fascination with the number one hundred knows no limits.

Numbers gain importance as a result of various reasons. Some numbers, such as π, are popular due to their practicality in describing how the universe works. In religious scriptures, certain numbers (such as seven and forty) are referred to more often than others, again boosting their popularity.

Some other numbers have lost their meaning. ألف مبروك or grazie mille (respectively thousand blessings or congratulations in Arabic, followed by thousand graces or thanks in Italian) doesn’t literally mean thousand; it means a whole lot.

Zero to 100 real quick. One hundred is a popular number in pop and urban culture. (Rubs hands like birdman.) To me, the number is special, due to “percentage” being an extremely well-suited vehicle to express (compound) growth. I once got into an argument (sorry, intellectual discussion) because a befriended data scientist absolutely disapproved of me expressing a number in percentage with a sample size smaller than a hundred. He wasn’t wrong, though.

This is the 100th one minute read. Here is a little surprise to celebrate this milestone.

sinusoidal

Ups and downs. It’s a vibe. So many things on this planet can be expressed through sine waves. For instance, the way the sun rises and its light hits earth, only to go down hours later.

It’s tough to escape sinusoidal movements. If you expect your business to grow continuously, without ever encountering a hick-up, you’re (probably) in for a surprise.

Don’t be discouraged when growth stagnates, or worse when your business is shrinking. It’s natural. Breathe in, and figure out how to catch the next wave going up.

so far so good

“Hate,” the French movie from 1995, features a famous scene with the legendary words: “Jusqu’ici tout va bien.” That loosely translates to: “up until now, all is well.”

Until it isn’t. We all have different coping mechanisms or things we do to escape imminent danger. For entrepreneurs, one of those things to run to is often work.

The scene continues with: “the most important isn’t the fall, it’s the landing.” We all fall, time and time again. You can be either face down on the floor, a split-second after you tripped, or experience an endless fall that seems to last forever.

Anticipate the landing. Make it as soft as you can. Be kind to yourself, and ask for help.

no fails no gains

If babies were as afraid of failing as many adults are, none of us (who are physically able) would walk. Evolving from crawling to walking is a painful enterprise. You fall flat on your face, repeatedly. Since memories only start to accumulate at later age, you have no recollection of kissing the floor so often.

Luckily. If we were to remember, we would be (even) more risk-averse.

You learn to walk by doing. Not by philosophizing about it theoretically. The highway to gains passes through fails.

unassessable

I’ve done business in domains where I knew nothing about prior to engaging. In that case, three crucial steps must be taken.

Immerse yourself in knowledge. Take a crash course. Read, listen and watch everything there is to learn on and around the subject. Once you know a little bit, you might know just enough to start asking the right questions.

What does this remind me of? Chances are, there are parallels to be drawn. Connect the dots in your mind and try to apply experiences from another domain, in this new domain.

Surround yourself with an expert. Somebody who knows all the ins and outs, all the pitfalls. Someone who learned by failing in the past, who can prevent you from failing in the present.

The thing is, you can’t judge or evaluate what you don’t know. If you’ve never had an accountant, you can’t verify if the accountant is any good. If you never had to set up a production process, the manufacturers can basically tell you anything.

Learn fast, look for parallels and seek advice from someone you trust (or through someone you trust) who is experienced in the field you are about to explore.

shameful retrospective

What is this artwork doing here? It doesn’t belong here.

Sometimes, while visiting an artist’s retrospective exhibition in a museum, you catch yourself questioning the motivation behind featuring a specific artwork. It might not be particularly good from a technical, esthetical, or artistic perspective. Yet, it made its way to a museum.

Maybe the artwork is featured so the audience understands the progress the artist has made?

Looking back at work you’ve done in the past, it’s absolutely fine to feel slightly ashamed. That means you’ve grown.