There are only two types of business people
I work exclusively with one. I don’t work with professional managers. These are the people who run a business on behalf of the shareholders. I have nothing against these people and they perform a vital function , but I find my skills match those who I chose to work with. These are the entrepreneurs that I help to build a business, using my skills as a former CFO in businesses that were successfully sold.
Ruthlessly pursue your desires
You see, I prefer to work with entrepreneurs because they (mostly) share the same values as me. After all, I am an entrepreneur myself. The entrepreneurs I know are driven. They have a desire that they will ruthlessly pursue. For some this desire is greed, personal greed and I don’t think that this is bad in itself. This greed drives a person for success and with that comes money. With money jobs are created and the wealth is spread. Employees are given opportunities that they may not have otherwise had and they get dragged along, holding onto the coat tale of the hungry entrepreneur.
Share the wealth, create something better
The typical entrepreneur seeks an exit from their business and then goes onto another, re-employing their capital to seek a better return than they could obtain elsewhere. Then the circle starts again, jobs are created and wealth is spread.
Inspire
In some cases, some of those with jobs leave the first business with enough capital to make that step into business owner themselves and a new circle is started, one from which a ripple grows outwards until it hits a wave and is carried further and faster. The entrepreneur rides this wave, enjoying the journey of discovery until the business is sold and the circle continues again.
Never strangle a spirit
The businesses are generally sold to professional managers who take over and run the business not as an entrepreneurial venture, but as a regular corporation, following rules and procedures. The type of business that are slow to respond to change where the entrepreneurial spirit is collared tightly
It’s good to be naughty
My kind of entrepreneur has probably been in trouble in school, first selling sweets, then clothes, then cigarettes, anything ‘knock off’ that they can source and turn around quickly, readily and easily into a profit to fund the next ‘venture’. They start their education young and once they have that bug, they just can’t stop doing what they do best, making money.
Who are you?
When you look in the mirror who do you see, a builder of dreams or manager of desires?