09/24/02 

Are you banking on biblical lore for the launch of your business?

We encounter lots of entrepreneurs who are trying to open new ventures.

In "branching out" - these business owners try to replicate behavior and activities that slowly built their "core" business - but this time they want to do it very quickly!

Perhaps it's because these business owners are older than the ones just starting out, with less time to achieve their ambitions. Nonetheless, fast launches bring perils. 

They forget that "acceleration" takes a vast amount of energy, planning and financial resources - all packed into a wallop that occurs in a very short time. 

Many of us watch a fighter jet leaping from one of our great carriers - enjoying the power and excitement of it - while lacking the appreciation of what it takes to pull-off such a miraculous move.

No aircraft has safely left a flight deck without intricate planning and "quiet" expenses of great magnitudes. Building the ship and designing the catapult are only two tasks of thousands. Few appreciate what it really takes - in time and money - to hurl into the sky a plane that stood perfectly still a moment before. Most take for granted that immense release of energy - and the cost of it!

Launching a business quickly is exactly the same. 

But, entrepreneurs tend to focus on the launch of the plane, rather than the building of the ship and the recruitment and training of its crew. Many miss the fact that team work is more critical as timelines are compressed. They seek a follower captain - instead of a seasoned leader. This is why so many of their "carriers" capsize before their first plane is launched.

The tendency is to say, "We have a great idea here! All I need is a "hands on" person to do what 'I' would do, because I just don't have the time to do it. I want someone who can do this without spending lots of money and time.

In reality, they want a person that thinks like they do (as if through osmosis) and they want a person who can be the sole source of all things needed to get the business off the mark in a catapult-like fashion. 

In other words, they want a "Noah" to single-handedly build their ship. Worse, they want to build it out of locally available sticks - and in time for the "flood" of business they know is fast on its way. 

Seeking "Noah" often finds an employee who blindly believes his master - a trait deluding for both parties. Rather than winding up with a wary professional who provokes careful thought and who orchestrates a focused burst of energy - many entrepreneurs get just the opposite - as "head nodding" agreements and promises turn to unfulfilled deeds.

Well, the story of Noah's Ark retains great impact, because it was only done once in the history of man. We suspect it will never be done again. The same might be said for the "Noah" approach to the fast-building of businesses.

Hope remains, for the entrepreneur willing to carefully plan, to pay the cost for accelerated growth, and who recognizes that a "Noah" is not the person for the job.

The fall of great businesses is opening opportunities for entrepreneurial ventures like never before, as America shifts gears from yesterday's ways of commerce ... to tomorrow's.  

That's it for this segment. We hope these thoughts have been useful, and we welcome your comments. If you want to share your comments and questions, this is the place. To give us your input ... just click here.



William H. Thompson
Principal

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