Ticket to ride

Ticket to ride

It is a delightful anecdote… Albert Einstein was on a train and could not find his ticket. He kept on searching his pockets. The conductor said: ‘But Dr. Einstein, we all know who you are. We know that Princeton can afford to buy you another train ticket.’ Einstein looked at him. ‘ I am not worried about the money. I need to know where I am going.’

Like Einstein, entrepreneurs’ first concern should be where they are going. Once we figure out where we are going we can start moving and the money will follow. Many of our Members and Associates have indicated that their businesses are ready for growth. Some have a precise plan of how to achieve their goal. Others haven’t.

One needs to carefully plot the path to reach greater heights. How? Start with the end in mind. The ultimate goal will help you to design a strategy. Growth plans generate many questions. Is your team prepared for growth? How do you want to expand your business? By franchising? Or with a take-over? How are you going to finance it? Every point presents different options. With the final goal in mind you will be able to decide what is best for your company.

Although we know it is essential to take time to reflect on a growth strategy, we allow ourselves to get caught up in the day to day operational aspects of business. Taking time off to refect on our vision is our ticket to ride as entrepreneurs.

Do you know what your next step is? What is stopping you from taking it?