The most obvious questions
I would like to think I am pretty good at understanding business and have strengths in helping businesses to grow. And yet it took lunch with a complete stranger (a friend of a colleague) over a month ago to transform my main business. And she did this by asking a very basic question.
This week marks my second anniversary of going to Halifax. I am now working in Halifax helping companies from that region come to the UK. That project went well and I know have another project to do the same thing with Calgary (next week!)
I was explaining this to my colleagues friend and she asked a great question; “why Canada?”
This very obvious question was a breakthrough. We realised there was no business logic whatsoever to focusing just on Canada. That same afternoon, we called other countries and have now got inroads into several other countries to do something we enjoy, we are good at and are able to do so whilst making money.
The business has been repositioned and hopefully within a few months, we will need to recruit another person to join the team. And this is all because someone asked the question “Why Canada?”
Yesterday I met one of the founders of a company I have invested in www.tribesports.com He asked me what I wanted in the sense of where I wanted to be in a few years time. Incredible as it seems, I had not thought of that for a long time. I guess it is one of those things you think about when you are in a job dreaming of escaping. I have not thought about it for a while as I guess I have been pretty happy for the last couple of years.
So having thought about it, (I rang him back this morning 24 hrs after our meeting to tell him my answer) I guess I would like to be doing this in a few years
1. Have a successful Help with Sales business that allows me to do lots of international travel and lecturing (I do enjoy coaching and speaking about business)
2. Be getting access to good angel investment deals and doing just four deals a year – but really getting behind them and supporting them (not as a board member)
3. Writing a successful blog (with many more readers)
It has often been said that writing down your objectives means you are more likely to achieve them. If you keep following this blog – you will be able to see if this is true!
So what obvious question should you ask yourself?
