Breaking The Myth: Success is Never Planned. It's Not Destiny. It's Always Executed
The only rule you need to know to achieve success and growth in any aspect of your life
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Introduction
I had a conversation with a cousin of mine who’s still in college.
She is very sharp, and something tells me that she is going to be great at business sooner than later.
However, while talking to her, I also realised that she is really raw with regards to her mindset and understanding about business.
While talking to her, I found out the real challenges that future entrepreneurs are going to face.
What I taught her about business is going to change the trajectory of her business, and I’m sure when you read this note entirely, it’s going to be a game changer for you as well.
So, without any further ado, let’s bust a big…
Myth about business
If you know me, by now you’ve known that I hate creating content without giving a (fictional) name to characters, so let’s assume this cousin of mine is called Sarita.
So, the conversation with the cousin went something like this...
Manish (M): So, Sarita, now that you’re about to graduate, what business are you planning to start?
Sarita (S): I don’t know! I’m feeling so lost.
M: Lost about?
S: A multi-billion-dollar business idea.
M: *gives S a blank look*
S: What?
M: Nothing. I’m waiting for you to get done with your atrocious jokes. Good thing you’re not planning to get into stand-up comedy. Not only are you saving people from experiences where their ears would bleed, you’d at least save yourself from one disastrous failure in career and a big blow to your ego.
S: *almost in tears* How mean yaar Manish!
M: Okay! I’m sorry. You know I was joking. But I’m also serious. What are you lost/ confused about?
S: As I clearly communicated, “a multi-billion-dollar business idea”
M: *trying to remind myself that I do love this cousin, and she is a gen-z, and I’m supposed to be a little considerate towards your ignorance* Hmmm!!! Please elaborate just a little!
S: What’s to elaborate, the moment I find an idea that I know can scale to becoming a unicorn, I’ll start the next day/ the next Monday/ the first date of the next month.
M: Okay genius…. Please explain to me what’s the logic behind this stupendous idea of yours. Where/ how did you come to this idea that you should only start a business, when it has the potential to become a unicorn?
S: What’s wrong with you? I thought you were a business consultant. Don’t you watch reels of these business owners who get into like a… startup, raise funds from investors/ bankers/ other super cool rich people and build unicorn companies?
M: Hmmmmm!!!! And if you can’t come up with an idea that you’re certain will become a billion-dollar idea, you won’t start your business?
S: No! I didn’t say that… I’m just making sure I don’t lose/ miss out on any opportunities.
M: (Sidebar: we had seen the movie “The Founder” based on the life of the founder of McDonald’s, an adaptation of this book) Tell me something. Ever heard of this guy Ray Kroc?
S: Of course! Don’t act extra smart with me. I remember watching the movie with you.
M: Oh! Brilliant. You remember the movie. Remember the scene in the movie where you told me to pause the movie and explain what just happened?
S: Yes! I remember that nerd fellow that Ray Kroc hired made Kroc realise that McDonald’s is not just a food business, but it's actually a real estate business. (Do read the book if you haven’t. This aspect and many others are explained so well in the book).
M: So, tell me, was Ray Kroc a stupid man?
S: No!
M: But then why didn’t he realise what his executive made him realise?
S: *the colour of her face was turning into that of a strawberry*
M: You don’t start a business knowing that it's going to become a unicorn. You start a business and then you make it a unicorn over time.
How business actually works
If you’re lost about what happened, let me explain the concept to you with a few more examples
When Mark Zuckerberg started facebook, he could have never imagined that the business would end up buying Instagram, WhatsApp and get into Artificial Intelligence, augmented reality and metaverse when Mark was coding the website for a social media network for students at Ivy League colleges of the USA.
When Larry Page and Sergey Brin were creating a search engine, they would have never imagined that eventually their company would end up owning YouTube, Android and multiple other services and product portfolios.
When Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal started Flipkart, they would have never guessed/ imagined that their brand would end up competing with the biggest ecommerce website of the world and eventually be acquired by the biggest retailer in the world.
In the recent times, a brand whose growth I’ve been observing is Blissclub an Indian brand started by a passionate founder that is now expanding feverishly but the journey of that brand started from just one SKU/ product.
The rules of business are very simple and clear.
You can’t start a business knowing the entire path and having clarity of all the milestones you, your business and the brand will cover.
Closing Thoughts
I’d have never thought I’d end up being a content creator, but here I am, writing these daily newsletters, creating podcast episodes and posting short form content on a regular basis.
The only control you have in business is on the task at hand.
Determine a (seemingly) impossible to achieve the end goal and start walking in the right direction.
When you keep focusing on the step ahead of you over and over, eventually you will realise that the right kind of people will start joining you, your customers and your community will fill you up on gaps that you are unaware of, and over time things will fall in place.
Building a business is a journey, and just because you don’t know what the itinerary looks like, doesn’t mean you won’t walk the path.
Your Thoughts!
If you feel you’re absolutely lost or if you feel you need more clarity with your niche/ positioning/ your personal brand/ your content strategy and would like to consult with me for the same, feel free to reach out to me and let’s connect.
If you’ve reached till this point of the post, I’m sure you must have some thoughts/ feelings/ opinions about what you’ve just read.
I’m done sharing what’s on my mind, and now is your turn to share your POV.
Tell me how you are processing the information that you’ve just read?
Do you agree with my thoughts?
Do you think I missed something important?
Do you disagree with something in particular?
Let’s continue this conversation (or ask your questions about the post) in the comments below.
Keep Going Keep Growing 🚀
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Prompt used to create the image for the note
P.S.: Image made on Meta AI using the prompt, “Imagine an entrepreneur who is writing in their journal reflecting on their past journey and all the memories of the past (regarding building and growing the business) being displayed in thought bubbles”