This is probably one of the most important aspect of businesses of any size:

YOU!

You are the one who is running the business and keeping the show on the road. If YOU are DOING it long enough and well enough the business will grow big and profitable.

So what makes a person capable of growing a business and making it profitable?

We can talk about experience, training, insider info, connections, initial investments, etc. but I would like to start with something even more basic.

You are the biggest resource of your business!

So what makes YOU (or anyone else, for that matter) as a human resource valuable?

Whenever I start consulting a business or mentoring someone I am looking for a very specific trait. And as the very first step of qualifying a potential leader, manager or business partner I am dividing prospects into two main categories:

• Those who do have the ability and energy level to act. To get things done. To decide things and act from A to B. Who don’t stop until things are done and a desired result is reached.
• Those who do not act. Are inactive or not efficient. Don’t go from A to B. Do not finish things. Can not decide, and won’t start things. Lacking determination. Talking but not doing. (Their pitch might be very convincing but talking is not acting/doing, even less reaching milestones.)

When you look at those people who you know, you can see that many of them need an external push or motivating factor to get things done, because they simply slow down and don’t work very efficiently otherwise. This external factor is typically a boss.

It is needless to say that the active one is the winning one, who is energetic, determined, starts doing things on their own and keeps doing it even if it is getting difficult or there are barriers on the road.

This is a trait that is either there or it isn’t. But it is the key to your success!

If it is not there, you will have to develop it!

The reason for it is very simple.

You can be very smart and educated. You can learn as much as you like from the best mentors. But if you will not DO, and you do not have the determination and courage to ACT, nothing gets done and knowledge will not get you from A to B.

Subsequently, I will not mentor or coach people who will not use what they have learnt. I will not hire people who do not do what we agreed. I will not partner with anyone who does not put as much energy into a business as I do.

How to develop the ability to get from A to B? How to become energetic and fast acting?

I was kinda lazy when I was a kid, and I had to develop this trait.

As soon as I have realised that waiting for luck or expecting money for “not doing much” will not work, I started to practice doing things from A to B.

It went exactly like that: I decided to do the dishes and then I did the dishes till they all were done. I decided to build a website and then I built a website. I decided to learn how to sail and I have learnt how to sail and made my RYA Day Skipper license. I decided to grow my business so I can buy a house and I did not rest until I could afford a house. I decided to establish an R&D lab for my business and I have built an R&D lab (actually two, because I love innovations) where we do proper deep tech science. And so on…

You start small and get bigger and bigger things DONE. After a while it becomes really enjoyable, you are gaining energy from your previous accomplishments and things start to really take off.

This is the point where you are ready!