So here I am, I am sitting at my desk in my home office and writing my thoughts down. I am looking out of the window and my neighbours’ cars are still parked on the drive or in front of the house.I see a mother and daughter walk their fluffy dog. The sun is shining, it’s getting warm and the birds are singing. I am drinking a lovely cup of tea. What a picturesque and peaceful moment.
Then it hits me like a ton of bricks, we are on lockdown. Unprecedented times and then again, no not really.
I think to myself I am an entrepreneur! Uncertainty is the life-line of the entrepreneur. Yes, you have read it correctly. An entrepreneur needs uncertainty to get an advantage over the competition and leverage the opportunities. You are not an entrepreneur if you are moving with the masses. You need to be on the leading edge and take your calculated risks.
When I think of it uncertainty has always been the biggest part of my life. I grew up in a post war, highly xenophobic Germany in the 70s. It was very uncertain for me, when I was pushing myself through the education system, within that hostile system, constantly people were waiting and watching, expecting me to fail. Nevertheless, I prevailed in my A levels and a gruelling German University system, before I made the bold move to come to do my postgraduates studies in the UK.
Fast forward after a few stints in some major companies and my company, Here2Grow was born.
Throughout this time of successes and bumps the only constant was uncertainty:
I have 3 main Tools, which I use to successfully manoeuvre through uncertain times along the way that I would like to share with you:
- Ensure your mental well-being is at its peak. Mind over matter: It is your choice, you could learn how to meditate, walk, run, play darts or chess; go fishing, read, play music or anything that will put you in a centred mindset. It is only then that you can really listen to your hunches, intuition and make better business decisions. If you are centred and calm you will have a more 360 degree view of a problem.
- ALWAYS provide a good and honest service, build a reliable, genuine, trusting relationship with your suppliers and customers: They will be more understanding, sympathetic and will happily negotiate and communicate with you, when issues arise.
- Get training for yourself and staff in slightly different areas of your expertise: Break the mental habit of: “I have been in this job for xx years, I know it all.” YOU DON’T. See knowledge and education as an ongoing process. Investing a couple of hours a month in yourself and staff will inevitably create new opportunities. Your staff will be more inspired and likely to contribute new ideas.
Using the tools above should help you to mentally adapt to change, concepts and new ideas and create an action plan, more easily, while maintaining a more healthy and holistic overview in uncertain times such as these.