August 31, 2011
How do you succeed as an entrepreneur?
I have had so many people ask for my advice as an entrepreneur, here’s my latest- think like a wood carver.
Lot's of people have asked for advice since I launched Veronica Brett swimwear just over a year ago.
I usually give advice on their specific questions: how to find funding, how to get to launch, etc.
But this past weekend, I got some fresh insight that surprised even me.
I took my son out for a walk on Sunday, post Hurricane Irene, both to get some fresh air after being stuck indoors and to survey the damage to our local UES park, Carl Schurz Park.
My son wanted to bring his Swiss Army knife along, why not I thought. The afternoon progressed with me giving Harry lessons on how to use the pocket knife. He was stabbing at the wood and digging into the sticks he had scavenged without much effect. The blade kept getting stuck and he wasn't making any progress in either sawing the sticks in half or in carving out a notch.
I demonstrated for him, that in order to saw the stick in half, you had to just barely graze the wood, stroking the knife back and forth very lightly, rather than pushing it. The stick cut in two easily and cleanly.
The same went for the carving, it was much more effective to shave very small amounts of wood with the knife rather than trying to take out big chunks of wood. We made a beautiful, deep notch in the wood.
I hadn't used a pocket knife in years (although I do own one) but the results surprised even me. The lighter the touch and the slower the movement - the greater the result (and with considerably less effort!).
I suddently found myself with another "aha moment" for my business. It's not about carving out big chunks or trying to slice a problem in two in one go, it's about small, steady, methodical progress.
Not only are the small whittling motions easier on the hand, they also make for a more enjoyable experience in the process.
So the next time you are tring to accomplish an enormous task at work or achieve the next big hurdle in your start-up, think like a wood carver and take small, steady, relaxed steps. You might just find you get to your goal a whole lot faster.
Happy carving,
Patricia
Comments: