Have you ever tried to spend time understanding numeric zero (‘0’) and its value? Have you tried to contemplate its background and how it must have come into being and grown? Some simple mindful thoughts can lead you to connect dots, often left disconnected to grow from ground zero.
Although there are various ancient, classical antiquity and medieval references of zero as an additive identity, zero in modern decimal-based place value notation was developed in India and can be traced to Aryabhata. Irrespective of time and geography the usage of additive identity was widespread. To an extent its popularity might have spread via referrals from ancient east to middle-east to Italy to France to UK and across world; connections can be vaguely traced and understood though. We may never know exact details; the exactness doesn’t matter much anyways.
Let’s draw a parity between zero as original additive identity and entrepreneurship as original additive identity of an enterprise. We haven’t been so better-off with sheer no. of enterprises and entrepreneurs being witnessed now in the digitized era. However, in real sense numbers don’t multiply unless it’s placed with true values and relevant connecting positions. Quantity just doesn’t matter if timely quality is not ensured, so to say.
Like everything that comes into existence, its need is felt first. Adequate amount of knowledge is gathered before crystallizing ideas and probable usage. It’s only when the need-gap is strongly felt that the ideas get materialized into an entity; like zero and like entrepreneurship.
Most entrepreneurs have had learnings and interests so intense that they’d felt a need of setting up new systems due to limitations in old ones in their previous occupations. Recognizing value of this need-gap is as intense and powerful as the energy in a small atom or in numeric zero before its placement in any digit system. That’s why we say that deciding to become an entrepreneur is the 1st step towards definitive progress. Opportunity is huge and if rightly capitalized, it’s very positive.
We don’t know steps 2, 3 and so on. No-one, including entrepreneurs, does.
At this very stage, we would like to suggest that it doesn’t matter which ‘form’ would the next steps take. Yes, it doesn’t matter which roads does an entrepreneur take to reach his destination. It doesn’t matter how the ‘plans’ look. The outer look, appearance, style or simply the visible factors just don’t matter. They are temporary tremors required to re-adjust a footing.
What matters is the strong grip on the goals’ set for ‘end users; the strength of connections being built with end users. If an entrepreneur hasn’t charted end user goals in the beginning, chances are he would fail in the long run despite putting perfect efforts on outer visibility under controlled operations.
Becoming a blogger is a means and not a goal of establishing true awareness about relevant subjects.
Setting up IT and technology support to add customer convenience is a means and not a product goal.
Let’s elaborate this a bit. Most entrepreneurs meander on external elements as soon as they leap forward with their business. In the vast expanse of already existing markets, they tend to get distracted by a lot of traffic and noise e.g comparison with big businesses, placement of team yet not required, look of the product instead of value of the product in the eyes of consumers and lately about social media numbers, likes, conversations and superficial reviews. The list is endless but not invisible if we put serious thoughts to it and have courage to acknowledge. It doesn’t matter which route do we take to escape traffic on a road to reach our destination. What is important is to ESCAPE TRAFFIC.
Discipline to escape traffic, to remain conscious about original & improvised consumer goals, isn’t maintained. Most entrepreneurs get stuck in traffic because it requires conscious effort, which is profound and rests on internal will!! Traffic is faced every day and hence the conscious effort is required every day! Now this looks tough to follow.
Roads leading to consumer goals are mostly unknown. We, human creatures, remain grossly fearful about things we haven’t seen, touched or experienced. Somewhere along the way, while escaping the traffic, we come across new roads that are frightful i.e ways not followed by big corporates are considered invalid, sticking to one’s unique approach requires guts and explanation to larger audience, monetary support required to sustain businesses takes precedence over real consumer centricity against all odds etc.
Unknown waters or uncharted territory suddenly feels alien and fearful despite having mastered consumers of that territory! This is about lack of confidence, true knowledge and faith in one’s own initiatives. This is where the diversion happens. This is where step 2, 3 and so on are likely to go wrong instead of right. Trying to control various forms of external factors at the cost of consumer centricity is a detour. It can be visible only if discipline is maintained to monitor and correct daily disorders of consumer goals.
We emphasize here that cost of regret far exceeds price of discipline or price of everyday corrections. Number of years pass before it’s suddenly realized. This is when invisible becomes visible! How come an entrepreneur remains unaware of such flaws despite putting lot of efforts in building his business?
Afterword:
Entrepreneurs take the first steps of creative change to improve existing systems. They are supposed to lead the change, often never experienced before. Change creates completely new elements, related environment, and approach. Fears might set in; courage might be required. Get used to it to move forward.
Right keys are found in “Distinct Consumer Goals”. Using them requires courage of facing fears (conflict between mind and body) and converting them into hidden strengths. These keys do unlock further invisible growth!
Epilogue:
Excessive departmentalization or hierarchies at startups may weaken control on consumer goals. It’s important to shape structural elements that complement each other fulfilling end-user goals.
Set ‘0’ as consumer goal and monitor its true value multiply by improving each layer of consumer difficulties. How fast and how well an entrepreneur solves consumer difficulty sets the course of how fast and how well his organization grows.
