Hanging around

Hi,

I know an acquaintance who runs an advertising agency in India. He has come the hard way in life. Hats off to him, today he runs a business of respectable size. Every time, I see him; I get reminded of his perseverence.

It is now more than 17 years since he started his business. The first few years had been dog days - running pillar to post, seeking businesses. There were frequent phases of dejection. He would spend days away from home, often without proper food. His partners ditched him and that put the clock back again.

When he had to run the show on his own, he felt there was lot more freedom. He could track the money coming-in and the way it went out. He could sense that his business slowly grew. Today, he flaunts an impressive clientele.

When I asked him about the prime-movers behind his success (while, he did add that he has got a long way to go), he listed the following:

1. Hang around

2. Work as though your life depended on it

3. Opportunities are latent only in crappy jobs

Among the above, he mentioned the "Ability to hang around" matters the most.

His logic is simple. To acquire business, you first have to be there in the space. Every thing in the world moves. People change, business priorities change, prices change, budgets change and so is everything. When change happens, it impacts one and all. A large coporation may change a decision maker and this can trigger an avalanche of events. When the avalanche happens, beneficiaries also change. But, capitalization of opportunities can happen only when you are there, having a placard saying that "I am available".

To hold this placard tight and right above your head is the key.

Vijay