Does he who dares really win?

Does ‘he who dares’ really win?

With conflicting media reports coming out every day espousing rays of sunlight and doom and gloom in adjoining column inches, how is the SME business owner or director supposed to react? Is the media creating a degree of uncertainty that is causing many businesses simply to ‘hold tight’ and wait for a brighter outlook, or is now the time to grab the bull by the horns and take the view that ‘fortune favours the brave’ and ‘he who dares wins….” 

Like it or not, life isn’t always black and white and, as decision makers, we constantly have to manage risk versus reward (or potential reward) on a day-to-day basis. The question then becomes one of judgement and each of us will make the decision based on our own experiences and expectations. 

In reality, can a business owner really afford to take risks that may jeopardise not just their security but the security of their employees? That would, of course, depend on the individual, the risks involved and the potential rewards. Apparently red twenty three does (statistically at least) come up more than every other number on a roulette wheel… but then only a gambler who has lost it all will know that. 

Logic, of course, would dictate that a balanced approach has the greatest chance of success. You know ‘logic’… brother to ‘procedure’ and sister to ‘routine’, one big happy family. The logic in the business decisions of entrepreneurs is often overlooked in favour of ‘gut feel’ or recent (good or bad) experiences. We all know what we 'should' do in times of relative austerity: manage your cost base, manage your cash flow, ensure that you have the right people and continually re-assess your business plan. 

This is the point where some people have a tendency to glaze over whilst muttering under their breath… “I’m bored now… what happened to the exciting stuff?!” 

So here it is: the ‘exciting stuff’ is in the ability of businesses (and its’ decision makers) to adapt to their surroundings and be prepared to change the way they do business. Adapt and overcome as the US Marines say… or else be prepared to come second to your competitors. 

So (finally), and here’s the point of this short narrative: it should be no surprise that those who achieve success do the right things every day and, critically, are prepared to change themselves and their businesses according to current market conditions in order to exploit opportunities to maximum effect. It then becomes a case of identifying the opportunities and steering the ship on an intercept course! 

Doing nothing rarely produces results and doing the same thing and expecting different results has already been proven to be the definition of insanity by a certain Mr Einstein… that only leaves one option... do something different. And, of course, do it well, with commitment and passion. 

We may not have answered the question of whether he who dares wins but I do firmly believe that he who works hard is definitely a contender and for this scribe, it always comes back to another old cliché… 

The harder I work, the luckier I get….


 SGM2012