It’s a long way to the top
We’re all familiar with an onslaught of tempting tales that communicate fast and furious successes. Some products seem destined for notoriety the moment that they’re released. The seemingly instantaneous popularity of a new product can launch businesses into the spotlight at breakneck speeds.
Stories like this seduce us with the idea that overnight growth is possible for all, if only we have the materials ready, and believe in our work enough. How often though, have we heard the tangential tales of too-good-to-be-true bubbles bursting, and companies dying out just as quickly as they rose to notoriety?
The world knows billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson is a fan of the fast track elevator pitch. However, Branson sang the praises of a slower, arguably more efficient approach in a post on the Virgin Disruptors blog: taking the stairs.
Branson opines that the method of the slow and steady climb when it comes to building a business helps entrepreneurs prepare for challenges they may meet along the way, or even at the top. I would agree, noting that climbing stairs builds muscles more effectively than taking the elevator.
Stairs to success
While this approach certainly does not appeal to the instant gratification of a quick success, it’s easy to understand.
The more time you allow yourself to investigate fully the specific challenges your product or services may face, the better equipped you will be at managing them when they arise.
There is much to be said for experience and failure. Quick success is lucky, but what happens when you find yourself suddenly at the top, with a problem you’ve never encountered before?
The stakes are much higher, and there’s potentially much further to fall if you make a single misguided decision. Give yourself the time you need to stabilize your company, and poise it for growth in even the most challenging of climates.
strike it like it’s hot
To Branson, longevity requires stamina, but more than that. If we are breaking down his popular elevator pitch advice beside the slow climb, it seems that successful businesses are always going to rely on a magical mixture of two components.
It requires intuition to strike when the iron is hot, and intuition is a powerful tool itself.
More often than not though, the fire needs to be stoked and the iron carefully monitored so we can anticipate and plan for the perfect time to strike.
