I grew up with a guy who has become very successful financially.
He was a bit a pain in the butt as a kid and still has that reputation. Personally, I have always enjoyed speaking with him because he has some very interesting stories and one cannot argue with his business success.
Over the years he has asked for my input on a number of business issues but he always does so in a way of: let me ask your opinion but I’m going to do it my way regardless.
He is by no means a genius and frankly, there have been times when I have questioned his core business intelligence altogether.
The one thing however that I realized he does incredibly well is never getting deterred from the main goal of his project.
He has laser beam focus and an uncanny ability to recognize certain trends in their infancy, jump into an ancillary business, build it up quickly and then sell it. Quite often, the industry or sector tanks thereafter but he gets out beforehand. He has an idea in his mind and as ridiculous as it sounds, he is so immersed in it that he cannot digest all the so-called logical reasons why it won’t work.
His skill lies in is his ability to become so consumed and confident in what he is doing that he doesn’t step bank and over analyze his plan like so many people do.
He sets the target and then directs everything towards it. He is, to some extent, like the proverbial bull in the china shop. But guess what? It works.
So is he really smart?
I think he is brilliant. He lacks a bit in social graces but hey, is anyone perfect?
In addition to recognizing burgeoning trends, he has the ability to execute the companion business model. He is no fool. He does not waste money. In fact, if anything, he is quite frugal, but he directs his resources towards one goal with incredible zeal.
He is not always right; but when he is, he hits a home run. His passion, drive, focus and yes, his hard-headedness is an asset far more often than it’s a liability.
His story provides a great lesson for budding entrepreneurs: the execution is more important than the plan.