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My 14 years’ experience of growing a business from £0-£100m as well as the life that goes with it.

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Simon Says

Winformation This Week...

A couple of weeks ago I met Tim Campbell MBE, and what a legend he was. We have a few mutual friends, but never actually met. I listened to his story, his time on The Apprentice and his huge success since. BUT...he said one thing that really got me. And it’s something I truly believe too, it’s just you never hear people say it. Below in today’s One Idea to Win in Business we look at the big lesson Tim reminded me of...and one that could be truly valuable for you too.

We all have that one thing we have dreamed of doing with our lives.  

You think it pretty often don’t you. You sometimes get close to thinking about starting. But like 99% of other people, you haven’t.  

You want to do the thing, but there is something holding you back.  

Sometimes you think you are lazy, too tired, or a big procrastinator. Chances are, it’s none of these things. In today’s One Idea to Win in Life, we look at the psychological theory that means we put off life's biggest dreams and how to finally tackle it.  

Let’s do this. 

One Idea to Win in Business

Something to Gain An Advantage

Tim Campbell: Why a Job Can be the Best Business Education

If you take your phone out now and go on social media for more than 5 minutes, you will stumble across a video that looks down “having a job”. Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur or a business owner.  

If it’s not Simon Squibb persuading people to give up their careers on the spot, then it’s 19-year-olds on YouTube laughing at people walking into offices shouting out the words “Nine to Fivers” as if it’s a put down.  

JOB stands for “Just Over Broke” according to one of these business influencers.  

I run an employment agency, so maybe I’m biased.  

Meeting Tim Campbell the other day and hearing his story was inspiring, but he said something that really made me think.  

“So many people overlook how getting a job first in a related field can really help your future business”.  

My god, this is so true.  

What better way to learn the ropes of an industry before starting a business than getting paid to do so.  

How are you going to understand how you can improve a service, or a product without in-depth knowledge of how the industry operates? 

I have friends that started a business straight from college with no real job history other than the usual casual hospitality gigs. Their businesses succeeded in the end, but it took far longer than other people I’m aware of that worked in a professional environment first and set up later.  

Think about it:

• You make contacts

• You build your skills

• You have an understanding of how “business” works 

• You are exposed to office/workplace politics and how to navigate it

• You are trained in useful software.  

• ...and most importantly for someone younger, you know what it feels like to have to relentlessly get up before anyone else and make it into work. These habits are important.  

You need to see what employment is like, before you become an employer yourself.  

On top of all this, you might start work and decide entrepreneurship isn't for you. Despite what you see on social media, it really isn't for everyone.  

You can be very successful, have shares in a company and have autonomy over your day whilst employed by someone else.  

Starting a business straight from college is like getting married to the first person to look at you twice when you're 16. You need to play the field before tying yourself down. 

So, remember if you have a job and one daydream of running a business, don’t listen to some 19-year-old on an app... you aren’t behind – you might just have been giving yourself the best paid business education there is!  

One Idea to Win in Life

Something to Help Take The Leap

Why You Keep Putting Off Your Dreams

Always dreamed of doing THAT thing, but put it off for years? Turns out you might not be a big procrastinator after all.... 

Big up, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky for their theory of Loss Aversion Therapy.  

They found something very important. Losses feel twice as painful as gains feel good.  

So, our brains are wired to avoid loss far more than they are to gain something better.  

Why is this important? 

Most people think they are putting off that one thing that they have always dreamed of is a personal flaw of theirs. It’s not. For years I thought I had a discipline problem. But we are wired to avoid loss.  

Loss of shelter, partner, food, security, safety and comfort. Even if the upside is greater.  

It’s what kept us safe in the cave we were pretty happy with rather than take our caveman families across a long dangerous trip to find a slightly bigger one.  

So... now we know the majority of people think this way, how can we use Loss Aversion Theory to ensure we actually do the thing, and fulfill our potential? 

Use it on itself.  

Ask yourself this “what is the cost of doing nothing?” 

The main losses we should all run from are; years passing unsatisfied, opportunities missed and death bed regret.  

The biggest risk isn't trying and failing; it's not trying at all.  

Once we use Loss Aversion Theory to combat its own findings...we are free to try and fail, learn and succeed without the mystery as to why we aren't trying at all.  

Win or Wonder?

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Until next week! 

Let’s win, together!