Boldness in business should be the mantra for every entrepreneur I thought as I made my way to the Cranfield University School of Management conference of the same name on Friday 25 July 2014 in London. The conference panel debate facilitated by Stuart Watson (EOY UK Managing Director, Ernst & Young) brought together a mixed skill set, comprising Omiros Sarikas (Director, Mergers & Acquisitions, AHV Associates LLP), Martin Rigby (CEO, pSonar and entrepreneur), myself and Hilary Szymujko (Investment Manager, Seedcamp). We were asked to consider what “Boldness in Business” means to us, for our companies and industry sector. Does Boldness in Business mean changing the rules? Disrupting the system? Leading from the front or sticking to what you do best?
What I learned from the session was that boldness in business comes with a healthy dose of entrepreneurial angst too! A questioning of one’s business model; is it working, robust, up to date? Are we keeping up with changes in the market place; keeping an eye on the competition and keeping pace with the change in technology. Making best use of funding streams, earning every penny and saving every penny where possible? Every stage of an entrepreneur’s journey is dogged by the paranoia of becoming obsolete which is ironic given that one of the key characteristics cited in all successful entrepreneurs is that of self confidence!
After a few disquieting hours of reflection and a quick refresh of the business model, I am relieved to report that the other entrepreneurial strength came to the fore – resilience! I closed the books, switched off the nagging questions and just got back to work…. as usual.