How doing less, can help you deliver more.
One of the great privileges of running your own business is choice. The choice to manage your own diary, on your own terms, doing what you want, when you want, how you want.
That’s the theory anyway. But as any serious entrepreneur will tell you, it’s a bit like saying the King can declare war on France whenever he likes. He can. But also, he can’t can he? Because it would be end of the Monarchy in a microsecond.
Any serious entrepreneur or business leader will tell you, this notion you can work a few hours a day, breeze in and out of the business and still secure growth is nothing short of a fallacy.
Sure a few can achieve it, just like a few people win the lottery or suddenly land a massive inheritance from a 3rd cousin twice removed they’ve never heard of. But let’s be real here, these cases are so rare they are not worth talking about.
The reality of scaling a business can be summarised in one word: relentless.
This creates a paradox because on the one hand, there is a to do list that is going through a constant prioritisation process, which, for anyone reading this in sales, is why your lazy, woefully executed cold sales email gets binned. Yet on the other hand, you need to find the space to be creative, think and reflect.
My thinking time happens in quite unusual places, long drives, running and travel.
I find both the act of travelling and being in another culture stimulating.
It can be the smallest things that make me reflect. The way an immigration officer spoke to me, how a taxi driver made me feel, or production of a safety video before you take off.
The intangible nature of customer service fascinates me. What was it that made me feel the way a did?
And the strangest thing, there is rarely a correlation between investment and outcome. I have seen billion-dollar companies get it very wrong and small start ups get is so right and visa versa.
This summer, there was one clear experience that stood out to me. For first time in about 10 years, I took a 2 week holiday where I did my best to down tools. My long suffering partner and I headed to Northern Italy which combines draw dropping landscapes with Italian hospitality.
As part of this, we went to Venice for the day by train.
Venice in summer is sheer chaos. Overcrowded, hot and an overwhelming maze of streets and canals.
Cue a message to a trusted source: where do we go? The response came back. The roof top bar of Hotel Daniele.
The Hotel Daniele is one of the iconic 5 star hotels built in the 14th century overlooking Saint Marks Basin, next to Saint Marks Square. Over its illustrious history it has hosted presidents and royalty.
My partner and I were not dressed to attend a 5 star hotel but we gave it a go, arriving mid afternoon and secured a spot overlooking Venice enjoying a cool crisp gin and tonic.
The dichotomy of the experience was striking, at the street level where we entered, noisy chaos, 5 floors up, serene peace with just the hum of Venice. Wonderful.
As I turned my head to take in the experience I took a double take. Standing proud on the arm of impeccably turned out waiter was a Harris Hawk. Sitting patiently.
The waiter calmly walking up and down the aisles allowing guests to stroke the bird and for children to hold it.
I couldn’t work it out. Nice idea sure, but what a risk? What if the bird kicked off? Do guests worry about hygiene? At a rural retreat maybe but in a city centre location?
Me being me, I went to have a chat to find out why.
“I have to ask why do you have a Hawk.”
“Well Sir, you may not have noticed, but you have not been bothered by Seagulls or Pigeons since you got here”
So yes, the Hotel Daniele employs someone to have a Hawk for the sole purpose of discouraging unwanted flying guests from stealing food from guests on their rooftop bar.
Of course they do.
It is sheer genius. A point of conversation for guests, memorable, instatastic (if that’s your jam), all natural, and it works.
The best bit it costs a fraction of other pest control methods.
Sometimes it is the simple solutions to problems that are the best.
My take away from all of this, be more Daniele. Get a Hawk.
