Timing

After lying awake many nights, worrying about a business deal, thirty minutes with my lawyer removed all my concerns. And something he said has always stayed with me: “You were right to do nothing at the time, Robin.”
Kenny Rogers sang,
“You've got to know when to hold 'em

Know when to fold 'em

Know when to walk away

And know when to run

You never count your money

When you're sittin' at the table

There'll be time enough for countin'

When the dealin's done”

We all know how important timing is. Or do we? As we mature as entrepreneurs, we get a gut feel for timing. At the same time, we learn that we don’t need to do every deal, or deal with everybody. We learn to walk away and we learn to stick it out. And we know that sometimes the results we work so hard for aren’t immediately evident. And sometimes, what keeps us disciplined and objective is the company we keep. If desperate people do desperate things, we need to associate with people who are not desperate, strapped for cash or emotionally unstable. Wise counsel comes from people who are relaxed, confident and impartial. Sometimes, we’re tempted to try and force things to happen, to twist the arm of the business process, to apply undue pressure. This usually leads to disaster or at least embarrassment. Or we hold back and allow a wonderful opportunity to pas us by. It takes self control and faith to hold ‘em, to fold ‘em, to walk away and to resist counting ‘em too soon. And sometimes it’s easy to run when we should be holding on.

So aligning ourselves with a group of strong, patient and experienced entrepreneurs who can keep us on track when the wind howls and the seas are rough, is a smart thing to do. Courage is not the absence of fear and every entrepreneur has known the odd sleepless night. That’s when it’s good to have a seasoned mentor or wise business associate on call. Preferably someone who has a vested interest in your success. Together, we can do amazing things.

There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries” – William Shakespeare.