Keep jumping until that great chance finds you in the air

Successful business owners turn their own luck by working hard, remaining focused on their goals and taking steps to where they are considered lucky. PHOTO | FILE 

By MURORI KIUNGA

One question many people ask often is whether good luck plays any crucial role in success of a venture. The other side of the question is whether bad lack can drive you out of business and condemn you to eternal failure.

Several schools of thought argue that business success comes from developing a good product, marketing it better than your competitors, predicting trends, analysing data, as well as crafting executing fine strategies.

Quite remarkably we have successful entrepreneurs who do not adhere or have a clue about this logical approach.

We have successful people who have used a path that cannot be replicated nor attributed directly to their extraordinary efforts.

The opponents of this school of thought argue that if success was that simple, the mystery of entrepreneurship would have been scientifically or otherwise unravelled long time ago.

But then how do I explain situations where some entrepreneurs seem to have a Midas touch on everything they do.

Someone starts a small business and within a short time they have managed to have their products approved by Kenya Bureaus of standards, they have secured shelves in major supermarkets and have hired the most qualified and dedicated staff.

A person with no apparent impressive past record or connections manages to get the usually hard to get government contracts and within a matter of years, they have spread the wings across the borders.

How do really explain a situation where a below average graduate gets a well-paying job immediately after college while her above average colleagues toil for years without a job?

Many successful people talk about how smart or how hard they toiled or persevered to attain their goals, and as columnist Sunny Bindra wrote, “no one wants to say I made it because I happened to be in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.”

Yet still being in the right place at the right time is not purely a matter of chance. You have got to make a choice to be somewhere at some time to have a chance.

I like the analogy of a young man who wanted to excel in business. He went to a seasoned entrepreneur, reputed not only for his vast investment but also for his business acumen.

He asked advice on how to succeed in business. “You must jump at every opportunity that arises to make money,” the aging guru advised sagaciously.

The spirited youth almost jumped out of his office as if to pounce on an opportunity — quite overwhelmed that he had discovered the key to success. However, a pertinent question arose quite timely, “but sir, how do I know when an opportunity arises?” he asked.

The business wizard answered: “You can’t tell my son. You have to keep jumping until an opportunity finds you in the air.’’