Run your business like a well-paced marathon

Set big goals and break them down into doable steps. PHOTO | FILE 

By CANUTE WASWA

In Summary

• In business as in marathon training, the first step is commit yourself.

Someone should have told Njogu that you can’t fake a marathon.

Njogu is that guy who attempted to cheat his way to victory at the Stanchart Marathon two weeks ago. And guess what caught him? He showed no sign of breaking sweat and did not look exhausted like other runners in the 42 kilometre race were.

He did not even head to the medical tent as all top finishers around him did for attention on burning muscles, cramps or other adverse effects.

After a review of the video and photographs taken in the marathon course, it was later established that the man had barely ran a kilometre. Njogu had joined the top three runners towards the finish point.

That sounds like a joke. But guess what, the goal of running a successful business can be just as daunting as a marathon. There are no shortcuts, just hard work and a lot of determination. And shortcuts will always find you out.

In business as in marathon training, the first step is commit yourself. Commit yourself in a way that you can’t simply back out if you change your mind or if the road becomes difficult. Have friends or colleagues hold you accountable for the steps you’ll be taking to get yourself where you want to be.

Just the way you sign up for that race, put it on your calendar, and purchase some new running shoes is how you make the decision to do get into business and stick with it.

As a start-up or small business owner, the journey to gain entry into the “successful” entrepreneurs’ category is never easy. With challenges and failures along the way, it is common to lose sight of why you began the venture in the first place.

While dreaming “big” is not a bad idea, you must remember who and where you are and what your limitations may be if any. It’s a simple matter of what is doable and what isn’t. The two critical resources are time and money.

In athletics, there are many races are shorter distances and people can get through without too much training, the marathon is a killer. Go in unprepared, and you’ll never make it.

How does this realism apply in business? It means you have to do some simple math and look at your income versus your expenses.

This will help you to be realistic about your business goals. Set goals you can achieve in a reasonable amount of time. Your accomplishments in business should set you up on a firm foundation of experience and expertise that brings you one step closer to your goals.

The last lesson is on being prepared. Being prepared takes time and commitment. All too often, business owners end up “winging it” rather than putting in the time necessary to be prepared.

This sounds simple, and it is the most fundamental step. But it is often the most neglected aspect of being prepared. How many times have you met with a customer, or led a meeting, but hadn’t taken the time to come up with clear expectations of what you wanted to accomplish?

If we are all really honest, we would admit there have been many times we have gone in unprepared and, as a result, did not accomplish anything.take at least an hour prior to any meeting I lead to compile my notes and thoughts into an agenda. My agenda is based on what I am trying to accomplish in the meeting, which keeps me on track about the purpose for the meeting.

You wouldn’t simply decide to run 10 kilometres when you’ve only ever run three kilometres. You have to take small, measured increases in distance to improve your performance and reach new milestones.

If you want to move ahead in business you have to plan and track your successes. Write down your goals, schedule due dates for each, and ensure that each step of your plan builds on one other. Improve your business performance step by step towards your final accomplishment.

John Stephen Akwari of Tanzania said the famous words in the 1968 Olympics: “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.” That’s the spirit. Not Njogu’s.

Mr Waswa is a management and HR specialist and managing director of Outdoors Africa. E-mail: waswa@outdoorsafrica.co.ke