The fun is in the starting, but then comes the Rocky Road
The beginning of something is fun. I am at my happiest with a new idea, a pencil and paper, a ruler and a notebook.
In the old days I learnt Sage accounting and CAD drawing. Before that I did it on a drawing board and read up on everything else. DIY is the way of the start-up entrepreneur, the feeling that you can do anything and everything yourself and that you have the resources.
The YO! Sushi days were in my little one-bed flat in Fitzrovia in London and the development of YOTEL started in our Clerkenwell meeting rooms, always working late into the night.
Expand Close
These days I often find someone to co-operate with (and eventually run the front line). When there is a meeting of minds between the protagonists it is almost a falling in love feeling, you have a shared passion.
After those halcyon days comes the Rocky Road that every entrepreneur and their team have to negotiate. It winds around some dark places, and sometimes there are huge chasms to cross, but if you’re doing well you build golden bridges and reach the green valleys – for a bit at least.
There’s always something around the corner.
Though the road is rocky, it sure feels good to me.
Bob Marley
Good companions make the Rocky Road an enjoyable adventure, and your ability to lead and behave well under pressure is paramount. Remember my rule number 3, “Everything always works out always,” – if you can keep going long enough.