Going Over the Edge in Business

Clearly going over the edge of a mountain would be a risky business if your harness wasn’t strapped on safely. Some people are scared of heights. If heights don’t scare you in the slightest then maybe it’s because you believe you are invincible. Nevertheless, I’d be scared of climbing a mountain in case of falling off.

In business, it is a different kettle of fish. There are risks, especially if you invest your own funds into a business venture. Once you have got a good idea, done your research, and put everything together the operational side of the equation comes into place. Well, that’s the theory, anyway! Do it right and you’re onto a roll, whereas make mistakes and you’ll be risking your own cash because money is hard to make and easy to spend!

It's a bit like cooking. You either mix the ingredients intelligently and cook to the ideal point, or your efforts are a shambles. In other words, you need to make sure the ingredients are right, the preparation is spot on, it is put together correctly, and cooked at the right temperature for the right time.

Timing is everything! Imagine inventing a mobile phone before Alexander Graham Bell invented the phone. That would be weird right? Mobile phones rely on a network of cellular towers on the ground. Mobile phones could not have been invented before the telephone. The development of mobile phones relied on the existence of the telephone network and the technology to transmit voice wirelessly. 

Early experiments with wireless communication, like those by Nathan Stubblefield in 1908, were precursors to mobile phones, but they didn't connect to the existing telephone network. The invention of the telephone itself, by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, was a prerequisite for the development of mobile phones. 

Having said that everything needs to be right in terms of ingredients, your physical products or services have to be studied and enacted on to make sure the cake is rising in the oven, and then showcased in a way that attracts potential customers. If your cake is beautiful to look at it gets consumers excited. And then if they try and it tastes brilliant those predictions of client satisfaction are guaranteed.

You could have the best idea in the world, but if prospects are unaware then forget about it. Why are some businesses successful whilst others fail? It’s the whole package. If you have a good product or service then make sure others are aware. Go over the edge to present it while promoting it effectively.

Everything needs to be calculated either by numbers, or using good old fashion intuition from the beginning. As the project is being built use trail and error to finetune your proposal. This process allows you to make improvements to essentially work towards a robust system that delivers what the market requires.

I’ve got to be honest and tell you about my own lifetime achievements in business. Yes, I have had several successful business ventures. However, I’m a sucker for trying to peddle products that are new on the market, so I’ll say this; if a product meets your expectations, make sure your market reach will meet their expectations. Chew over my words!

Going over the edge is making sure every detail is covered. There is no room for error.

All the best!

Prof. Carl Boniface    

Vocabulary builder:

Harness (n) = strap that can be used to tie something together, and secure a person or could be a strap used to tie together and support.  

Strapped (v) = fastened, belted, secured, bound, tied

Different kettle of fish (idiom) = is an idiom that means something is a completely different matter or situation than what was previously discussed. It emphasizes that the current topic is distinct and separate from the one that was just mentioned. 

Shambles (n) = messes, fiascos, muddles, disasters, (ant) successes

Essentially (adv) = for all intents and purposes, in actual fact, fundamentally, basically, principally

Chew over (phrasal verb) = ponder, think about, consider, mull over, ruminate, weigh up