Activism

Everything we see today is born out of activism and the drive to make tomorrow better than today, whether it be business, the environment, social causes or government. The key, though, is balance and the discipline to ensure that you don’t go from activist to extremist, something you are actually fighting against. When activism turns into extremism, nothing productive occurs and we actually move backwards. There are many movements that started with great intentions and lost their way because they stopped having conversations, they stopped collaborating, they stopped negotiating, and they aimed to purely destruct the opposing view. We need to remember: change starts small and builds momentum on the foundation of strong beliefs but cooperative behaviour. ?

Fighting for what you believe in and making the world a better place, in my opinion, is the most noble thing a human can do. We should all play a role in making the future better than it is today, and in many ways the world is getting better. Health is improving. Poverty is shrinking. Knowledge is growing. People are connecting.?Technological?progress in every field means future life should be dramatically better than ours today. And that’s the whole point! As humans we need to ensure our great, great, grandchildren are in a better place in every way, but we can’t do this if we don’t approach things with balance, and when I say “balance” it’s not a cop out. It's a responsible approach, considering and understanding that there are multiple layers that need to be analyzed. This approach requires patience, difficult work and emotional work versus becoming an extremist that tends to move too “fast”. Now, I’m not saying that activists should move slowly, they should move with speed, but they shouldn’t move fast as extremists do. There’s a difference between “speed” and “fast”. ?Speed is being decisive and taking action on uncertainty while having the willingness to experiment the right way and in the right direction. Fast, on the other hand, is making poor quality decisions quickly, on impulse, and not fully understanding the different layers to a situation. Knowing the difference is vital when aiming for meaningful change, and requires you to stand strong on your vision but stay agile on the details and how you get there. Great leaders change their minds a lot, but still balance it with conviction, and that’s okay! Especially when aiming for meaningful change!

From a business perspective, there is a massive movement happening right now that benefits BuyAndSellABuiness.com, it’s called Entrepreneurship through Acquisition. More and more people are exploring and seeing value in buying an existing business versus starting one from scratch. There are many benefits to buying & building versus starting, and this movement, no doubt, is great for our business. Heck! We started this movement 10 years ago, so it’s fair to say we’re a leading activist in this space! However, staying true to my beliefs, we aren’t extremists and we do not discredit traditional entrepreneurship. I’m on record many times telling people that entrepreneurship through acquisition isn’t for everyone. Some people are great at starting a business and some aren’t. If you have an idea that is truly different and have the skillset to start a business from scratch, I’ll always encourage you to go for it. However – ?if you don’t, but?do have the skills, resources and patience to buy, build and operate something that exists, I would say go for that. This is, in my opinion, an example of balance. I have every incentive to tell the world that no one should start a business and everyone should buy one, however, that’s not right or true and it doesn’t make the entrepreneurial ecosystem a better place. The truth is some should and some shouldn’t, and now there is light on a viable path for someone to become a business owner without starting a one. Win-Win!

Anyways, the whole point of activism is to initiate change for the better, and change takes time. Unfortunately, we live in a world that demands things instantaneously and this is why great movements go sideways so fast. We need to stop, slow down and balance, versus create something viral that forces change unnaturally, at a neck breaking speed, with little to no time to consider the layers and consequences. At that point, we’re just jumping on the train and seeking consensus, and we all know that social cohesion mixed with resentment doesn’t help anyone. Words and the way you say things can inspire good or bad, but only balanced action can inspire change for good.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

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Nunzio Presta?is the Founder and CEO of?BuyAndSellABusiness.com, an online marketplace where people can buy, sell and grow businesses or franchises every day.?Join?our growing community today for free.

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