The Ecstasy and Agony of Tunnel Vision

Hello!

I’m Bernice Atubra, proprietor of Henry House International School in Ho, a city 103 miles west of Accra, the capital of Ghana, West Africa. and Steven's first guest writer on his popular blog!!

If you have read Steven's award-winning debut book Pay The Price, you already know a little bit about me.?

A couple of weeks ago, I woke up with this puzzling thought. What part does tunnel vision play in the life of an entrepreneur? I asked Steven to 'work' it in his next newsletter. Next thing I know, I am writing this, completely out of my comfort zone, but probably because our experiences are so similar!

More on the tunnel vision later.

I started my entrepreneurial journey after working in childcare for several years, then worked in the Early Years Department of Plymouth City Council. After the horrendous death of Victoria Climbié, came the Every Child Matters agenda -?and every school was encouraged to run an out-of-school club. I had been managing a day nursery for six years and was appointed as an Extended School Coordinator - ECSO)?

Much as I enjoyed my work as an ESCO, starting Henry House was a dream lurking continually in the back of my mind.

Finally, in 2009, we went out on a limb, sold the family home and started the school in a rural community in Ho, around 103 miles from the capital, Accra.?

And so began the entrepreneurial journey. Except, I didn't see myself as an entrepreneur then.

In Pay The Price, Steven mentioned Person, Purpose and Passion as the three criteria to have a successful honeymoon period which were exactly the factors that drove me to start Henry House – the goal to make quality education accessible to all children, irrespective of their parents or guardians' socio-economic status.?

Passion for building the school became an obsession, a tunnel vision- the tendency to focus on one thing to the exclusion of everything else.?I was literally obsessed. I woke up with HHIS on my mind and I went to bed, usually late, with it on my mind. I talked about it to anybody who would listen. In short, I became a bore and alienated everyone including my husband with my continual song about the school, much like a broken record.?

I am a visionary (or a hunter), as Steven put in one of his previous newsletters. Big on vision, not so big on process.?

Michael E Gerber, in his book The E Myth Revisited, said 'Most entrepreneurs suffer from the fatal assumption that my business won't work without me', 'l am my business and my business is me', and questions whether you were working for the business or vice versa, just like Catherine Erdly in her bestselling book, Taming the Tiger.?

Of course, there are great attributes for having tunnel vision for your business apart from keeping you focused:?

• fuels your passion and drive to keep going
• makes you get up, dust yourself up and move on should you fall
• helps you dig deep in the face of adversity

However, as with everything else in life, there is a downside to tunnel vision. Blind-sidedness - ‘making someone unable to perceive the truth of a situation’. is the flipside of tunnel vision.?And these effects can be drastic, even catastrophic.?I entrusted human resources and day to day running of the school to the headmaster. To me, that meant I was good at delegating! My goal, my eye, my focus, was so trained on the bigger picture, that missed the little cogs that make the wheel of my business turn smoothly. I missed important social and family events because 'l didn't have the time'. This just compounded my isolation and loneliness even more. Then I had a vile message from a just departed employee that opened my eyes to the broader picture. Not only was staff turnover high, but pupils were leaving in their droves to other schools. It was a wake-up call.?

I fired the Headmaster and had no choice but to bear down and do the ‘gathering’ to retain staff and build up the student population again. I have an amazing Headmaster now.

We had seven kindergarten children in our first year. They are now in their final year in senior high school. Though the building was still incomplete, we quickly expanded in our second year up to Junior High School. All the students in that class, our pioneers, had failed their BECEs previously so they came to us for a second chance. One of those pioneers has just completed her first degree from the University of Ghana. Some have qualified as electricians, nurses etc. One went to Film and TV school and has just written his first drama – as well as entrepreneurs that have started their businesses.

HHIS is a registered NGO in Ghana and, to live up to our vision, we sponsor 15 orphans and/or needy children every academic year.

We are usefully innovative - planting our food, providing weekly boarding facilities for busy parents' children, designing and printing our uniforms, and accepting farm produce and coal instead of fees for parents who have no money to pay.?

As every entrepreneur knows, through the passion, pain and drive to push through to realise your vision, blindsides and all, the journey is always worth it. I have had more than my fair share of pain: disappointments, impostor syndrome, betrayal, ridicule, embarrassment, lack of money, stagnation, tears, and loneliness.?

And to culminate it all: my husband, my biggest support physically, financially and spiritually was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Dementia and I am now his full-time carer.

But we are finally succeeding.?

So, if you’re starting your business and your Honeymoon period is strong, you will make it.?

I encourage you, please stay the course.?

Your time is coming.?

• Please see the link to donate and help us complete the roof to keep the children safe from torrential rains.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-henry-house-international-school

• If you want to know more, please email Steven at?[email protected], or check out our Facebook page:?https://www.facebook.com/groups/112222062209803/.?

Thanks for reading!

Bernice.?

https://amzn.eu/d/cMuairi

If you HAVE bought and read the book, please leave a review on Amazon + share it on social media. :)

Thank you!

Steven