An Entrepreneur's Resolution

We’ve just broke the dawn of the New Year and amidst the celebration and the well wishes, what also seems to be trending is - Resolutions! Everyone, at some point reflects the year at its end and makes new - or “renewed” resolutions - be it getting in shape to making more money, to carry forward towards the fresh year ahead. With that being said, how do you define a resolution as an entrepreneur? Typically, one would have a resolution to further expand or grow the business, make amendment to the shortcoming or flaws in the previous year such as underachieve targets or even to cushion the fall of the currency. Soon enough, if we haven't already noticed by now, entrepreneurs often get themselves in to a vicious cycle of different variables but the very same situation - to rectify their shortcomings of the previous year.

Here’s a thought to ponder upon. I believe one’s focus in business is vital but that focus shouldn't be everything that there is. There is a stereotype that as an entrepreneur, you supposed to be working round the clock, busy at all times chasing after sales - true, but only to a certain extend. Times have changed and so has the business landscape around us. Short to say, being a CEO or as a business owner, should one have the mindset of entirely working harder just to make more money, there is a high chance that he jeopardizes the growth of his business. Instead, it is important to allocate priority to our personal development. Let’s study this situation - We have a working period from Mondays till Fridays, days where we focus on the business, make meetings, achieve targets, motivate the team and so forth. However, there a high chance we may spill over the week’s work over the weekends in hopes to “get ahead of the game”. 

True blood entrepreneurs work on their feet. They think and strategize business plans over a tee off, or even a cup coffee. This level of creativity and ability cannot be achieved with over working.

I believe, to become a complete entrepreneur, one has to devote time for:

Team Sports

A good foundation in sports makes you a better leader. Allocate time for you and the members of your organization to play a team sport; let it be badminton or even a game of futsal. Human evolution has always depended on physical competitiveness - from times of hunting, team sports drives competition, cultivates a sense of adventure and most importantly, you synergize a team to achieve a common goal, in a way you'd practice the same methods with a team during work. As a leader, you identify the pros and cons of your members and you strategize a game plan towards achieving a goal.

Engaging Alone Time

Set aside an “alone time” with physically beneficial activities. Be it jogging or swimming, or in my case - hiking! What I've learnt from my alone time during hikes is that, when I physically push myself, it improves my focus. And I tend carry that focus and motivation to work hence, giving me a new mind set when I face struggles.

Allocate Time with Friends

We may over do this bit, but nonetheless, setting aside time with good friends allows us to be let our hair loose for a while, to be ourselves. It definitely cultivates the humor and compliments the lighter side of life, enabling one with a clear boundary of a work-play balance.

Spending Time with Family

When I’m at home, spending time with my daughter; or even helping my wife with a little housework, I learn the true reason why I work from Mondays to Fridays - the unconditional love we all have for each other as a family. And this reminds me to be compassionate at work. It teaches one values and the ultimate motivation in an entrepreneur’s journey.

Religious Beliefs

Lastly and most importantly, every leader has to have a religious belief. Having faith in religions instill moral values we may overlook in ones journey as an entrepreneur. Let there be a higher purpose to what an entrepreneur strives for. Good faith and humility also will naturally lead one to give back to the society and essentially - stay humble.

Back to resolutions, we tend to wait till a new year arrives, or a birthday to implement a resolution. My question is, why wait? There is no better time to put into action a resolution than now. Action is what separates the fine line between resolutions and goals. How you organize your time among work and five mentioned areas in a week is entirely up to one. One could set priorities given their schedule and availability.

The science to it is - Not to Be Always Working. In the long haul, as were very aware of the consequences of over working, you may lose your friends, strain relationships and very importantly, disregard health. The key is to be consistent. - start immediately and stay committed to the resolution. To make my point again, the productive activities you engage in outside work could very well propel your business and flourish as an entrepreneur!

As a follow up to my hiking adventures, prior to my expedition to Mount Kinabalu last May, my groups of friends have yet again planned to conquer Mount Rinjani this July. On which, I have already begun my routine hiking the very next day after planning. We will also be hiking up Mount Kinabalu again this May with a number of 10 to 15 friends and this time round – Just to prepare myself for the bigger course ahead

S.T. Rubaneswaran is an accidental entrepreneur. An engineer by qualification, he chose to begin his career as a door-to-door salesman. He and his team successfully turned around the formerly loss-making Knowledgecom Corporation Sdn Bhd (www.eknowledge.com.my) to become the most-sought after training company today. We also wrapped the year by winning the prestigious Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 award

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