Obstacles in Business

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Wednesday, 17 March 2010 Written by Ben Way

Category Strategy

It’s interesting observing the daily musings of the entrepreneurs in the Fishbowl. One of the common themes seems to be their reaction to the various obstacles that are put in their way. From frustrating meetings with the bank to tricky liaisons with investors and partners; obstacles are part of parcel of any entrepreneurs’ life.

My obstacles? Where do I start? I sometimes wonder if somebody is playing games with me, throwing the biggest obstacles they can find in front of me and having a good laugh at my expense while I try and get around them. But let’s face it, our days would be very boring without some of the crazy obstacles business life throws at us. It is the challenges and obstacles that make being in business exciting and interesting. I always find however complicated the obstacle that there is a way that you can think of the situation entirely differently and find a way around it. In fact my entire business philosophy is based on the fact that I like to solve insurmountable obstacles and problems.

It sometimes seems other people – colleagues, investors, bank managers etc. are the hardest obstacle of all? Well it comes down to the fundamental fact that people are not disposable. When a person becomes an obstacle you can’t just remove them, you have to work with them to get past it. Part of this is getting them to realise that they are the obstacle. People are so complicated this is no easy feat, but once they realise this then they will normally work with you to find a way round the problem.

So my advice on obstacles is not to see them as obstacles, just challenges. Every challenge you get through teaches you something new and makes you and ultimately your business, even stronger.