Bringing up baby

So, I was told Ben was quitting, yep, he’d had enough. It was time for him to take the foot off the gas and leave ‘the baby.’ He was to walk away from the business of ten years.

I asked him what had happened that would make him ‘throw in the towel?’

I simply couldn’t see the way forward Charlie, after trying to make a ‘quid’ these past few years I’ve decided on trying something different. Besides, the change ‘might do me good’ – it might rekindle my mojo …

You’ve lost it? The passion for the business??

Ben, isn’t it enough that you have set your sights on the future, shared your dreams through people alliances, invested faith in colleagues and their contacts – isn’t that enough to clear your path to fruition? For however long it takes?? To have shared your vision, Ben, the cultivation of trust, the dedicated partnership, of where you want to be on completion of the journey – surely this is a testimony to your passion and validation to your reputation in business?

Don’t you think that the mojo was alive and well already?

Just too many negatives around ‘just now’ Charlie. There is no ‘money in it’ and besides, I’ve more responsibility now with the day job, the paycheck is good as well .. I’ve already spent enough personal wealth, family time and faced one too many disappointments. Besides, it’s time for a holiday.”

He wasn’t listening. Ben had replaced his passion for the business with the cushion of security. During the last ten years, he’d turned a ‘hobby’ into a vision for a lucrative second career and now he was walking away. It was a tough decision in tough times and I do get the reasons why.

Think about what it was Ben was walking away from …

The loss leader? Yes, looks like it.

Time away from family? That as well.

Disappointments? Yes, the possibility of failure is real.

Stress?  In business? We deal with stress. Daily.

Being responsible for, at the helm of your own business, these are just a handful of sacrifices we make when we’ve decided to ‘bring up baby.’

So, what else are we leaving when walking away?

Relationships, partners, [leverage,] dreams, shared visions and the disappointment of a vision and the passion gone unfulfilled.

People buy from passionate people.