Bas Prass

When I started my most recent journey in 2016, I was all for the ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality. I even chose the word ‘hustle’ as one of the three core values of the business (along with ‘honest’ and ‘humble’ to be fair). I looked up to other founders and entrepreneurs who put in weekend hours and knew some food delivery guys by name since I wasn’t home most nights. I thought this was the way to go, the only way to go, for that matter. But times are changing. The new cool will be quiet entrepreneurship, and I fully approve.

The average length of in-person meetings with clients, suppliers, or sessions with multiple people is always longer, probably at least an hour. Most of these meetings involve much talk, fluff, and random opinions flying around the room. There was a time when I forced myself and the people around me to devise a pre-send agenda if meetings required longer than 30 minutes. It helped me (and others) to come up with the relevant talking points only within the time given of the meeting. Since the agenda was included in the calendar invite (which would automatically hit my inbox on the forehand), sometimes I decided to answer the agenda points by email.

If I started a new company today, I would spend 95% of my thinking and time on the mission and vision; everything else is just noise nowadays. A few ways and famous methodologies exist to form a company’s vision, from Simon Sinek’s golden circle to the BHAG formula. I’ve tried them all, and there’s no clear winner. The models are secondary. The founders are what make all the difference. If your mission and vision are clear, EVERY decision will become easier. Hiring new people to see if they fit your team? Easy. Finding new partnerships? Walk in the park. In times when things become dark, what’s your lighthouse? Your lighthouse should always be on, visible to outsiders or the ones already in your safe harbor.

Network: Attend industry events, peer groups, conferences, or online forums where experienced professionals hang out. Strike up conversations, ask questions, and be genuinely interested in what they say. LinkedIn: This is your secret weapon. Connect with people in your field and shoot them a friendly message expressing your interest in learning from them. Make sure you study what they did. Read their interviews, watch videos, etc. Do your homework. Remember, people love helping those who show genuine enthusiasm.

I want to talk about mentorship, a.k.a. having a coach. Most successful people I know have surrounded themselves with at least one mentor to guide them along their careers. No matter how junior or senior you are today, you’re never too experienced to be coached by a mentor. To be clear, I’m emphasizing a mentor outside of your (own) company. Someone who coaches you as a person to become a better professional. In my experience, once this relationship establishes enough trust and confidence, it can even be life advice. The advantage of having a mentor outside your daily business is that there isn’t any conflict of interest.

Compounding starts when you land your first deal. Yet, many entrepreneurs are chasing shiny objects. They focus on the short term and must remember to optimize for the long haul. The same was true in marketing when I brainstormed with founders or marketers on scaling their marketing efforts and acquisition channels. Have you ever spoken to a first-time founder who chose Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? No, of course not, because SEO takes months, years, even to be a proper channel. But if they did, well, you get my point. Always choose the path that compounds your work, wealth, or relationships. Yes, it will take time, and you probably won’t see the effect tomorrow, but once it kicks in, it will grow on you.