Running a business is a lot like standing at the bottom of a mountain, and deciding that for whatever reason, you’re going to climb it.
But with one MASSIVE exception.
The goal is to reach the summit.
Maybe the summit represents your goal to become rich and wealthy.
Maybe the summit represents your goal to make people’s lives better.
Whatever the goal is, you’ve decided that it’s at the top of this mountain and you’re going to scale it (with a twist).
You might start off surrounded by groups of people with the same goal. You’re all eager and excited to get going.
Some are nervous and new like you.
Others claim they’ve reached the top a bunch of times already and that it’s easy.
You’ll hear advice and tips.
All of which contradict each other and seem paradoxical.
“You should take a running start” – “you need to start slow and steady”
“Only men under 30 can do this” – “only women over 30 can do this”
“You need the latest gear” – “in my day we only used the basics”
And when dawn finally breaks, you all set off.
Some people are at a brisk pace, others haven’t even had breakfast yet and look like they’ll get left behind.
The only difference between you and everyone else, is that you’re going to do something very specific and very strange (in comparison).
This is the twist.
You are going to carve steps into the mountain each and every day.
From the bottom of the slope, all the way to the top, your method is to slowly and systematically carve footsteps into the rockface of the mountain.
That is what building a sustainable, long term, profitable business is like.
While everyone else is speeding past you.
And while people who started after you seem to catch up and overtake you.
You stick with your plan to clear out a section of rock, take a chisel, and carve out a 30 cm/12” deep and 60 cm /2 foot wide step.
The looks you get are curious at best and infuriated at worst.
Most people don’t comment, because most people haven’t actually seen you.
They’re too busy focusing on their own journey.
Those that do comment might offer words of encouragement or ask you what you’re doing.
A few will tell you that what you’re doing is wrong and a waste of time.
Some might even get angry because, despite it being your choice, you’re not doing what THEY would do and that challenges their self confidence.
And yes, it’ll be slow laborious work.
Some days you’ll get 10 steps carved out and you’ll wonder what all the fuss is.
Other days you’ll take all day to get ONE step carved out.
And your chisel will break.
And someone will comment that it’s not even that good a step and they saw a better step and that you’re just copying that other guy who builds steps out of wood.
You’ll also meet people who settle on the side of the mountain and tell you it’s not worth it to reach the top.
That they’re happy here, halfway up, and that you should quit and join them.
You’ll meet people on the way down that tell you to give up – that they couldn’t get to the top so you might as well not bother.
You’ll also meet people who look out from the mountain and see another peak in the distance.
The mountain you’re on is difficult and steep and the terrain changes.
But that mountain over there is easier and a faster climb.
That’s a better opportunity over there – we should try that mountain.
And yes, from this perspective, that other mountain might look easier to climb.
Until those same people give up (some give up right at the bottom) of their new mountain, and they find another mountain to climb.
And another.
And another.
But they’ll never reach the top of ANY mountain.
Sometimes you’ll hit a dead end and realise you need to turn back and take a different path, branching off your earlier work.
It’ll seem like you’re losing progress – taking 2 steps back for every 1 step forward.
It’ll seem like it was a waste of time.
And it will be, for the most part.
But that’s part of the process.
Sometimes you’ll have people tell you “I told you so!” and joyously revel in being correct in their prediction.
It’s worth noting that anyone can predict failure. Economists have predicted 8 of the last 4 recessions.
There will be times where you face deep ravines where you’ll have to dig down and carve a stairway down to the bottom, only to climb back out.
Looking over the ravine you’ll see it’s only a 5m/15ft gap but you had to go down so far, just to cross a small gap of air.
Other times you’ll spend days carving a route, making complex decisions and spending backbreaking hours making a safe winding path.
Only to peer around a large boulder at the end to see the start of your path.
You could have cut your time to 1/10th if you’d noticed.
And other times you’ll have people complain that the other steps they’ve used in the past are better and whoever built these should be ashamed of themselves.
But day in, day out, you stick with it.
Because you know deep down it’s the right thing to do.
You’ll pass previous attempts at entire staircases.
Some will be so close to the top you’ll wonder why they stopped.
Others will be good enough to use and add to your own.
Some will be so badly ruined and eroded that you have to choose another path to avoid them.
But finally.
After years of work.
When you reach the top and carve your name in the final step.
You’ll stand up on the top of the mountain.
With miles of comfortable, long lasting and well made steps behind you.
Not a single person will care.
No one will even know it was you except for a few close friends and family and loved ones.
You’ll even be accused of having it “easy” because there were steps there when you arrived at the top.
People not knowing that it was you who carved them.
You’ll feel pride.
You will know you’ve done it.
And you’ll embrace the win for a while.
Before you decide to head back down and buy another chisel.
