William Tewiah
William Tewiah is the founder and CEO of Ghana-based ZEN Petroleum, a provider of gas and lubricants to the nation’s mining business. On this article, first revealed by Africa’s Enterprise Heroes, Tewiah shares a few of the learnings from his business trip.
A compelling dream or enterprise concept means little till it’s backed by decisive motion.
Past that preliminary spark of inspiration, the transition from imaginative and prescient to enterprise calls for sustained dedication, operational self-discipline and a readiness to tackle the much less seen, usually demanding work. Whether or not it’s pursuing gross sales leads, refining investor pitches or grant functions, or as I did in ZEN’s early days, driving over 300 km forward of our tankers to make sure well timed consumer supply, it’s in these efforts that enterprise foundations are really constructed.
We every have our personal “300km journey” forward of us; typically resulting in success, different instances to middling outcomes and sometimes marked by detours and failure. But each step, no matter end result, has the potential to maneuver us nearer to that elusive benchmark: legacy. Whereas ardour might ignite the dream, it’s guiding ideas that pave the street towards scalability.
Listed here are a number of which have served me nicely.
Momentum over perfection
Many overlook the significance of merely taking step one. The phrase ‘simply do it’ could also be overused, however its message stays related. Now let’s take it a step additional with: ‘simply title it’.
Many entrepreneurs get caught at this stage, agonising over what to call their firm. I’m usually requested if there’s a deep which means behind the title ZEN. For me, the title was by no means a very powerful factor – it got here second to the values we aimed to embody: delivering the correct high quality, in the correct amount, on the proper worth.
After all, relying in your services or products, a reputation can and ought to be strategic. A powerful title can improve model recognition, however profitable technique doesn’t finish there – it begins with high quality. Listed here are a number of methods to push previous the naming hurdle:
- Select readability. It must be clear, straightforward to say and capable of evolve with your corporation.
- Check it. Say it out loud, ask trusted individuals the way it sounds and examine for any obvious pink flags like area availability or undesirable meanings in different languages.
- Commit. You may at all times refine your model identification later, however progress stalls while you let perfection block momentum.
Maintain the primary factor the primary factor
“We promote gas.” It’s one thing I’ve mentioned at ZEN for years to maintain our focus grounded when priorities pull in several instructions. The readability of that straightforward assertion has undoubtedly helped form our development right into a full-service petroleum firm, extending our core focus and mandate throughout a wider provide chain.
Your services or products is the engine of your corporation; all the pieces else is determined by its worth and relevance. Irrespective of how visionary your targets could also be, if what you’re providing doesn’t meet an actual want persistently and reliably, it gained’t final. Listed here are some sensible methods to remain grounded in what you’re constructing:’
- Refine the core providing usually. Maintain asking: Are we fixing the correct drawback in the correct approach?
- Don’t do an excessive amount of too quickly. Progress is nice, however not at the price of shedding focus in your core.
- Let goal information enlargement. Earlier than including a brand new characteristic, product line or market, ask: Does this transfer us nearer to the affect we got down to make?
- Say what must be mentioned. Innovation isn’t solely outlined by invention. Usually, it’s about perception; the power to determine inefficiencies in current programs, communicate up about them and take deliberate steps to handle them.
Founders who transfer industries ahead recognise difficult the norm as their strongest aggressive edge and have a tendency to comply with sure shared patterns:
- Name it out. Don’t be afraid to call what isn’t working. A powerful voice backed by information could be highly effective.
- Provide higher. It’s not sufficient to criticise; your services or products should show the choice.
- Construct allies. Whether or not by means of partnerships, buyer advocacy or coverage engagement, use your voice to construct momentum for change.
Your legacy is yours
As tedious as these 300km journeys had been, they got here with certainties: a mapped-out route, a transparent vacation spot and the peace of mind of cost upon well timed supply. The entrepreneurial journey gives no such predictability. Even with the correct mindset and disciplined execution, there aren’t any ensures of recognition or lasting affect, a minimum of not within the typical sense.
Over time, the concept of legacy for a lot of leaders shifts away from conventional milestones and evolves into one thing deeply private. It’s mirrored within the crew you’ve constructed, the challenges you’ve navigated with integrity and the markets you’ve had the braveness to disrupt.
Earlier, I described legacy as elusive, and it may be. Not as a result of it’s out of attain, however as a result of it’s straightforward to miss that it should usually be a self-defined pursuit, anchored within the goal that first sparked your imaginative and prescient.
So it’s value asking your self: What does legacy imply to me? What am I constructing immediately that I’ll be proud to have stood for? With that readability, and the enterprise acumen to match, your dream might nicely scale into one thing really lasting.
