Entrepreneurship 101: Maintain focus to achieve your goal

Manar Al Hinai reveals the lessons she has learnt as an entrepreneur from her autistic colleague.

I once asked my colleague and friend if there was someone out there who reminded her of herself. “I don’t think so,” she replied. “I like computer programming, drawing and other stuff, but I don’t think there’s anyone exactly like me. They might share similar interests, but they’re not like me.”

She often refers to herself as a computer geek or a neat fanatic, but one word she would absolutely never use is: autistic. My friend is a high-functioning autistic woman, but the challenges of autism are not really her concern. She somehow works around them. And there are some important lessons that we can learn from her when managing our businesses.

Firstly, my friend is extremely focused. She is a successful computer programmer and an accomplished app developer. That is what she focuses on. She knows her strengths and keeps doing what she is good at doing. In business, focus is an extremely important asset. I was in a meeting once where a colleague pointed out the number of entrepreneurs who are enthusiastic about an idea but never follow through. They somehow lose focus or delay plans until another time. My friend, on the other hand, found her calling, stayed focused and expanded her portfolio. And because of this, she earns a substantial income. Plus she never lets people’s remarks about her business or their opinions sway her from her passion.

If I described autism in one word, I would say it is powerful. But perhaps it is also a blessing in disguise. My friend is extremely determined. If I tell her we are going to take a road trip somewhere, or we will work on project X for a client, she will not stop asking about it until we have finished what we set out to do. Something that annoys her the most is an unfinished project or idea. It is often because of her determination and constant reminders about completing a job that we finish before the deadline. She never procrastinates or fails to follow through. She either gets the job done or tells you from the outset that project X is not for her. She does not waste my time and I respect her greatly for that.

If her brain were divided into compartments, I would say that 90 per cent of it was dedicated to her passion and 10 per cent was for everything else. Her mind seems to mainly revolve around her interests. Of course, like everyone else, she worries at times or gets annoyed, especially when things do not go as planned, or if someone has rearranged her workspace, but these occasions are rare. Most of the time she is either developing herself, working on what she is interested in or relaxing doing the things she enjoys the most. Imagine if, as an entrepreneur, you dedicated 90 per cent of your working hours just to your business and the ideas you are enthusiastic about. How much would you accomplish? We often let things get in our way. For instance, a bad email in the morning, or a negative meeting with a client can set our mood askew for the whole day, causing us to lose interest and focus on the schedule until the issue is resolved.

So imagine if you pursued your passion, did not put so much emphasis on other people’s opinions about your work and spent your time developing your plan. Imagine if you just focused on the work that needs to be done and did not waste time on things that did not interest you, instead being determined to go at it until you had achieved your desired results. Rather than just talking about the dreams you would like to achieve, what if you just achieved them? Do this and you will be unstoppable, just like my friend, and you will most likely reach your destination far faster than you had ever anticipated.

Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer who manages her branding and marketing consultancy in Abu Dhabi. Twitter: @manar_alhinai.

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter