Ever heard an aspiring entrepreneur say “but no one knows about it”? Or how about “OK, try it and let me know how it goes. If it’s fine I will check it out too”.
These statements are not unusual. Many of us are cautious about trying out something new. We may want to see what others say before we jump in. We may even decide against chasing a business dream because no one has pursued such a venture before. We are creatures of association and feel more comfortable doing things that others have tried before us.
At a seminar I recently organised, the speaker held up a brown bag on stage and said that whoever comes up first could have the gift inside. I was standing next to him on the stage and looked across at the crowd of 100 attendees. I expected someone from the front row to get up and snatch the bag. After all, they were just a few steps away and there was a free gift right there in front of them. No one did. A few seconds went past, and then a young woman from the back row walked hurriedly and grabbed the bag out of the speaker’s hand.
The speaker looked at the crowd and told them that the woman was a true opportunist. The gift bag represented what the world has for us – its endless gifts and opportunities. If we did not have the courage to get up and grab the goods, or waited to see if others would do so before us, then we could let good opportunities go by. In doing so, we only made them available to those behind us – even those who could be at the end of the line, such as that young lady who walked hurriedly from the back, when there were at least 50 people ahead of her who could have seized that opportunity before she even thought about getting up from her seat.
I recently met a young Emirati who reminded me of that woman. I had organised an art exhibition to raise awareness about autism in the UAE. He was a guest at the exhibition and fell in love with a painting by one of the participating Emirati artists. He found out that I was the organiser, looked me up on social media, told me he wanted the painting and asked how much it cost. I told him to coordinate with the artist on the price.
A few days later he told me the artist could not set a price for his work and that maybe I could help. I advised that it was best for the artist to do so and I could not value someone else’s work for fear I may not be just. But still the artist did not get back to him. Then a few days ago, I received an email from the interested buyer early one morning saying he would come to my office to negotiate a price with the artist that day.
He arrived on time, ready to pick up the artwork. He told me he had loved the piece the minute he saw it and wanted to own it. We made the arrangements and he took away the piece half an hour later. That afternoon, he posted a photo of the artwork hung proudly in his office.
So what does this art buyer and the young woman at the semina have in common? They do not wait. When they wanted something, they went for it. That young woman had 50 people seated in front of her who could have been the recipient of the brown bag, but she got up anyway. The Emirati man was not put off when the artist did not respond to him quickly. He knew what he wanted and he was determined to get it. When things did not run smoothly for him through email, he came in person to get what he wanted.
Successful entrepreneurs do not wait. They do not wait for the perfect time and do not wait to follow a business path after others have already left their mark. And they do not wait to enter the field when it is already saturated. The good thing about the business world is that every day presents a new opportunity for you to grab. So go out and grab it.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer based in Abu Dhabi. Twitter: @manar_alhinai.
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