Start With the End in Mind
Guidance
When we bought our family business back in Kenya, I did something most founders skip.
I did not start with a growth target.
I started with a picture of the life I wanted.
Where I wanted to live. How I wanted to spend my days. What I wanted to be free from.
Then I worked backwards.
What would that life cost? What would the business need to be worth to pay for it? How many years would it take to get there?
That gave me a number and a deadline. I promised my father five years.
From that day, every big decision passed through one filter. Does this move us towards the business we need to sell, or away from it?
It made some choices easy. It made some choices painful. But it never left me guessing.
Clarity
Most founders run their business forwards. They chase the next customer, the next hire, the next quarter. Years pass, and the business grows, but it is not clear what it is growing towards.
Working backwards is different. When you know the destination, you can judge every opportunity against it. A good deal that takes you off course is not a good deal.
You do not need to plan an exit to use this. The "end" can be a business that runs without you, a team you are proud of, or time with your family. What matters is that it is written down and specific.
Growth
Write your end picture. In one paragraph, describe your life five years from now. Be specific: where, with whom, doing what.
Put a number on it. What does the business need to earn, or be worth, to support that picture?
Test one decision. Take one decision you are facing this week and ask: does this move me towards that picture, or away from it?
A clear destination makes hard decisions easier.
Until next Monday,
Kuki
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