Do you find yourself slamming up against brick walls in your business, that you can't seem to break through?
In the last couple years with Shipsi, I've come up against 100's of these brick walls. People told me they were unbreakable.
But in most cases, we found a way to break them down. Now, we have over 1 million drivers across the country—and we’ve closed deals with some of the biggest names in retail.
Of course, I say that not to brag, but to set up one of the most important things that has allowed me to overcome these obstacles...ones that many people thought impossible:
You have to learn to see from the other side of the table.
Whether it’s dealing with investors, customers, partners or even internal dynamics—you should continuously ask yourself: “What’s in it for the person on the other side of the table?”
At the early stages of a company, this can make or break you. Every single moment, choice, and commitment must absolutely have enormous returns. And the consequences of not making those wise decisions in every moment? The price you pay could be no longer being alive as a company.
Here are a few rules I now live by, based on lessons I’ve learned. They’ve allowed me to get the “other side of the table” vantage point and, honestly, have made the difference between success and failure in my company.
I’ve broken them down into different buckets:
Investors
A good friend first introduced the concept of ‘why you, why this, why now’ mindset that a lot of investors have.
Well, those are all good questions to sit and ponder. With so many companies running around desperate for investment, it must be decision paralysis. Master answering these questions, and you should eventually have yourself a group of investors.
The unfortunate part is that most investors want a meeting to ‘build a relationship’ prior, but in reality, you don’t have time for it. Be careful qualifying them in/out and stick to the rule of ‘always commit to a drink, never commit to dinner’ to save both of you the time, effort and cost.
Get back to what you should be doing—building an epic business—and the rest will follow.
Customers & Partners
Thinking about our customers and partners, I’ve had to think:
How does our solution align with their initiatives? Does it? What else is on their plate?
I remember when I had to do work operating on Windows 97. I can tell you right now, there was barely any “new technology” that we could have used.
What if your target market has a massive limitation that you don’t know about?. No matter how many bells & whistles your amazing solution has...can their business actually use it?
Constantly question yourself if you are truly listening or just trying to shove your wit down their throat.
Within Your Own Team
To have clear commitments internally is just as important.
Every single day the first question I ask myself is, “What are the three big things today that will move the needle?”
Then I go through each individual on the team and think about if they are waiting on me for something and if they have everything they need to be properly supported.
When you make sure everyone wins, you win. Plain and simple.
The result of seeing from the other side of the table is this:
You get to build a company where everyone involved gains enormous benefit when your hand is in the pot, and when you’re left out there is something missing or at a loss.
For instance, when Shipsi’s hand is in the pot, everyone we work with is gaining enormous value.
Brands and retailers are receiving more reduced shipping than on traditional methods, exceeding consumer experience and expectations.
Warehouses get tons of new business.
Last-mile networks are making 5-6x what they normally would, when they deliver for us—AND enjoying massively improved successful delivery rates.
Want to see that same explosive growth in your business?
Then, for every single person you come into contact with, ask yourself:
Regardless of the relationship dynamics, what’s in it for them? Why do they give a damn? Do they even give a damn? And if they don’t right now, why should they in the future?
And be ready for it to change everything.