The Best Funding Strategies Rarely Start with Funding
Capital Follows Confidence There is a common assumption in business that capital creates confidence. Raise the funding. Secure the investment. Obtain the loan. Then the organisation can begin building the future it has imagined. Our experience has often suggested the opposite. Confidence comes first. Capital follows. Not confidence in the sense of optimism. Nor confidence […]
Good Governance Is a Growth Strategy
There is a common assumption that governance begins when an organisation becomes large. Once the business has grown. Once investors arrive. Once regulations require it. Until then, governance is often seen as something that can wait. Over the years, I’ve found myself thinking about governance rather differently. Perhaps governance isn’t simply about compliance. Or policies. […]
Investment Decisions Begin Long Before the Investment Committee Meets
There is a common perception that investment decisions are made in boardrooms. ⦁ Around large tables. ⦁ Supported by financial models. ⦁ Investment memoranda. ⦁ Due diligence reports. ⦁ Committee papers. Those discussions are undoubtedly important. But I’ve often wondered whether the real investment decision begins much earlier. Long before the papers are circulated. Long […]
Not Every Opportunity Should Be Pursued
There is a common belief in business that opportunities should be seized whenever they arise. ⦁ A new market. ⦁ A potential acquisition. ⦁ A strategic partnership. ⦁ A promising client. ⦁ A chance to diversify. After all, opportunities don’t come around every day. Or do they? Over the years, I’ve begun to wonder whether […]
Growth Without Direction Is Still Drift
There is a common assumption that growth is always a sign of progress. ⦁ Higher revenue. ⦁ More employees. ⦁ Additional locations. ⦁ New products. ⦁ More opportunities. Growth certainly feels encouraging. But is it always taking an organisation where it truly wants to go? That question has stayed with me throughout my career. I’ve […]
Strategy Is as Much About Saying No as Saying Yes
One of the words I hear most often in boardrooms is strategy. Everyone agrees it is important. Many organisations have strategic plans, strategic sessions and strategic documents. Yet I’ve often wondered whether we’ve sometimes mistaken planning for strategy. Over the years, I’ve found myself thinking about strategy differently. Perhaps strategy isn’t a document. Or a […]
The Best Funding Strategies Rarely Start with Funding
Capital Follows Confidence There is a common assumption in business that capital creates confidence. Raise the funding. Secure the investment. Obtain the loan. Then the organisation can begin building the future it has imagined. Our experience has often suggested the opposite. Confidence comes first. Capital follows. Not confidence in the sense of optimism. Nor confidence […]
Institution Building
Institutions Remember Momentum Is Built Quietly Capacity Is a Strategic Resource The Cost of Delayed Decisions
International Trade & Investment
Again… None yet. And I’d leave it that way.
Fund Management
Capacity Is a Strategic Resource Fund managers understand that attention is a finite resource. Every “Yes” Has a Cost Capital allocation always involves opportunity cost.