A Passion for Shoes

 

a Passion for Shoes

I listened to a young man with a passion for shoes. He raved about shoes from the moment we met at the junction leading out of town. I wouldn’t have given him mind except that he knew me and I was walking in the same direction as he. It would be a mile until our paths parted. Save for the inauspicious ambush, I had hoped to entertain my own solitude and console myself of all the woes I had come through recently. Nothing else mattered to this young man except what he had to say. This young man enthusiastically went ahead to tell me about his vision of opening a boutique shop in the exclusive arena of an uptown backstreet alcove known only to a classy executive few. I had no option but to listen. He was wearing designer shoes, trousers, waistcoat, croc belt and skin tight shirt that etched out his trim figure. The kind fashion models have. This is not to mention his in-style haircut to match the polaroid reflectors. I could hardly not notice these things about him. He was graphically walking beside, in front and dancing around me as we walked. I briefly wondered how long it took him every morning to put on this designer look.

So, let’s start this lesson in enterprise from the beginning. He knew that he needed cash to start his business. He had a job which would help him bulk up savings cash over the next six months. He was in no hurry to leave the job, but needed to think about his own life and where it was going from here. So he was doing his research on rare, quality, high definition shoes. He told me the buyers of such shoes are conscientious bank and other institution employees who are mindful of their career image, visual presentation and consider elegant attire as part of career development, definition and competition on the corporate ladder. But there is another elite squad of middle and senior members of society, mainly men, who dress by taste, choice, gold watch and a touch of class. They have a standing budget to buy and wear the  good things in life. But there is another dispersed group who buy what they see. They don’t have to come to the shop. He called them GenZ! He already has 1,500 following his online contacts and Instagram page. By flashing one exquisite shoe on the net, he his sure to get at minimum 500 hits and an inevitable sale. But what will he do if the demand escalates out of control. This is the reason that he must have cash to back up his dive into enterprise

He has also done a great deal of research in identifying and contacting suppliers, ancient authentic art-shoe makers, tailors and fitters. He is lining up the back end of his business even as his front end is clearly defined. The back end is ready to support him. His fear is how to outsmart the competition. He has a few ideas. He needs to create an unmatched brand. A brand woven into his persona and desire to satisfy his customers. His greatest regret would be to let his customers down. He really believes this is what bring down businesses. He needs to wait, but he also knows he can’t wait too late if he is to build a regional brand before he reaches his mid-thirties. He is confident he has made all the necessary contacts. All he needs is cash. So I turn to him and say, “It seems you have already started”. He says “well, yes, but catch me in a couple of years when I open my boutique. You know, a boutique is all about location. You need to have six months’ rent to get the shop then you have to have enough stock to pay you back before those six months are up. That is why I have to be super careful”.

Then, at the bend in the road, he said, “this is where I branch off, see you, and thank you so much for your book, I guess you are going to the site? “. I said, “yes” and we parted ways. He to his vision and me to my solitude. But, my thoughts were no longer about my woes. My thoughts were locked on my site. In our previous meetings, I had told the young man about my business. He seemed to have absorbed it like a sponge although in our one mile walk I hardly spoke a full sentence without him coming back with a direction, rebuttal and justification for his cause.  Alone with my thoughts as I ambled towards my site, I started to reflect on how much I had learned from him about enterprise! All you need to start your business is half as much passion as this young man had. Only a few people I know have such passion for enterprise. But there are deeper enterprise questions here that demand answers. How much have you prepared the back end of your vision for your front end impact?! If anything, it would be a joy to work with this young man and even have him work for you as he pursues his dreams. He is a real person. If you would like to contact him drop me a line here… You may not think so but, this young man is living and working on his vision. Perhaps the real question he presents us, so called entrepreneurs, is; how much passion do you have for our own business? How much do you really know about it? What does your front and back end look like? where is your site?

Allan Bukusi

How to Oun Better Relationships!

 

Oun Better Relationships!

The general nature of human relationships is that they, evolve, mature and eventually dissolve at some stage. This relationship cycle need not be consciously undertaken, though time and circumstance has a major hand in the unfolding of interpersonal relations. Some are for a time others are for a circumstance while others are mix of both. While many people would call for “commitment” as a basis for enduring relationships, there are those in which a mutually beneficial transaction is sufficient. However, relationships need not be managed in the sense that each party gets and gives what they want from it in turn. While this may be an unstated expectation, therein lies the danger of degeneration of the quality of the relationship. Indeed, toxic relationships are often based on unqualified assumptions and unquantified expectations of one or both parties. It is only at this late stage of disintegrating relations   that emotional intelligence and social maturity of the engaged individuals are brought into question and critically explored. But it was not so in the beginning and perhaps may not have been needed. Three agreed upon things could help protect valued relationships and help us all enjoy and OUN better relationships without making them an inflexible bureaucratic process.

Objectives: While it may be considered odd at the beginning of a social relationship to find out, “what are the objectives of this association?”, this is quite natural when considering employment. No employee would step into a job without considering whether they are ready to commit to the job objectives. Nonetheless, I dare say that after a short period of emotional dating, it is prudent to establish the objectives of the budding relationship before continuing the engagement. This little, insightful, seemingly insignificant detail allows both parties to OUN the vision of the relationship and steer in that direction.

Understanding; We are all different people with different upbringing, backgrounds, careers and expectations. It is possible that we may see some things from the same perspective. But there is likely to be so much more that we don’t see from the same frame in the theatre of life. It is therefore prudent to prod further to clarify understanding with questions similar to; “what is your understanding of love, what are your expectations of my performance, what are the expected outcomes in this matter and what are the underlying assumptions of the following critical aspects of this relationship? what are we agreed on and what areas do we differ? how do we want to address the whatever it is that is critical to the success of this relationship? This nature of questioning and interrogation is not punitive, rather it is protective of the evolution and maturity of the relationship for the length of its existence. Determining and establishing a common understanding of the relationship at the beginning of a relationship can forestall future disaster. Nonetheless, a common understanding can also be carried by the more mature partner in the relationship in the interest of the other over period of association. This happens in the case of a parental relationship with a child. However, this does NOT excuse BOTH parties from developing the emotional and social intelligence required for long term association. The child must grow up to associate and relate with their parent as a mature individual in their OUN right. 

Nature: The nature of a relationship can be meaningfully contained and defined by time, circumstance, context and social obligation. Some are short term, others long term, others social others official, some are emotional, others are intellectual or academic. Every relationship has an authorized space of operation.  Let us say it is wise and probably more safe than otherwise to contain your relationships in the social spaces in which they are created to exist. For example, it may not be wise to bring up a family matter as a point of discussion in the office during a business meeting. Though there is overlap of relationship spaces, they need to be protected and kept apart in order to secure every other relationship. Understanding the nature of a business relationship will help parties ensure it does not deteriorate into a personal vendetta or emotional crisis that cannot be resolved in the business context. Understanding the nature of a relationship allows one to be respectful, protective and preservative of the ethical boundaries for the relationship to succeed. Understanding the nature of a relationship allows all parties to OUN and manage the relationship to ensure it remains valued and valuable for the term of the existence or while the relationship lasts.

For the most part, relationships are natural function of human existence and cover all aspects of human interaction and engagements starting from childhood, upbringing within/without family, friendships, employment, enterprise, courtship, business associations, and all angles and levels of community and societal intercourse. Such relationships could be personal, private or public.  We don’t always think about it until and crisis occurs, but in all relationships there are instances where the nature of the relationship could benefit from the prefabricated OUN structure of association to frame and protect its development, interaction, risk of exposure and guard the vulnerability, security and even abuse of not only the relationship, but all the stakeholder individuals engaged in the relationship process. If you are already in a relationship that does not seem to be taking any particular direction, this may just be an ideal opportunity for a discussion to take ownership of your future!

Allan Bukusi