“I have a great business idea and need to act now before someone else gets in first.”

My client was working full time in a senior management position in logistics and wanted to transition to running her own business – a unique idea about female industrial style footwear.

“There’s a business trade show in China in May. I am planning to attend to establish relationships with suppliers for the product I’m looking to import.”

 “I need to move fast before someone else has the same idea and gets there before me!”

 I sensed there was something missing.

I challenged her: “Does this business idea fill your heart with excitement and anticipation?”

She went quiet.  Leaned back in the chair.  Stared out the window.

When she next spoke, the answer was a softly spoken: “No”

 “Is there anything else, which does?”

 She leaned back in the chair crossed her arms and sat there quietly thinking.

After a while, she leaned forward placed her elbows on the table, stared at me intently:

“My career to date has been in domestic logistics.  I would love the challenge of working in the more complex area of international logistics but don’t know where to start.”

 I responded:  “The best place to start is to research the industry and learn from others’ experience.”

 I passed on contact details of one of my clients, a female who worked in senior management in an international logistics business.  She arranged a coffee meeting.

She also arranged a coffee meeting with a contact in the logistics space, who was looking to mentor women in this space.

Then her eyes opened wide with excitement:  “Wait – by learning more about how international logistics works, I will also better understand about how the footwear import business will work.”

 She came in ready to rush off to China.  She left knowing there was another path to pursue.  Along the way, she learned that slowing down to ask the right question opened the possibilities for both paths.

Sometimes the fastest way forward is to stop rushing long enough to ask: “Is this what I actually want?”