Road-tripping to our Vision

What got us here.

We started Non Zero with an innate impulse to create, together. That was pretty much all we needed. Six friends who wanted better than what the creative industry had to offer. We came into it with our individual views of what it could be. It was only when we sat down to put it on paper (let’s be honest, on screen) is when we realized how disparate our ideas were.

Let me tell you why this was a good thing.

Ideally, you’d think founders need to be aligned on the vision of their company. To an extent they do… and we were. Do you know what’s even better? Perspective.

Here we were, six creative founders, on the brink of something new. We didn’t know at the time how valuable each of our outlooks were in forming what we are today. Coming from different backgrounds ourselves, one person’s point of view was another’s inspiration. We worked through our individual ideas of what we pictured Non Zero would do in the future.

This is where it got interesting. Prioritization. Today, we as individuals are incredible at it, we do it on a daily basis. But when it comes to prioritizing for company goals, it is hard.

We all have long lists of things we want to achieve but there can only be a few that get priority. The task of prioritizing is necessary to make sure you identify what truly needs to be done to achieve your goals. There are many ways to go about this, what is important though, is to find what fits best for your company.

It’s worth considering a new way of thinking about the period that lies ahead of us.

Commonly, there is a constant strain to attend to immediate tasks as compared to things that are good for the company’s long-term growth. The hack here is to know that this will always hold true and to move past it. Once we understand how to differentiate the two, it becomes easier to stay on track.

A Vision is what we want our company to be in the future. A Roadmap is the path that takes us to that vision. We have to know what actions are going to compound over a long period of time and the ones that are just stepping stones. Don’t get stuck in the rut and focus on the stepping stones so much that you lose track of the bigger picture.

Roadmaps need to be a reflection of the collective actions toward the vision. This is why making a plan at the beginning and never looking back at it will cost you a lot in the long run. What we learnt in the short time since our inception is that we need to reassess our Roadmaps… and often.

A reason to go on.

A year is a long time, we learn, change and adapt in subtle ways which add up to a renewed perspective on things. We at Non Zero have done the Vision+Roadmap exercise twice so far, it has kept us in check with reality while giving us a reason to go on.

If you’re still reading, you’re probably waiting for the precious secret to a successful plan. There isn’t one, but the way we look at it, keep the vision aligned but your actions fluid. This is why doing the exercise periodically is good to keep your company true to itself and the people that run it.

Currently, our roadmap has one steady income route to keep us afloat and another route to work toward our collective vision. This is a practical move that lets us build capital for the company and then to invest that capital in our future.

Switching is hard.

Looking into the distance reforms our brain to think differently. Thinking long-term is not easy, doesn’t come naturally and requires a lot of patience. You have to question your actions today and foresee how they might affect the future of your business. We are no experts here, but we can see how it has helped numerous people.

“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”- Bill Gates.

It is not a new concept but a misplaced one in today’s fast-paced environment. We get bogged down by our short-term goals and put the long-term growth of the company on the back burner.

Don’t break so easy.

While you hustle through, sometimes you might wonder if you are making the right decision. Your actions are what will propel you in the right direction because they will resolve your guesses and provide you with all the information needed to move ahead, or not.

So, make time to think. It will enable you take critical steps to make your company grow in the long haul.

Keep moving, experiment, all while staying aligned with your Vision.

If you want to chat about an idea or just want to connect for future possibilities, write to me at udita@nonzero.space, I’d love to hear from you!