When Opportunity Knocks You Better Be Prepared

Success in life hinges more on seizing opportunity than having everything go according to plan. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.

Don’t get me wrong. I think the exercise of putting pen to paper and writing out a plan is actually incredibly important for sharpening your mind and your focus. But rarely, if ever, do you hear successful entrepreneurs tell you they are successful because everything simply went according to their plan. (Ha. wouldn’t that be nice!)

The far more common reality is that startups chug along for a while following a general plan. They might have good growth but not quite hockey stick growth. And then an unforeseen opportunity comes along out of the blue and punches them in the face. If the company is prepared, they grab that opportunity by the tail, ride it all the way home and never look back.

You can plan and plan until you’re blue in the face, but at the end of the day things hardly ever go according to plan. If you really want to change the trajectory of your company, rather than planning out every detail for the next three years, spend your time putting yourself in situations where opportunity can come a’knocking.