Escape and Direction

A friend asked me a great question the other day about where I am in my life, especially with my decision to go to Korea for 3 months.  My reply is below:

"Your question on going to Korea as an escape did get me thinking.  The answer is yes and no :)  Yes, a part of me wants to take a break from this business and have some fun.  But am I running away from something?  I don't think so.  I read a book about the dynamics of Asia in the next 15-20 years.  The author forecasts that USA will still remain the dominant power in Asia, but there are challenges via Japan, China.  So the two nations that will help USA maintain their influence in the area are Singapore and Korea, which means that they will continue to get investment and support.  So I actually think Korea will have more opportunities in the future and if I can establish some networks there it could mean more business down the road.  One thing I want to keep in mind is how to make the best use of this experience and not for it to dissolve into some 3 month party.

Can the business run by itself?  After 2.5 years, the restaurant part can and does run by itself.  Sometimes well, sometimes not well!  We add value by keeping our staff motivated, working together and focused on the right things.  You are correct in saying that no one cares for the business as much as the the business owners.  But that doesn't mean that we don't try to encourage and make our staff want to take that ownership.  We are now at 30 full time people in this business!  We have to get multiple layers to manage themselves.  Having Jo in the business whilst I am away of course is good.  But ultimately we have believe that we can find people that are as dedicated to the business as we are and develop this people.  Otherwise we can never grow.

Where Jo and I are now trying to add more value is developing the business in new ways.  Opportunities like developing that retail arm, pitching for a food stall at F1, bidding for a new diner, these are the things that we are now focussed on.  Can they be done not in Singapore?  To a certain extent yes, although developing a design needs some visits to the location.

As to your question of being lost, yes I have those moments.  I actually think that comes with the flexibility that this business has given me.  The tough part is not knowing if any of these opportunities that we develop will actually get us anywhere.  There is also an element of uncertainty that what we do will actually increase our profitability.  So yes I think the direction can be sharpened.  But I feel at peace with what I am doing.  I am happy to be given the opportunity to make things happen.  And by "make things happen", it could mean anything from going to Korea to creating a charity BBQ event to building a new F&B brand.  Maybe that is all that I can ask for.  Just have to make them work.

There is an article that talks about moving from different periods in our lives.  I do feel that I go from Stage 3 back to Stage 2 and back to Stage 3.  Conceptually, I think I already committed to this business with the time and investment spent.  But I also need to understand what are the odds of these new opportunities succeeding and which ones I should pursue.  http://markmanson.net/four-stages-of-life

Thanks for asking me those questions and making me think.  And thanks for the offer of talking through Christianity.  It is something that I think I will have to find my own path for.  And who knows where that path will lead!"