#17 That’s where you’re wrong, kiddo

You know the old grump who says, “That will never work?” That’s me.

I started my first company in 1994. Like many others who have primarily focused on building businesses, I’ve encountered quite a few grumps. You know, the kind who either imply—or outright say—that what you’re dreaming of will never work.

Most of the time, I’ve responded with something humble, acknowledging that we can’t really know how things will turn out, but inside, I’ve often thought, and sometimes wished I had said…

– Really? Just you wait and see.

A while ago, I had a meeting with two entrepreneurs in their 30s. Let’s call them Frida and Per. They are incredibly skilled in their field. In just under ten years, they’ve built a successful business and grown to around 20 employees.

I asked them about their goals and dreams. Frida and Per responded a bit evasively, saying they’ll see how far they can go, but of course, they want to be able to help as many people as possible.

They have a very interesting focus, and after some discussion, we concluded that they could likely double their business within a couple of years. Per also talked about their flat structure and their self-organized teams, and how they think this is critical success factor.

Hmm… I thought. It will probably be difficult to grow significantly without some adjustments to those models. But instead of saying, “That’s exciting, tell me more,” I said…

– It will probably be difficult to grow unless you make quite a few changes.

Per’s response was lightning fast. His gaze locked on mine.

– Oh, you think so?

We laughed and joked about him taking it as a challenge, but inside, I felt like an idiot.

There I was. The grump. The one who said it wouldn’t work. And all of a sudden, I saw myself in Per.

This reflection was originally posted in Swedish on LinkedIn in the spring of 2024.