Technology, communication and some spilled beans about life. The business of life.

I recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the beautiful and partly glacier covered “roof of Africa”. Located in north-eastern Tanzania, Kilimanjaro (the highest mountain in Africa and part of the Seven Summits) considering it’s 5 895 meters is not exactly a walk in the park. It can be seen as a beautiful trek through amazing landscape. Although on the other hand you hike uphill for eight hours a day with temperature varying down to -20°C. The high altitude making every step feel like 200 ordinary steps (at sea level) where just a small sore on your foot will leave you with a feeling that can only be compared with a gunshot.

So I guess you can say that I payed close attention to what our guides said and recommended. I followed them like a shadow. All the way to the top.

Back in camp, still exhausted from the expedition, I was trying to sort things out. The experience was overwhelming and all their gathered advice hammered my head. But as I went through them one by one, halfway back so sanity, I realised they could all guide one through not only a climb – but business as well. So, ladies and gentlemen, I went through hell to get it for you. But here it is. The learnings from Kilimanjaro. The secret (give me a break) path from the Uhuru Peak to a profitable business. Enjoy.

Guard your door

When climbing to higher altitude you must constantly guard the door to your body. If you during any time is missing for example liquid or carbohydrates, if you haven’t slept or been resting enough – you let bad stuff happen. Like altitude sickness, for example. If you don’t take care of your feet after every walk, as if they were the only thing standing between you and success, they will end up positioned exactly there. It is about never letting your system out of “sight” and control. Always guard that door. The same goes for building a business. Today, your market is evolving in such speed your company must always keep on moving. Research and development must guard the business, act around the position of your product. Is there a new technology that could possibly be a game changer? How can you move on that? What is our target audience saying about you this very moment? How can you move on that? What is your vision and prediction for your market and your product in the years to come? And how can you move on that?

Trust the experts

As I said, on the mountain it felt pretty crucial to let the professionals have their say. To completely trust their judgement. It is a waste of money, time and talent to hire great people and not let them be great. Put effort into attracting the best possible crew. Then let them free. In the bigger picture technology and developments moves too fast, no single man or woman can ever be awesome all over the place. Your company, idea and vision can most certainly never grow and prosper without the excellence of many.

Begin to dig

During an expedition on Kilimanjaro (and most other mountains, I guess) weather conditions is a hassle. We could be fried by the African sun at one moment, and freezing our fingers off from the mountain wind the next. To be able to monitor the weather conditions, the bodys reaction upon that weather – and adapt equipment and clothes – was crucial. To be too warm was dangerous, to be too cold was even more dangerous. Monitor and act. In modern business, when you through your own digital platform and external activities (on for example Facebook, Twitter and YouTube) can follow every users every step – that is as crucial as an extra pair of gloves. To act digitally and not being aware of all the statistics is a crime. You are not really using digital technology if you are not totally dug into stats. You should be obsessed with stats, stats should be discussed on every meeting, stats should be what decides everything, in the stats you’ll find the truth.

Act upon opportunity

Weather conditions, the condition of the people around you, the strenght in yourself – can determine if and when your crew will make an attempt for the top. And as in business, in a world that is constantly changing (and changing fast), it is important to be able to spot an opportunity and act upon it. In a rapid world, speed is an awarded skill. To be able to make a decision is a well-known expertise. But to make that decision at the right time is what differentiates good from bad ass. It wouldn’t be that impressing to hear a CEO today make the decision that his or her company should put some resources into “digital”. But ten years ago it could have been the most brave act imaginable. Get into your core business, the pure idea of what you guys do, and then get ready to rumble.

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