Long-Term View

When I read about a new indoor entertainment venue that recently opened in Atlanta, I called a friend who lives in the area. He said the venue is doing well—he often sees a line of customers waiting to enter. I drove by this weekend and saw the line for myself. Opening this venue was no small feat. It required tons of construction. It must have been preceded by years of planning. And given that it just opened, I assume the owners decided to push forward during the uncertainty of 2020.

Last year was a once-in-a-lifetime circumstance (hopefully) and one of the scariest situations a lot of entrepreneurs will face. But on a smaller scale, short-term changes in the market and unexpected hurdles are common. If founders focus on what’s happening right now, they’ll constantly be changing their plans.

The successful founders I know have taken a longer-term view. They decided where they thought the world was going and developed a vision for how their company fit into this future. They were heads-down focused on turning that vision into reality. They powered through short-term ripples in the market, always believing in their longer-term vision. Not over-focusing on the short term was the right call and these founders built great companies that went on to do great things. Often, others couldn’t see it and thought they were crazy for bucking current trends. They didn’t care, stayed the course, and were proven right.

I don’t know the owners of this new venue, but I imagine this describes them. After all, they chose to continue building an indoor venue in the midst of a pandemic!

If you’re an early founder or considering becoming one, be mindful that success will come from taking a long-term view of where the world is going, not reacting to daily changes.