Floating? No, full speed ahead!

By Aafke Eppinga

In our Sunday newsletter, we, as editors, reflect on the past seven days. We do this on the initiative of our cartoonist Albert Jan Rasker. He chooses a subject, draws a picture, and we take it from there.

I wrote about it just last week: the mystical atmosphere that seemed to hang over the start-up pavilion at The Next Web conference. Nonsense, if you ask Camilla van den Boom. “Regarding the path to success, the same business laws apply to every company. It’s all about razor-sharp focus, the necessary capabilities, and a continuous drive to realize ambition.”

She made it her mission to understand why some companies fail to achieve their goals. Armed with markers and A3 sheets, she helps entrepreneurs find focus, whether a start-up with ten employees or a large company with thousands of employees. In doing so, Van den Boom says entrepreneurs must shape a clear dot on the horizon and sail straight ahead rather than bobbing towards a random dot on the horizon.

“Where are you, where do you want to go, and how will you get there?” According to Van den Boom, those are the three most important questions entrepreneurs should ask themselves. Entrepreneur or not – it wouldn’t hurt to draw out a dot on your horizon this week, armed with at least one marker.