Always Han Blueprints #4: Business is easy, people make it hard

Lesson: The Complexity of Business Lies in People

I know it’s not easy to read this but if you’ve ever been an entrepreneur, you’ll agree — business is straightforward; it's people that make it complicated.

Conversations about financial strains, decisions on cutting costs, discussions on political views, societal impacts — all these elements blend in a complex mixture. It's an experience that can either fortify or fracture a business.

Reflecting on my personal journey in the startup ecosystem, a vast majority of business failures can be traced back to co-founder and people issues.

Insight: The Human Element in Business Challenges

A case study on business failures often reveals a surprising truth — the solutions are straightforward. The solutions to business challenges are linear and can be solved through the following process: SWOT analysis, financial modeling, and then weighing out the pros and cons of each option. Business problems, in essence, can be addressed within a defined timeframe and straightforward methods.

However, it's the people that add layers of complexity. Creating alignment, end goals, and objectives are complicated by individual values, communication styles, and intentions. 

The human element is nonlinear and requires consistent effort. As founders and owners, we spend way too much of our energy on linear business problems when in fact we need to spend time on the complexities of our people. 

I have spent the latter half of my career focused on this and it has helped me forge better businesses like Blue Ocean Pool Service where my business partner and I are hyper focused on our goals, values, and opinions. We regularly touch base on a weekly basis and talk through the business goals and any pivots our strategies have made on our personal goals and values. And although it can seem redundant to do every week it has allowed for us to grow at a much faster pace as we can both rally our teams together in a unified direction.

Action Item: Elevating Your Business Through People Focus

Take a moment to reflect on the people around you. Who are the individuals that could potentially 10x your business? Identify those you should be investing more time in, whether it's your business partner or future managers. Ask yourself if you are allocating too much time trying to fix individuals who might be causing problems.