Dear Entrepreneurs and Business Owners,
There is one thing I think about every time I open Waze before I start driving. The truth is, I already know the way to my destination.
But I still open Waze, because I don’t just want to know where I am today. I want to know what is waiting for me up ahead.
Is there an accident? Has my usual route started to jam up? Is there a better road that gets me there faster?
The more I think about it, the more I realise a founder should be thinking the same way.
Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs only see what is right in front of them.
They only move when sales drop, when customers start leaving, or when a competitor has already launched a better product.
By then, they are no longer leading the market. They are just chasing the situation.
The truth is, one of the most valuable advantages an entrepreneur can have is the ability to read the patterns of change before the change actually happens.
It is not about magically predicting the future. It is about gathering information, understanding the patterns, and making better guesses before everyone else moves.
That is why I have always believed that great founders do not live in reactive mode. They live in anticipation mode.
They are always asking, “What is changing in the market?”
They look at customer behaviour, watch what competitors are doing, study where technology is heading, and understand how all of it can affect their business six months or a year from now.
That is what I learned when I was an investment analyst. My job was not just to read the numbers. My job was to understand what those numbers were shaping, and what was likely to happen next. That skill is what eventually helped me a lot when I coach entrepreneurs across so many different industries.
I see the same thing in the journey of many successful entrepreneurs. They do not always make perfect decisions, but they have the discipline to understand what is really going on inside their company, read where the market is heading, and spot risks early before they act. When you do all three consistently, your chances of making better decisions go up a lot.
So I want to ask you one simple question.
If Waze always helps you pick the best route for today’s journey, what is the “Waze” helping you read where your business is heading for the next six to twelve months?
Do not wait until customers start leaving before you change your strategy.
Do not wait until the market shifts before you start learning, and do not wait until your business loses momentum before you ask what you should be doing.
Great founders are not just good at solving problems. They build the ability to see problems before they become a crisis, because at the end of the day, the future is not won by those who move the fastest.
The future is won more by those who understand change the earliest. That is why, as a Mentor, I always prepare business owners early for the challenges or situations I expect will hit them.
Datuk Wira
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