Excerpts of Richard’s City AM columns. As he has been too busy to continue, these are now all archived here as blog posts
Posted on July 2, 2013 | in Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur | by Richard
My oldest son, Tom, came to me with a confession. “Dad, I’ve got a bit of a problem: I think I’m lazy.” “What?” I said. “You’re lazy? And on top of that you want sympathy for your condition?” I kicked him out of the room with a smile on my face. “We are all lazy! We just get off our butts and go and do things. Get outta here!”
I don’t have a lot of sympathy for slackers. I’m often at my desk early in the morning and usually start by scribbling out a “to-do” list on some scrap of paper. I must admit though, I love including a few things I’ve already finished, then heavily crossing those out and going to grab a well-deserved cup of coffee.
When I return to my office I’m usually doing things that are urgent or even over-due. Work is so much easier when it’s fuelled by adrenalin and anxiety. Some things though, I just put off eternally. They appear continually on my to-do lists but whenever I even half-think about doing them, something else seems far more important, such as tidying up a drawer or buying spare toothpaste. No wonder I’ve never got around to learning the piano or speaking decent French.
My to-do list has to be on paper, not electronic. I can’t stand a pesky computer or smart phone bugging me about something I’d hoped to do by a certain time. Every time you hit “remind me later” you feel like you’re cheating on a digital device. Save any such guilt for humans! Paper versions of anything though, can have their disadvantages. A friend of mine insisted on using a paper contacts book, until one day she accidentally dropped it in the loo. She managed to fish it out but by then a lot of the pages were unreadable. For a few weeks or so she couldn’t contact anyone whose surname started A-H…
Lists can also be used to make important decisions. I’ve used the mighty “checklist” approach when investing, and I sometimes use it when I’m assessing small companies. I put all the major factors in there, such as the quality of the management, uniqueness of the product, time to market, competition, market size, economic environment and so on. Each of these gets a score between +3 to -3. Then everything is added up and, hey presto, the total score helps me form an opinion. A big plus score usually means of course, that I am very confident. The advantage of a checklist is that it encourages me to look at all angles. It then helps me to restrain my enthusiasm, with say, a great product if the management is a bit iffy, or if the market is too competitive. It also gives me a historic record of my view at the time. I’ve taught this approach to co-workers and when one of them was moving back to Australia, he called me.
“RF, I’ve just been trying to decide whether to live in Sydney or Brisbane, so I have done myself a checklist. Can I run it by you?” “Er, of course mate.” “Climate: Sydney plus 3, it’s not as humid. Cost of living: Brisbane plus 3, it’s much cheaper. Social: Sydney plus 2, I’ve got more friends there….” He went on to list about ten things, including a “big male fish” factor. “I’ve have made a few bucks, and the girls will be much more impressed with me in Brisbane. Plus 2… What do you think?” “Um, I guess that all makes sense mate. What are you going to do?” “I’ve added it all up and Brisbane wins by 2, so I think I’m going to move there.” Wow, I thought, he’s either mad or brilliant.
By Gerald Thomas
Patiently waiting for your new post Richard. Best wishes
By Are Terjesen
By GarryS
Allan Cameron
Mad or Brilliant must run in the family
July 3, 2013 at 1:32 am
Barry Devlin
The image up top is spot on – we’ve just moved from Sydney to Brisbane with our three young girls and having vowed to get rid of Foxtel anyway, turns out we can’t get Council telly either. Fine by us, as we work on our start-up most nights and the girls do cray stuff like play with toys or make up games using their imagination. (We could use another ipad though…they know their way round YouTube far better than I do, even the 2yr old…)
July 22, 2013 at 1:57 pm
Kasia
Wonderful simple and helpful advice Richard. Just what I need right now. Thank you! And a big thank you again for sharing you story on Australian Story last night. You’re an inspiration.
July 23, 2013 at 12:39 am
Ben
Just to back Kasia’s comments, – Richard your life story on Australian story last night is one of true inspiration. It certainly puts things in to perspective. While financial wealth is something that most aspire to (myself included) I’m already wealthy with the love and care I received from my family and extended family from the day I was born. It’s hard to fathom not having that in my life and I admit I take that for granted. With 3 young children 6 and under I must now share that wealth with them. If in time I become financially wealthy well that is a bonus, I will always provide the best I can for them which has a limit to some degree but there is no limit in the love and care I can bestow on them.
July 23, 2013 at 1:00 am
Peter McClelland
Dear Richard,
a very moving and courageous account of your family life on Australian Story.
Bravo!
I too, emerged from the blast of the blowtorch. Some positives, some negatives.
I’m a journalist and writer… I put words on the page in a highly elegant manner.
If you ever need a writer, I’m your boy.
Kind regards,
Peter
July 23, 2013 at 3:01 am
Dr Viera Scheibner (PhD)
My mother was booked for an abortion with me. Something stopped her in tbe last minute. Nevertherless, I was lthe Cinderella who had to to wash the dishes etc and sleep on the “wood” between my parents in their bed. I was also left alone (between 4-13 years) in charge of my violent alcoholic father when he came home shouting and my mother and sister ran away. I remember shiverring a lot during cold weather and now I like my warm bed very much. However, all that made me stronger and managing to look like a million dollars (just a figure of speech) and manage with very little, whipping comething out of nothing (literally). And, managing very nasty, dangerous, and intractable people by a measured kindness. That includes a hired hitman.
Now I am 78 years young and I would like to talk/meet with Richard. I would appreciate it very much if he responded my email. He can also find me on the Internet. I do research into dangers of vaccines and that is not exactly running a popularity contest.
.
July 23, 2013 at 5:00 am
Roger M
Great post Richard, I will be taking notes on all advice you have to give to us younger folks wanting to improve our lives in all aspects.
July 23, 2013 at 8:06 pm
Bruce Notman from Brisy
Wow Richard you seem to be faced with the exact same situation as we are with one of our sons. Our no.2 son was heading for a fairly good school result in his final year and was injured playing soccer took a big concussion to his head causing a seizure and going blind for 30 minutes. He had a fair bit of time off school and missed his finals. As a result his original intension was to join the military and become an officer in the army – perhaps the mechanical engineering field. All of a sudden he lost the wind from his sail, finished Grade 12 last year, hasn’t got a job and plays xbox all night and sleeps all day….what happened. I introduced some tough love and cut his mobile and internet last week. Helped him with a resume and is registered with centrelink etc. But he hasn’t shown any initiative to get a job by himself. He worked at a local convenience store for a few months until that job dried up. I took him to some property conferences with the Reno Kings and Steve McKnight and and few others – Mark Rolton etc. He understands the concept that one doesn’t necessarily have to have a degree to succeed…but geez get off your butt and go and do something. I have a plethora of information regarding Real Estate and property industry – but one has to actually read it to impliment it. So in short – feeling a need to – as you said kick butt…and get out there. Regards Bruce from Brisy E&OE.
July 27, 2013 at 8:56 am
Audrey de Witte
So what are those things on your ‘to do list’ that just never get done? I wonder what the story is there?
August 7, 2013 at 12:55 am
sync google plus and facebook
This is my first time pay a quick visit at here and i
am in fact pleassant to read all at one place.
September 4, 2014 at 3:04 am
Ray Evans
Richard. I hope u chose Brisbane. Me 70, divorced single. Still live in Melbourne. Brisbane, lovely climate, lovely people. No traffic, my brother Robert lives there with his family at north lakes, near red cliffs, a truly wonderfull spot. No foods, cyclones, etc. ray
March 14, 2015 at 8:16 am