New business ventures can be exciting—if you have the time
For want of a nail, the horseshoe is lost. For want of a horseshoe, the horse is lost. For want of a horse, the rider is lost. For want of a rider, the message is lost. For want of a message, the battle is lost. For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
-A metaphorically constructed proverb about the importance of seemingly insignificant things from Poor Richard’s Almanack by Benjamin Franklin
Looking back, the five of us were pretty cocky. We’d just graduated with master’s degrees in business, and we felt somewhat invincible (silly boys!). All thirtysomethings, we had risen to significant levels in our respective fields. I worked in finance in a directorial role, two of the other fellows were chiefs in law enforcement, another sold radio equipment and related technology, and the last was a marketing specialist who could sell sand in a desert.
