The moment you are done with school and you are not fortunate enough to have a father ranking top within the government streets or is corporate leader in Kenya, job search becomes the norm. Better yet, if things are looking up for you, interviews will come knocking. Mistake that not, as a cue for getting the job though. Incidences of disappointments are prevalent.
Anyway, this interview comes on and through my preparing, brother Google has this template of possible questions of the said interview. Let’s say, the corporate setting Mwakenya or better yet, (Accountants only!!) the question banks you use every time you sit a Kasneb exam.You are certain something will be repeated from that bank and if you are lucky, everything will be repeated. (True campus story.)
Among the questions were ( keep your expectations in check, nothing from the moon ) which individuals I admire most in business as well as a company that I think is doing well. (Sounds easy right? ) Of course, these questions should come packed with solid explanations to support yours.
I settled for Richard Branson, for a simple reason; he built 8 different billion-dollar companies from scratch in 8 different sectors. That’s huge if you ask me!
However, putting more thought into it, it struck me, there is nothing else I could say about this man if not for the snippets that Google gave and the fact that he’s been on Shark Tank and my friend thinks, he’s the most humane person around.
I took to digging about the guy and first thing I came across was his tale of how he tried to cross the Atlantic in a hot air balloon which did not survive but landed somewhere in a desert. Who is this guy?
Well, all these blank spaces were to be filled by a roller coaster of a book: Loosing my Virginity. (Virgin being a random name that was coined among his best friends as they were trying a hand in business which they had no idea how to go about – Risk & Fun)
Given that I am really fascinated by personal interest stories, this one did not disappoint as it is incredibly engrossing.
Be warned though the book will deceive you into thinking you should start executing on that business idea you have been holding on to for a while. It’s all possible, it can be done, and nothing should stop you. That is the level of inspiration you will draw from him.
Richard was dyslexic and performed dismally in math. Beyond that though, he’s perfected his resilience and is gifted with a strong gut that compensates for these weaknesses. His interest in life stems from setting himself beyond the unachievable and then proving that it is possible.
He captures your attention through his journey when he started trying to make money by planting Christmas trees that were all eaten by rabbits as well as keeping buggies at home that his mother let go of ( by opening the shed’s door and not making much effort to have them back in) to the multi billion dollar business it is today.
The tone of the book is conversational and with a strong sense of humour. He is continually open even in difficult decisions, personal conflicts as well as embarrassing moments. All confirming that he is deeply human.
Being an adrenaline junkie, it was pleasurable to gain insight on escapades such as doing a voyage across the Atlantic in a ship (Virgin Atlantic Challenger II) just so as to win Britain lost glory , hot air ballooning across the Atlantic as well as the Pacific .Please note he nearly died through all these , but when did that ever stop anyone?
My favorite quote from it all:
‘All you have in life is your reputation.’
From all this, it is my quite resolve that for business to earn you the title entrepreneurial, it must be fun, involving and should exercise your creative instincts.
Most of all, it is hard, and at times you just might need to get constant medical check ups just to confirm you are still sane.
I hope you get an opportunity to peak at this masterpiece.
As to whether i got the job or not, nione kando.* wink*
