This week, thanks to the Central Bank’s Billion Dollar Dreams entrepreneurship forum and competition, I had the pleasure of chatting with Nicholas Brathwaite. This interview took place prior to him leading a panel of judges which heard pitches from four Barbadian young entrepreneurs.
One of the questions I asked Brathwaite was whether there was a ‘billion-dollar mindset’. Although he chose not to elaborate on whether all persons who reached a certain level of financial and career success had key attributes, I dare to say that they do.
Brathwaite is the second founder and manager of a billion-dollar private equity firm that I have interviewed. In 2014, I was given the opportunity to interview Arif Naqvi for the World Economic Forum in Panama.
During the interview, Brathwaite made it known that he is very competitive and would do anything (ethical) it takes to win or achieve success. I have found that we are often very shy about admitting that we are competitive individuals. Being competitive is not an attribute to be ashamed of. Actually, I have found that once you accept and acknowledge that you are, you are better able to manage it.
Someone recently told me that you have to make money any legal way you could. This is not Brathwaite’s philosophy. I further realised this when the pitchers in the competition spoke about the diversifications of their business concepts. He urged them to focus on one thing and making that one thing work.
I have grown to agree with this.
Steve Jobs focused on one thing before Apple started to diversify. Mark Zuckerberg bought Instagram only after Facebook gained a certain level of success.
If you want to get big, you have to think big. Although this is a major cliché, it is the absolute truth. A little secret that nobody ever really tells us is that to achieve global success, we cannot focus solely on the Barbadian market. Your ideas, services and products must cater to the global customer.
Both Brathwaite and Naqvi also understood the difference between being a boss and a leader. Whereas a boss has a title, a leader has the people. A leader does not need to let everyone know that he is the leader, because everyone knows that he is the leader. With a leader, the people under his jurisdiction understand the overall aim, objectives, mission and vision of the organisation and all feel invested.
There must also be a distinction between being confident and being cocky. Cocky persons are usually cloaking insecurities, their manner comes across as obnoxious and therefore they fail to inspire or motivate others. Confident persons, like most great leaders, need not scream or convince persons of their presence and authority. Their manner is such that they inspire and attract the right kind of people to be a part of their mission.
Speaking of the right kind of people, there is a meme on Instagram that I am in love with. It says, “Anytime you are the smartest person in the room, it is time to leave the room.” I am not speaking about book smarts because many people equate education with simply having a certification. I know a lot of educated “igrunt” people. In order to achieve or maintain massive levels of success, you have to surround yourself with people who are right spiritually and mentally. Spiritually, they have your best interest at heart. Mentally, they bring a skill to your table of success that is of excellence.
Tomorrow is Barbados’ 49th anniversary of Independence. My wish for Barbados and all Barbadians is that we apply these tenets to our everyday lives. I am sure this beautiful rock has more than 280 000 billion-dollar dreams. With these principles, by 2016 when we celebrate 50 years of Independence, at least one of these dreams should be actualised.
Toni Thorne is a young entrepreneur and World Economic Forum Global Shaper who loves global youth culture, a great debate and living in paradise. Email Tonithorne@hotmail.com
