To sell or not to sell? /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

Surprisingly, not all founders think about selling their business. Especially while they have strength, pay dividends, and can’t raise their heads from the routine, the founder pampers himself with illusions: “I’ll own it until I pass it on to my children.” Usually, the question of the sale is actualized or when (rarely) out of nowhere comes a stubborn buyer, or when (more often) something went wrong. For example, because of irreconcilable differences, the co-founders turned into Montagues and Capulets, the owner burned out, the company’s growth slows down, and the economy goes into a dive. But when things are terrible, it’s hard to sell the company, and you can’t get a tangible sum.

On the contrary, it is possible to get the best price only if there is not one but a good number of strategic buyers fighting among themselves for the right to buy. This is only possible when your business is the missing emerald for their “crown”. They lacked your company to make the quantum leap. Notice that it’s not so much about your current financial performance as it is about the extra value that the buyer will create with your business itself. What sets entrepreneurs apart is their ability to put themselves in the shoes of another-a customer, an employee, a supplier, an official, a lender, and finally, the person to whom they want to sell their business.

You might ask, “What if he doesn’t want to?” You know, there’s an intergalactic difference between being forced to sell and having the choice to do so at any given moment. Isn’t entrepreneurship the pursuit of ultimate freedom? The wise founders I know regularly analyze whether their business is ready to sell and work systematically to increase its value from day one. When the transaction happens is not that important to them. But rest assured - the timing will be optimal, the deal is done on their terms and the highest price is paid.

And how ready is your business for sale?

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

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”Who are you and what do you do?"
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Essence and nonsense /  by Alexander Lyadov

When you become passionate about something new, whether it's a job, a hobby, or a sport, you often pay too much attention to the outward form rather than to the essence. Sometimes it gets to the point of absurdity when newcomers argue fervently and arrogantly about why one trinket is more important than another.

I myself shudder to recall the early years of my motorcycle hobby, when I spent an insane amount of time and money on advanced tuning of my "racehorse". Reading the endless threads of discussions on biker forums, I conducted a multi-criteria optimization before buying the exhaust, turn signals, license plate holder, motorcycle jacket, etc. In terms of the intensity of the analysis process, each decision resembled preparing for a PE fund investment committee meeting about an eight-zero deal. A similar dynamic was repeated in the early years of my fascination with Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Instead of researching the details of the techniques shown by the coach the day before, I collected and double-checked reviews to choose the perfect kimono.

Later, of course, that obsession went away. Hundreds, or even thousands of hours of riding and wrestling drew a clear line in my mind between the essential and the non-essential. I began to understand a philosophy based on the principle of necessity. It is an honest answer to the question, "What is necessary at this moment?" Not someday, but here and now. Not for someone, but for me. It turns out that I need to acquire very little, sometimes even nothing.

And in business, and in life, the main thing that does not require us to make expensive investments, move, change partners and other dramatic upgrades to external forms. Knowing what is most essential allows us to make the choice of the best fulcrum for our effective efforts. Thus, the creation of the most effective leverage occurs solely in our minds.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

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Self-improvement for real /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

One of the most popular tags on Medium is self-improvement. That is, a huge number of people are seriously concerned with the question, “How do I fix myself?”. Desperate demand generates a tsunami of offers. No wonder that wherever you turn, you’re bound to find a webinar, an online course, or just a hack. There is everything on the market — from a primitive upgrade in presentation skills to esoteric pumping of all seven chakras. So the improvement collector can endlessly collect Instagram selfies, medals and certificates. Whether in this race of accomplishments the individual really changes for the better is a big question.

Equally worrying, however, is the now increasingly popular motto: “You’re already beautiful and you don’t need to change at all.” A thick layer of pseudo-empathy tries to assuage a person’s natural anxiety at the sight of egregious facts in the present, the consequence of which will be illness, suffering and loss in the future. This is how a mother emotionally “chastises” the object of reality, “You bad table!” that her roaring son has bumped against. Instead of teaching him to be more attentive to his surroundings during exuberant playtime. Fifteen years from now, reality will just smack him down for parentally encouraged carelessness.

Given these extremes, one can’t help but wonder, “What to do?” It seems to me that the answer is paradoxical — you have to change without changing. With time, after many attempts, you come to the conclusion that it is impossible to change the structure of your personality. Tattoos, buttocks, a Harvard degree, or a hundred books read in a year are waves on the surface, not touching the depths of your ocean. The only way out is to realize your essence as it truly is, not as you want it to be. It’s not a pleasant process, but it gives you a chance to make your “unacceptable” essence functional. The minus turns into a plus by itself. This is self-development for real.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

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Achieving without wanting /  by Alexander Lyadov

“The real trick in life is to want nothing, and to succeed in getting it,” I learned yesterday while reading Shantaram. It’s amazing how I missed this magnetic novel by Australian author Gregory David Roberts, published back in 2003. The book is based on events from his life. David had a history of heroin addiction, was found guilty by a court of law of bank robbery, later escaped from prison, then went into hiding in India, where he lived for about 10 years. In short, an intriguing personality who has explored every shade of the bottom.

The initial thought echoes the observation of investor and entrepreneur Naval Ravikant: “Negotiations are won by whoever cares less.” It’s not even a question of your opponent noticing your obsession with something and using it against you. In fact, you are the one producing the moonshine that then makes your alcoholic go on a binge. Obsession makes your position vulnerable. On the contrary, if the message comes from you in a negotiation is, “This is how it’s going to be. Agree or disagree. I don’t care,” then there is no subject for argument or manipulation. You win without even playing the game.

Life is also a negotiation. It seems to be with fate, but in reality with yourself. When movement is dictated by necessity rather than lust, you won’t demand too much, but yours won’t get away from you either. Hard deadlines become unnecessary, because they too are motivated by passion. It turns out that the ideal is to achieve a paradoxical state. To strive without craving. To achieve without undue effort.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

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Gliding /  by Alexander Lyadov

“Ah, that’s it! You have to glide in the water, stretching into a string with one hand and clinging to the water with the other to push off of it!” - I thought excitedly when all the elements of the crawl finally came together. And immediately I began to choke less, because each push created a quasi-steadiness for a fraction of a second, just enough time to turn on my side and take a gulp of air. It would seem that two such different environments - liquid and ice - but the principle of movement - gliding - turned out to be common. Each subsequent movement is like picking up the baton handed down by the previous row or push. There is no meaningless loss of energy, because the process does not start from scratch every time. The future uses the momentum of the past effectively.

I know entrepreneurs who, to everyone’s surprise, have launched very different businesses one after the other. But from conversations with them, it was clear that it was the old experience that fertilized the mental black soil for the sprouting of the new initiative. They have a long planning horizon and a clear understanding of the desired future state they want to achieve. Everything they do or that surrounds them now they perceive not literally, but as a potential tool for a consistent approach to the goal. Thus, a skilled woodworker sees not an old oak stump, but a uniquely shaped tabletop for a table that he will sell to an investment banker for a fabulous sum.

And then I wondered what my life would be like if I could get rid of all the extra movement. It’s one thing to start the car by pushing, especially in the mud, but it’s another thing when it rolls itself down a hill. What if every decision, action, mistake and pause made a valuable contribution to the Tao (道), that is, the personal Path? Instead of crawling in defiance of friction, life would be a glide from one exciting possibility to another.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

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Synthesis of Worlds /  by Alexander Lyadov

Many Ukrainian children today went to school in a foreign country, and their parents found jobs there. Is that good or bad? It depends on the horizon and the angle of view. When our investment fund worked in Latvia, locals told us that after the economic crisis, many Latvians were forced to go to Europe to work and study. Some made a new nest there.

But after a few years, like a spring in the mountains, a stream entered Latvia and began to gradually grow stronger. More and more of those who left decided to buy a ticket back. Some had a hard time in a foreign land and were glad to come back, as soon as they could earn decent money at home. But - surprise, surprise! - there were also many who had achieved considerable success abroad. They had a wide range of choices, but Latvia won. Why?

When one finds oneself in a new territory, symbolically and literally, the complexity of the problems requires concentration of all one's strength and enthralls one entirely. Therefore, he tends to over-value the skills, knowledge and experience that he does not yet have, but also to ignore everything that he already has.

After some time of adaptation, it dawns on the intelligent person: "Hmm, unlike the others, I find myself between two worlds. Now I know how life and business works in the UK, but I also remember how it is in Latvia. Thanks to the "in-between" position, there are some curious possibilities. For example: "Why isn't such a popular service in England still available in Latvia? I can be the first!". After working in a Michelin-starred European restaurant for several years, a Latvian finds an investor and, in his capacity of a chef, opens an amazing restaurant in Riga. Or he gets the insight that there is a surplus in the Baltics of what is in short supply in England. And this happens in every field - business, science, art, etc. There is a synthesis of old and new experiences, which allows a person to create something of value at the intersection of the two worlds. Both Ukraine and Europe will benefit.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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An oasis of adequacy /  by Alexander Lyadov

Man playing with his head

Unknown author

 

An oasis of adequacy.

I was already taken aback — a man and a woman, pushing a large stroller with a child, ran across Lesia Ukrainka Boulevard in Kyiv through six lanes. The separating fence was broken in a couple of places, which created a temptation. During the first weeks of the war, there were not many cars, so many people stopped using the underpass two hundred meters away and began saving time by moving straight through.

The problem is that this particular boulevard is one of the best roads in town: quality asphalt, straight sections and new full-length traffic lights. So day and night amateur racers on cars and sportbikes are trying to see who has the bigger, ahem, exhaust pipe.

The situation here can change in a split second. Just then it was empty, when suddenly a biker comes out and a tuned Geländewagen chases after him. What’s on the mind of grown men with strollers who put three of their lives on “zero”? Probably like the steppe, there's nothing there but wind. There are dozens of such examples if you watch people closely.

Business creates the illusion that there are many adequate people around you. Former CIA agent Andrew Bustamante, MBA told Lex Fridman in an interview that the only thing he misses is the high concentration of smart, energetic and determined people one encounters in the corridors of Langley. You, too, are likely to inhabit an "oasis of adequacy", beyond which you are much more likely to find absurdity, delirium, and chaos. So we need to appreciate the fragile harmony felt at least somewhere from time to time. And to be grateful for an imperfect micro-world in which to live, work, and create. This is already a lot.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

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Chaos and order /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

Have you ever been in an artist’s studio? Primordial chaos reigns there, allowing him to create productively. In the domestic sense, however, it is impossible to live in this disorder. On the contrary, you can probably remember someone’s house, in the repair of which the owners have invested a lot of effort and capital. All the elements there are strictly in their places, and the order and cleanliness of the dwelling reminds one of a museum or an operating room. The owner is proud to show the achieved result to the delighted guests, who think to themselves, “It is very beautiful, but I would not be able to live here." This is understandable, because due to the many restrictions of freedom in the museum after a few hours one suffocates physically and existentially.

We face two extremes. In one, there is an excess of chaos, and in the other, an excess of order. Both are unsuitable for family living, especially with children and pets. The first because of anarchy, which dissolves literally everything in the acid of unpredictability. The second — because of despotism, which hits at every step with a ruler on the hands. What's the solution if, say, you inherited such a house from your third cousin?

Obviously, it is necessary to restore the disturbed balance. So, a long abandoned and overgrown with weeds park needs to add a spoonful of consistency according to some kind of plan. If you are not an artist, it makes sense to keep the original spirit of the workshop, as this will only increase the appeal and value of the house. But the chaos definitely needs to be localized and clear axes of order outlined. As for the house-museum, there is no need to smash the walls and scratch the polished table. It's enough to inject chaos by adding live plants and hanging art here and there. What should be the ratio? That’s a matter of taste.

Now, look at your business through these glasses. Better yet, ask employees about organizational convenience. Perhaps your business, too, has tilted to one side and the team is quietly suffering from an overabundance of despotism or anarchy.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

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Envy of trees /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

Sometimes I envy trees. Especially those that have been observing life for several hundred years. One could accuse them of apathy, lack of willpower, or lack of ambition to move and achieve. If a dialogue were to take place, such words would seem strange to the trees. They would wiggle their crowns in surprise: “Why would someone who has everything run somewhere?

For example, the process of photosynthesis is simple and ascetic - it requires only carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight. All of this is available around you - you don’t need to produce anything. The risk of lack of mobility is debatable, because in a clear field in the rain you will be wet, regardless of whether you stop or run. As for the desire for new experiences and content, the trees settle in as if they were in a movie theater — life flows past and through them. If one observes a certain phenomenon for a very long time, the threads of numerous patterns will weave themselves into a carpet of wisdom. The realization that literally everything has happened many, many times before calms all emotion, leaving only a cool interest: “Ah, now it’s like this, well, well….”

After such reflection, the belief of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin that plants are wiser than we are doesn’t seem so naive. That’s what the Indians say: Master Plant. So they enter with deep reverence and gratitude into the ritual of “knowledge transfer,” whether it be Ayahuasca, San Pedro, or magic mushrooms. When for more than a thousand years a person after meeting with a Master comes out renewed, focused and energized, only a fearful and shortsighted mind could decide that some plants are so dangerous that they should fall under prohibition. Fortunately, a few decades have passed, historically a blink, and today there is a growing wave of serious scientific research confirming the exceptional benefits of cannabis, psilocybin, DMT and other substances found in wildlife.

Knowing everything up front, taking it as it comes, not rushing into anything. Generously passing on photosynthesized insights to those people who are willing to take them. I think I’ve described my nirvana. Wouldn’t you like to look at this crazy world through the eyes of a tree?

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

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The Master /  by Alexander Lyadov

What is the difference between a Master and a specialist? The former are few and the latter are the majority. Even if you were able to weed out the pseudo-experts, which with the development of their marketing skills, is becoming increasingly difficult. The master gives you just one, but very focused advice and the chronic problem disappears.

Case in point - about a year ago, I developed lower back pain on my right side. Since I spend 6-12 hours a day at the computer, sometimes my favorite business therapy and creativity turned into torture. Getting my spine corrected by an orthopedist brought peace, but only for a couple of weeks. Traditional back pumping exercises brought no relief.

My versions were a sedentary lifestyle, kettlebells, wrestling, and even youthful injuries. I remember the first time I severely injured my lower back when, about 30 years ago, I was stretching fighting dogs while in a stupid bend. I listened to advice from doctors and fitness professionals offline and online that looked convincing… but didn’t help.

After stumbling across the channel of Jeff Cavaliere, a former physical therapist for the New York Mets team, I listened skeptically to him say that often lower back pain is not related to a herniated spine or weak back muscles. The problem is the medial gluteal muscle. When the body rests on one leg, this muscle tilts the pelvis to its side, in short, its function is to stabilize the pelvis. Jeff showed a very odd exercise — walking with a kettlebell suspended between your legs. It looked ridiculous from the outside, but the middle gluteal muscle was “killed” instantly. The result — my lower back pain was gone in a few days.

Health, education or business - in any area, the main thing is to find someone who knows how to highlight the non-obvious essence behind a jumble of minor details.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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The Shortest Way /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

Reading Murakami at bedtime continues to provide insights. Here’s an example: “- As you know, water always flows along the shortest path provided to it. However, in some cases, the shortest path is created by the water itself. A person’s thoughts — they are like water.”

The metaphor visualizes ambivalence-the simultaneous presence of two opposite properties. There is no contradiction here, for the appropriateness of water’s particular “behavior” is determined by the balance of power and context. It is as if water is testing any obstacle for strength, so that, taking into account the consumption of energy, it can choose the best of the alternatives - to destroy or bypass.

Is the obstacle amenable to pressure? Good! All the power of the accumulated water in the dam rushes into a microscopic crack. A boulder in the path of the stream is irresistible? No problem! Water eagerly rushes around. Or it evaporates to condense elsewhere. Even if the rock turns out to be a boundless monolith, water will grind the rock for a thousand years. And what’s its hurry?

So a new facet emerges in the Buddha’s words, “Your suffering is caused by your resistance to what is. You have to make sure that what is in front of you is not the imaginary, but reality. Often an impregnable pile of circumstances tells us, “Don’t even think!” Sometimes this is true, and then it’s time to activate plasticity. But first it makes sense to examine the problem carefully to find its vulnerable point. Poke at it, and the problem is gone. How much time and effort is saved!

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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Free yourself once and for all? /  by Alexander Lyadov

For years I’d been resting my head painfully against the mysterious glass ceiling, preventing me from rising up and breathing fully. If there was a hatch, the intricate lock required either a secret code or a picklock. I was convinced that once this puzzle was solved, the world would open toward me once and for all. It took a lot of trying and extra effort, but in the end, it seemed, I overcame this obstacle. And indeed, living, working, and creating became much easier for me. Similarly, a beginner’s motorcycle engine overheats and roars until he has mastered the throttle, brake and clutch knobs enough to switch to the next speed in time.

To my surprise, I didn’t instantly go into Earth orbit. I’m not complaining, though. So many new possibilities opened up that you only have time to mark promising areas to methodically develop them later. But I can’t help but notice friction and discomfort, now in other places, which is a harbinger of more problems to come.

Anyone familiar with the Theory of Constraints should presumably not be surprised by the displacement of the bottleneck. After one bottleneck has been successfully overcome, another bottleneck is sure to appear. Fortunately, the bottle itself increases in size. But one thing is production or business, and another thing is personality. How strong is the illusion of getting rid of all the problems in one fell swoop? In reality, each of us in our profession, creativity and personal development is doomed to open one lock after another. I think when this thought can be accepted, then it becomes even interesting what awaits us next.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

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The value of joroganism /  by Alexander Lyadov

Did you know that Spotify podcasts are finally available in Ukraine? I downloaded a bunch of episodes of the Joe Rogan Experience out of joy. I hadn’t listened to the show for two years because of the mega-deal that Joe got $200M in exchange for a Spotify exclusive. Now I’m enjoying an episode with Gavin De Becker, a security specialist for governments, large corporations, and celebrities. Also, Gavin is the author of my favorite book, The Gift of Fear, which I’ve been quoting in my articles for years.

During the interview, Gavin and Joe argued heatedly about the usefulness of self-defense courses for ordinary people. Joe was concerned about the short courses, after which people have the illusion of security. But then, as often happens in arguments, it turned out that they were, first, talking about different aspects, and second, Gavin explained important nuances. For example, there are two types of predators that attack women, the persuasion predator and the power predator. There are disproportionately more cases of the former (98%). That’s why it’s so important to teach women, teenagers, children and everyone else to pay attention and trust their intuition signals as early as possible. Courses like Model Mugging that Gavin talked about introduce real-world scenarios and actions that are important to take at different stages of a dangerous encounter to save yourself.

And then Gavin said: “You just did something, Joe, that is something interesting example of “joeroganism”, which is you went from your opinion, which is very well informed because you have a lot of experience and then you heard some new information and then you said: “You know, maybe I don’t know enough about of those classes.” Very few people do what you just did. And I see you do that all the time. And this is a kind of hallmark of this show.” Gavin is right. It is for the thrust of truth that I have always appreciated the Joe Rogan Experience more than any other show.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

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Self-training /  by Alexander Lyadov

Today I trained my dog, and once again I was amazed at how readily he does what I want, if the exercise has an element of play. No, he won’t refuse a treat, of course. But other things being equal, the play instinct takes over. It is impossible not to draw a parallel with the motivation of himself or others.

Someone has a strong “food instinct” and will do anything for a “treat,” such as a big bounty from the sale of a business. And for another, like me, there is nothing better than just a fascinating task to solve. Once my curiosity has been activated, nothing — neither fear, nor discomfort, nor mistakes — can stop me. The reward is important to me, but it is secondary. Whenever I’ve tried to seduce myself with money, regalia, or recognition, it’s either ended badly, or nothing. It was like that joke about the “defective” balloons: “Yes, they are bright and beautiful, but they don’t make me happy.”

On the contrary, if I followed my curiosity, even into frightening uncertainty, I always ended up gaining knowledge, experience, and a bonus on top. Sometimes, however, I had to move in complete darkness until I found the Ariadne’s thread that led me out of the labyrinth and into the light.

It’s important to know what it is that truly drives you. It’s the suprarational pull that both navigates you through the chaos of life as a GPS and helps you overcome all difficulties, giving them meaning. After all, without long-term effort against all odds, it is impossible to become a Master. Investor and entrepreneur Naval Ravikant astutely wrote, “If you’re not interested, you’ll never be good at it. And what turns you on - a game, a treat, or something else?

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

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How to learn faster? /  by Alexander Lyadov

If you explain to a person in detail how to breathe when swimming a crawl, he will, of course, immediately understand everything, if he is not stupid. However, after starting to swim, it is enough to inhale the water once and all this understanding disappears. Fear of drowning instantly turns on the “antediluvian” amygdala instead of the “advanced” neocortex. This phenomenon is called “The Knowing-Doing Gap.” By the way, there is a book with this title in which Stanford professors Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton explore why so many companies fail to implement the insights they’ve worked so hard to acquire.

There is too great a difference between understanding something with the mind and with the whole body, both physical and corporate. The advantage of the mind is freedom from any restrictions or norms. One can enter or change any parameter to obtain an ideal. The disadvantage of reflection, however, is that the mind does not interact with reality itself, but only with its model. And no matter how sophisticated the terrain map, it will always be inferior to the literal terrain in relevance, detail, and nuance.

Knowing all this, an experienced coach will certainly try to impart treasures of knowledge to a novice, but will never chase him over the buoys, much less in a storm. Instead, in the student’s mind, the coach will build a bridge between the way things are and the way things should be. This is achieved with the help of leading exercises, for example, when holding on to the float with one hand and wearing flippers, you just have to turn your head to one side to take a breath. It’s like a prototype technological product-it’s primitive, awkward, and strange, but it contains deep meaning. Something imperfect, like a mock-up, a draft or a blanks, turns out to be the perfect means to make the transition from zero to one.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

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Cleansing in the mud /  by Alexander Lyadov

Alexander Lyadov's gym since 1972

Yesterday I celebrated my 50th birthday with friends. Although we only had a few glasses of wine, I had a hard time waking up, because instead of going straight to bed, as neuroscientist Andrew Huberman recommended, I stayed up late reading greetings from kind people. Worse, the day before I had thoughtlessly suggested meeting at the tatami at 9 a.m., which I now regretted. I don’t know about you, but for me sleep deprivation is worse than a hangover. The feeling in my body is like jet lag, as if I had just arrived in Hong Kong.

Whenever in this situation, I remember the advice of podcaster Joe Rogan, who, no matter how awful he feels after a long flight, the first thing he does is look for the hotel gym or go on a savage trail run in the hills. This sounds like torture to the body, because instead of lifting heavy weights it wants to curl up in a dark hole and wall up the entrance. But, as is often the case in life, the best solutions are paradoxical.

So it is here - a voluntary step into discomfort brings relief. Jet lag causes a person’s circadian rhythm to become out of sync with the natural circadian rhythm, resulting in fatigue, insomnia, headaches, loss of appetite, etc. And a strong physical load, figuratively speaking, reloads the body and integrates it into the local spatial and temporal context.

Walking out of the gym today, I also felt more awake and refreshed. Remembering all the cases when I had doubts about going or not going to the workout, in 9 out of 10 cases the “after” feeling was much better than the “before” feeling. The medieval alchemists were right when they said, “In sterquiliniis invenitur”, which means, “You will find everything in the dirt.” It is where one absolutely does not want to look that one should look for all the answers.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

Alexander Lyadov portrait

”Who are you and what do you do?"
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

"I have an extremely important business decision to make. Can you help me?
Reserve a time on my calendar that is convenient for you to meet with me. We'll clarify your request and discuss options for how you can help.

Tokyo solution to dilemmas /  by Alexander Lyadov

“If I don’t know what to do next, I try to always follow one rule. - A rule? - If given a choice: a formless object or an object with form, choose the formless one. That is my rule. When I ran into a wall, I always followed it, and if I took my time, it always led to good results. Even if it was hard at the time.” I was absent-mindedly reading Haruki Murakami’s “Tokyo Legends” at bedtime last night, when suddenly this fragment surprised me, rousing my mind and chasing away sleep. Outlandish advice, eh? There is a desire to reveal it carefully and unhurriedly, like a fragile birthday present, wrapped in many layers by people dear to you.

As a business therapist, I deal with a variety of dilemmas all the time. Therefore, I can easily imagine a “fork” or, as some say, “horns of a dilemma”, which was insidiously thrown by fate or a person created it for himself. The peculiarity of such a choice is that essentially there is no choice. If at least one of the alternatives met expectations, the decision would be obvious. But as it is, on each side there is only, “Yes, but…”. So the man agonizes, crucified on the horns of a dilemma — it is impossible to choose, and impossible not to choose.

The advice of the hero of the story is curious in that it asks you to assess the degree of formation of options X and Y. Each of them, by definition, is far from ideal. Therefore, it makes sense to choose the variant whose optionality is high. After all, the formed object X does not promise anything new — it is defective and will remain so. A shapeless object Y is quite another matter. It has room for maneuver, degrees of freedom, and secret potential. Of course, all indeterminacy is ambivalent, that is, it promises both “minus” and “plus. But with Y at least there is a chance to jump into another orbit, while X is knowingly unacceptable and boring. Also, the finality of X makes you passive, whereas Y invites you to become a creator of your own volition.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

Alexander Lyadov portrait

”Who are you and what do you do?"
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

"I have an extremely important business decision to make. Can you help me?
Reserve a time on my calendar that is convenient for you to meet with me. We'll clarify your request and discuss options for how you can help.

Synthesis is the way /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

“When I first wrote to Alexander, there were no expectations-it was a step of desperation. I’m glad I chose a long-term collaboration. It’s akin to building a business with a partner. What I liked most is that he doesn’t try to teach me anything. Alexander’s approach is both flexible and firm. Firmness is evident in the focus on selected hypotheses, and flexibility — in the options for testing these hypotheses.” — wrote Sasha Bondar, founder of Reintech, a service that helps U.S. CTOs find mature Ruby and JavaScript developers, in a testimonial.

Feedback from clients helps crystallize meanings I’ve vaguely felt for a long time. At one time, PromoRepublic co-founder Valery Grabko gave me a gift after the session when he said I help at the intersection of business and personality. Here Sasha Bondar points to another important aspect of productive business therapy: maintaining a balance of flexibility and firmness.

An entrepreneur would not be himself if his mind were not open to new ideas. The flip side is that the laser beam of attention tends to turn into a scattered beam of nightlight. The founder’s resources are extremely limited, and tempting opportunities loom under every bush. But business success, like compound interest, is shaped by methodical effort over a long period of time.

The dilemma of Systemicity vs. Optionality must be creatively solved by every entrepreneur. A clue is given by the scientific method of cognition, the basis of which is observation and experimentation. According to Popper’s criterion, every scientific theory is falsifiable, that is, it cannot be fundamentally irrefutable. But until then, we can confidently rely on a valid theory or hypothesis, while maintaining openness to novelty. The synthesis of firmness and flexibility. Dynamic stability. Another paradox.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

Alexander Lyadov portrait

”Who are you and what do you do?"
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

"I have an extremely important business decision to make. Can you help me?
Reserve a time on my calendar that is convenient for you to meet with me. We'll clarify your request and discuss options for how you can help.

When to sell? /  by Alexander Lyadov

In 2005, Rory Fatt founded Royalty Rewards, a marketing platform for small businesses, and in 2022 successfully sold his business, which generated $85 million in sales. Reflecting today on the question of what he would have done differently in the process of selling the business, Rory said: “I’d say not starting (this process) early enough. When you start the business you should be thinking of exiting” When you start a business, you have to think about getting out of it.” This thought is not obvious to everyone.

Often entrepreneurs are so mesmerized by a market opportunity that they rush to develop it and ignore the “little things” like a partnership agreement or shape the entire operating process for years to suit themselves. If they are focused, hard-working and, of course, lucky, they become owners of a large fortune. The nuance is that the vast majority of it is on paper, because the liquidity of assets is close to zero. If the unexpected happens — a serious illness of the founder, shareholder conflict, competitors’ intrigues, a security raid, a revolution, a pandemic or a war - the solid business will collapse like a house of cards.

Even if there is no force majeure, but the founder decides to sell the business, tired of ploughing 24/7/365 for decades. But it turns out there are no willing buyers in its current form. Or the “sell as is” option means a tangible discount to the value. Why? Confusing legal structure, unresolved disputes with former partners, handling the company’s money as if it were a personal wallet, a strange system of financial accounting that is far from international, etc. Buying such a business, you can not just “turn on and go." At first, you have to clean up the Avgiye stables, for which you either have to be a hero or pay Hercules to clean it up.

Being able to sell your company quickly for a high price at any appropriate moment is an additional degree of freedom. That’s why a wise founder starts thinking about the selling process even when the company isn’t there yet.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

Alexander Lyadov portrait

”Who are you and what do you do?"
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

"I have an extremely important business decision to make. Can you help me?
Reserve a time on my calendar that is convenient for you to meet with me. We'll clarify your request and discuss options for how you can help.

Heir and bastard /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

If something in reality stubbornly exists, it must be there for something. Without knowledge of the history of its appearance and the specific context in which it is organic, it can seem strange and alien. And, therefore, cause embarrassment, irritation, fear, or squeamishness. After reading these words, which person first comes to your mind?

But this is also true of our rich inner world. And there really is a lot to be found. For a person’s personality is not much like a statue from a single piece of marble. A better analogy is an oriental carpet, the ornament of which is woven from threads of different colors. But if in a carpet every thread has value, it is often not so with regard to our personality.

Some aspects of our personality are very attractive to us, we are proud of them, we recognize and love them, like a king loves his heir. But there are other aspects that hide in the corners, trying not to come to our attention. As history shows, every ruler has always had children who were begotten out of wedlock. It did not matter which of them was actually more talented and more like the mind and courage of the ruler-father. According to the conventions of society, the legitimate son received all the benefits of the throne, wealth, and universal respect. What was left for the bastard? That’s right, overthrow the legitimate authority to avenge perceived injustices and assert his right to be.

Almost everyone finds themselves either caught off guard by a “palace coup” or forced to suppress one “rebellion” after another on a regular basis. Such a struggle, in essence, with oneself, takes a lot of strength and makes us weaker against real enemies and dangers from outside.

The way out? We need to make friends with the negative self. Or, more precisely, with someone who only appears as such because of conventional norms we once internalized that are actually alien to us.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

Alexander Lyadov portrait

”Who are you and what do you do?"
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

"I have an extremely important business decision to make. Can you help me?
Reserve a time on my calendar that is convenient for you to meet with me. We'll clarify your request and discuss options for how you can help.