Business trends and economic cycles come and go, but most founders are utterly surprised when their StartUp or their bottom-line are impacted. In this episode, Yana and Tom discuss how to keep the focus in spite of a down-turn. And being able to pivot when new ideas seem required and old ideas don’t inspire you anymore. They talk about problem-solving and how one can easily get lost in chasing outdated problems instead of curing the root cause.

Are the ways of doing business so different in different countries? Listen in as Yana and Tom discuss the layers of business and how combining complementary ideas can make for a better business model.

Today’s Episode:

• [00:46] Hello everyone!
• [01:02] Tom and Yana discuss the topic of business cycles and trends.
• [01:15] Everyone knows there are cycles, but no one prepares for them.
• [02:29] Yana talks about being excited about new trends, but in the end, they get heavy, and you get bored.
• [03:35] They speak about the book ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being.’
• [04:31] What is the cause, and what is the effect?
• [05:14] Keeping focus versus being able to pivot with your ideas.
• [07:32] Yana chats about the warning signs she gets when she is ready to do something different.
• [08:51] Tom gives his insights into what Yana is saying.
• [10:01] Failure can be seen as an experiment that you have concluded and that you have learned from.
• [12:22] Yana discusses the problem-solving mindset and what it means to her.
• [14:37] Tom speaks about team dynamics and being able to see the target picture. Sharping your ideas.
• [16:41] When you perceive something as a problem, it is already an indication that a heightened period is gone.
• [17:51] The regular bootstrapping idea is what Tom is discussing now. 
• [19:31] Yana talks about making commitments and following through.
• [20:37] How much of your day makes up your discipline baseline model?
• [24:12] Tom thinks that having people around you that can spot your warning signals is beneficial.
• [25:05] Yana and Tom chat about the differences between Singapore and Hong Kong.
• [29:01] Tom says that the capitalist system is much more extreme in the U.S.
• [32:03] Yana talks about the American education system.
• [34:48] Is it too much of a generalization, or are there more layers?
• [36:01] Can you fuse all of the types of business in the U.S and Asia and make a better system?

Links

• The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera