Right now I am writing this article from our new WE LOVE NUMBERS office in NYC. We are working at co-working space WeWork Charging Bull and, yes, we see the famous Wall St Bull every time we enter and leave the office.
Two years ago I saw the bull for the first time and I still remember how excited I was as I have had a long history with investing and have idealised the Wall St persona. If you had asked me then if I would be in this position two years later I actually would have said no chance.
So how did we end up here? It all comes back to values. I have spoken about the importance of values in SmartCompany previously and how once your values are clear, decisions become very easy. One of our values at WE LOVE NUMBERS is Big Apple Vision – make it, don’t fake it. This is to remind us that we have to constantly keep working towards fulfilling our vision and actually doing the work to get us there, not just talking about it. This value also reminds us that we will only allow members into our community who have big visions and are actual doers rather than the “wantrepreneurs” out there.
An opportunity came up where one of our trusted WE members, Amron, said that he wanted to work with WE LOVE NUMBERS and take it to NYC. We initially got excited, then the reality of the task hit and we thought it was unlikely that we could do it. We went through a horrible week of uncertainty and not knowing what to do until we went back to our values and said let’s make the decision in accordance with them. So as we looked at them we knew that we definitely had to take this opportunity. Our purpose is to provide everything an entrepreneur needs to succeed, in one membership solution. We have always known that this requires us to have a global team with a strong connection with America, so when we looked at the value “Big Apple Vision” we knew that we needed to practice what we preach and make it happen.
The greatest thing about making decisions about your values is that you don’t have to second guess yourself, as you are making the best decision that you know for your company at the time. We have no doubt that we will look back at this as one of the best decisions we have ever made.
Finn Kelly is the co-founder and CEO of entrepreneurial award-winning companies WE LOVE NUMBERS and Wealth Enhancers.
Serial entrepreneur and recognised thought leader on Gen Y and leadership, Finn is a dynamic leader and visionary who knows how to get things done. Completely connected with his purpose and values, he lives life everyday to make an impact. He is a serial award winner, including SmartCompany’s Hot 30 Under 30 twice. He is currently Co-founder and CEO of smart bookkeeping plus advice company WE LOVE NUMBERS. He is also the Co-founder of Gen Y financial advice and coaching company WE and an angel investor in a number of start-ups.
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