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Entrepreneurial Vision and the Need for Infrastructure By Ron Johnson

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Entre pre ne urs typically have gre at vision. The y have the ability to se e an obje ctive and work toward it, e ve n though the y m ay not be able to ve rbalize the obje ctive . The y just se e it and are convince d that it is right. W ithout those of such vision, those of us of le ss vision would have nowhe re to "hang our hats". So, our hat is off to the true e ntre pre ne ur. The y are the back bone of scie ntific progre ss, capitalism and The Am e rican W ay. Entre pre ne urs are typically strong in vision. Howe ve r if the pre m ise s is true that we are all truly balance d be ings, the re will be a corre sponding we ak ne ss to this unusual stre ngth. This single -vision focus, by ne ce ssity, look s only forward and typically has little conce rn for what lie s to the side or be hind. Ye t pe riphe ral and poste rior vision is ve ry im portant to the continue d succe ss of the growing busine ss e nte rprise . This situation le ave s a we ak ne ss e x pose d. A good visionary will shore the m se lve s up with those who can swe e p up afte r the m , and k e e p the pe riphe ry intact as the y crusade forward. If the y ignore the se e x posure s, not only will the y e ve ntually slow the ir progre ss, the y will actually, through de fault, plan the ir own de m ise . It is unde r this pre m ise that the Silicon Valle y C onsulting Group be lie ve s that the high-te ch startup in the Silicon Valle y today has a critical ne e d for infrastructure building assistance . That is, assistance to fue l the vision and not distract from it or hold back the visionary in the ir pursuit. A good infrastructure consultant, who has a com pre he nsive and holistic vie w of what a com pany ne e ds in the various stage s of it's growth can prove to be an invaluable aid to the e ntre pre ne ur and e ntre pre ne urial te am . What is Infrastructure? infrastructure n. 1) An unde rlying base or foundation e spe cially for an organization or a syste m . 2) The basic facilitie s, se rvice s, and installations ne e de d for the functioning of a com m unity or socie ty, such as transportation and com m unications syste m s, wate r and powe r line s, and public institutions including schools, post office s, and prisons. The unde rlying base or foundation re quire d for a corporation can be st be de scribe d as the syste m s, pe ople , conce pts and re source s re quire d to support and e ncourage the m ain function or purpose of the com pany. In othe r words, if a com pany produce s widge ts, anyone involve d in the com pany who doe s not dire ctly contribute in a hands-on m anne r with the production of widge ts is part of the infrastructure . The y are ne ce ssary to support the production of widge ts, not produce the m dire ctly. Also, the syste m s the e m ploye e s use are part of the infrastructure . The policie s and proce dure s which coordinate and unite the com pany and provide dire ction are also part of the infrastructure . Eve n the corporate m ission and value syste m support all e m ploye e s and play an im portant role in the de cision m ak ing proce ss within the com pany. The Silicon Valle y C onsulting Group is com prise d of inde pe nde nt infrastructure consultants who k now how to fue l growth, not re strict it. Eve ry action tak e n, and proje ct e ncounte re d, is planne d and de signe d for the future , not just for a quick -fix today. W e focus on spe cific plans and othe r producable s of value . Back to Article s C opyright 2000 Silicon Valle y C onsulting Group, LLC

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