BIG COMPANY
This is what happens when a company gets big.
You start looking at the things around your main business differently.
Dangote already has:
Cement.
Refinery.
Fertiliser.
Sugar.
And other businesses that move huge volumes of goods.
Now the group is looking at building its own vessels in China.
The first deliveries could come around 2029.
But why build ships?
Because the refinery alone could eventually require close to 1,800 vessel calls a year as it expands.
At that point, shipping is no longer just a logistics problem.
It becomes part of the business.
And this is the part I find interesting.
The bigger your company becomes, the more you need to control the systems that your business depends on.
Power.
Supply.
People.
Technology.
Logistics.
Distribution.
The things that look like "support" when you're small can become critical infrastructure when you're big.
Sometimes, the thing slowing your company down is not your main business.
It is the system around the business.
And as the business grows, those systems have to grow with it.
You cannot build a very large company and continue to operate it like a small company.
This is one of the things I think about when I talk about building companies for the next 2+ generations.
Building a business that lasts is not just about having a great product.
It is about building the structure that can support the company as it becomes bigger, more complex and more independent.
As the company grows, the structure around it must grow too.
The lesson isn't:
"Go and buy ships."
The lesson is:
**Understand the systems your business depends on.**
Then ask yourself:
As my company grows, which of these systems will eventually become too important to leave entirely outside my control?
That is where some of the biggest opportunities — and biggest problems — can be found.
— Nnamdi Ibe
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