ANALYSIS PARALYSIS

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2018 was a phenomenal year in my business life. You know sayings like dreams come true, be prepared for opportunities and all those things motivational speakers tell us are actually true in some ways. At least, I think it’s true in my case. I was presented with the biggest opportunity in my career that year. A reputable beverages company wanted me to supply them cocoa beans. The deal was that the first supply would be a trial to test my company’s capabilities so we can form a partnership. This was huge and it’ll make my company a force to be reckoned with in the industry.

Cocoa beans production was the mainstay of my business. I had a cocoa plantation with the capacity to produce the required quantity. In business, anticipating likely drawbacks and safeguarding against them was a necessity. Information was of paramount importance in any endeavor in life. My first plan was to make research on the requirements and needs of the company, their products, its quality and the quality of cocoa beans needed. My research team analyzed the plantation, the beans previously produced and the cocoa trees for compatibility with the required standards. I even went through the trouble of getting a new plantation and planting new hybrids from an agricultural research institute. This was a preparation for future deals. I didn’t want to delay supply if the deal was finalized. This cost me more than one quarter of the initial payment for the first supply.

I wasn’t satisfied with the good report by the research team, I personally researched online and talked to the farmers and every other stakeholder in charge. This was a huge deal and I didn’t want any mistakes. Memories of how I started from scratch, my failures, the humiliation and the possible loss and disappointment that could result from the loss of the contract were topmost on my mind . I made sure the processing and packaging structures were in good state. All personnel were retrained especially the quality control officers and supervisors. All these took me about four months. My preparation was anything but thorough.

One month to the supply date, harvesting was started in earnest. My staff were diligent and well trained. The seeds produced were of impeccable quality. The next process was the drying and packaging. These were also done to standard and the required amount of tonnes were ready for supply. The only problem was that it was a week beyond the supply date. In my over-thinking and the resultant planning, I had miscalculated the time required to implement the plans of such scale. After incurring costs ten times the value of my company, the company retracted the business contract. The one thing I worked against was the only thing that happened successfully.

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