Validation

We had just launched the Agathe Center for Entrepreneurship in early 2017 and received our first client from abroad into our new offices in Bratislava. It was time to test and validate one of our core convictions. We believed that through receiving the full attention of our team in a dedicated space over just three days from 9am to 9pm, we could see our clients make several months of progress in the development of their project. Is that how it would play out?

It has probably been the most innovative thing that we do at the Agathe Center – intensively apply all our available resources one-to-one in serving the clients who come to be with us. It is an extension of our belief in the value and worth of every person and belief in the superiority of going narrow and deep with a few, rather than broad and shallow with many. While we want to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us, it is not about the number of people served, but the depth and quality with which we serve each individual client. We choose to see return on investment based on the amount of progress that a person and their project make because of the way we serve them.

So, how did it play out? I remember at the end of day one with that first client having some serious doubts. Here we were, with all these resources deployed to help this one husband-wife team, who at times seemed significantly unaligned, not only regarding their project ideas, but also in their relationship. Additionally, we were working in their second language, which they were not particularly fluent in. Not the most encouraging beginning.

The start of day two saw some light flow in and by afternoon it was working! I remember feeling exhilaration as our client began to get insight and clarity and as they began to recognize the possibilities and pitfalls of the project proposal we were working on with them. I remember saying to myself, “This is working. This is why we are doing this!”

By the end of day three, our team and the client were in agreement. Excellent progress had been made – a good return on investment. Our conviction had passed the test and been validated, and it has been passing ever since.

Ralph