Lessons from a mountain climb: guides, teammates and the right environment

Recently I joined a training camp with the Minh Tri Kinh Doanh business community. Of the whole program, the mountain climb, which trains body, mind and wisdom, left me with the deepest reflections on the path of building a company.

1. The summit and the guide

Anyone can look up and see the destination. But between the faint summit above and the reality under your feet lie countless forks, fog and drops. Without a guide, someone who has sweated and been scraped on the way up and then come back to show the route, it is easy to get lost. You see only the goal, circle around burning energy, and pay for your own lack of knowledge along the way.

2. Teammates and decent rivals

On the mountain, nobody walks alone. You need teammates beside you and support behind you. What I found interesting was the presence of other teams. In the market they might be competitors. But on a punishing climb, we were glad to reach out and help each other over slippery slopes. That is also the mindset of honest business: compete in order to grow together, train in order to cross thresholds together, not to tear each other down.

3. Leverage from quality advisors

Not everyone in business is willing to share their full route to success. I am a demanding and very practical person, and earning my respect and long-term commitment as a mentor or advisor is not easy, because I do not accept theory without practice.

Today I am fortunate to have a group of advisors, teachers, older and younger colleagues of real quality, each excellent in a particular field. They are strategic leverage, making sure our effort is not wasted and turns directly into business results.

4. Choosing the right environment

I have taken part in and learned from many communities, from startup groups focused on fundraising to traditional business circles. I joined each one because I knew what my company needed at that stage. Each environment serves a different question: some focus on practical commerce and a durable foundation, others on capital structure and scaling leverage. What matters is knowing which stage you are in and what you need, so you can choose where to spend your time.

5. A note from someone further along

To have my advisors alongside me as closely as I do now, I gave up a great deal of time, money and opportunity cost. I know the feeling of being stuck in a circle of relationships that does not fit, because I paid real tuition myself to find the right path. That is why I am always glad to share hands-on experience in management and operations with honest business people, to help them shorten the detours.

Do not grope alone in the dark when there are torches out there ready to be passed on.