Diver Down…Right Now.
February 14, 2024
At Qorval Partners, we’ve been involved in hundreds of engagements in dozens of industries. Our name comes from “core values” and our business is helping other businesses with the “its”- grow it, fix it, fund it, find it, exit.
Our founder, Jim Malone – a CEO who ran six Fortune 100/500 companies – said many profound things but one was often repeated to clients struggling with their operations, dragging their feet in engaging, in committing to turning their business…and their fortunes…around; Jim would say, “time isn’t your friend.”
Cold, brutal truth.
May I remind you that if you’re a business owner, a senior executive, or even a board member – your job is to objectively manage that brutal truth. And, our job is to help you do so.
I have said this – “time isn’t your friend” – dozens of time – when clients find themselves paralyzed – when an inability to move forward grips them – yes, the dreaded analysis paralysis. For some reason they believe that the magical order fairy will deliver the big purchase order and save the day, or there will be some otherworldly divine miracle that turns their loss making entity into a profitable one, with little or no pain, sacrifice, hard decisions.
In business, other than the necessary, and encouraged, pause, there is little to hesitate on.
Seldom is anything gained by waiting.
I was reminded of this tonight while Van Halen’s “Right Now” appeared in my shuffle.
So I had to sit down and hammer out this little article. Right now.
Back in 1982, long before Van Halen had yet to morph into Van Hagar, Van Halen’s 1982 album “Diver Down” had an album cover consisting of a “diver down” flag, which is used when a scuba diver is underwater in the area.
David Lee Roth once explained that the title of the album and the cover art meant “there was something going on that’s not apparent to your eyes… A lot of people approach Van Halen as sort of the abyss. It means, it’s not immediately apparent to your eyes what is going on underneath the surface.”
Sounds like most companies that are struggling. They often experience their own abyss – we are reminded of Friedrich W. Nietzsche’s quote “Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster… for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.” The abyss, or the monster, can be the indecision, the lack of initiative, the “fog of war” even if the real monster has yet to be slayed or the war yet to be fought.
Business owners, senior executives, private equity, hedge funds, boards of directors – they’ll seldom admit it but to paraphrase David Lee Roth – they often have no idea what’s really happening underneath the surface.
Struggling with poor sales.
Struggling with operational issues.
Struggling with the wrong leadership and the wrong people.
Choking on strategies that fail.
Ironically, a decade later – in 1992 – came Van Halen’s would-be anthem for turning a business around – for fixing that which is broken by seizing the moment, in the here and now – came in the form of single “Right Now” on Van Halen (Van Hagar?’s) album “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.”
We recently completed a project on a specialized wood products manufacturer which generated staggering losses over…drum roll…eight years.
The operating partner asked me, “how did you find all of this in just two weeks when we had no idea the extent of the problems we had over EIGHT YEARS?”
My answer: “We have spent 27 years learning where to look.”
Yes, they were For/Unlawful/Carnal/Knowledge-ED.
Fortunately for them our rapid analysis and action plan showed them where to look. And give an objective summary of the business, everyone and everything happening, even the monsters below the surface.
What was their biggest failure factor?
Wasting time.
Don’t waste time.
Call us.
Right now.
239 588 0008
RIGHT NOW
Don’t want to wait ’til tomorrow Why put it off another day?
One more walk through problems Built-up and stands in our way, ah
One step ahead, one step behind me Now you gotta run to get even Make future plans or dream about yesterday, hey C’mon turn, turn this thing around
Hey It’s your tomorrow (Right now), C’mon, it’s everything (Right now), Catch a magic moment, do it Right here and now It means everything
Miss the beat, you lose the rhythm And nothing falls into place, no Only missed by a fraction Slipped a little off your pace, oh
The more things you get, the more you want Just trade in one for the other Workin’ so hard, to make it easier, whoa Got to turn, c’mon turn this thing around
Hey It’s your tomorrow (Right now) C’mon, it’s everything (Right now) Catch that magic moment, do it Right here and now It means everything It’s enlightened me, right now What are you waitin’ for? Oh, yeah, right now
Hey It’s your tomorrow (Right now) C’mon, it’s everything (Right now) Catch that magic moment, and do it right, right now Oh, right now It’s what’s happening Right here and now Right now It’s right now Oh Tell me, what are you waiting for? Turn this thing around
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Alex Van Halen / Edward Van Halen / Michael Anthony / Sammy Hagar
Right Now (2004 Remaster) lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc
Need to grow, fix or exit your business?
