Manjinder Siingh on Why Experience Still Matters in an Age of Business Shortcuts
A restaurant owner can watch 100 videos about running a business and still lose money on inventory next week. That’s the problem with shortcuts. They can give you information, but they can’t give you. . .
A restaurant owner can watch 100 videos about running a business and still lose money on inventory next week. That’s the problem with shortcuts. They can give you information, but they can’t give you experience. Entrepreneurs have more tools, courses, podcasts, and business advice available than ever before. Yet many still struggle with the same challenges owners faced years ago: hiring the right people, understanding customers, controlling costs, and making smart decisions when things don’t go according to plan. Manjinder Siingh has spent much of his career learning those lessons firsthand. From working in hospitality in India to owning businesses in Portugal and later openingAmbar Surrey Restaurantin Canada, he’s seen what happens when business theory meets reality. His biggest takeaway is simple: experience still matters because it teaches lessons you can’t learn any other way. “I used to think that if the food was good, everything else would fall into place,” says Siingh. “Then I opened my own restaurant and realized food was only one piece of the puzzle. Every day there was something new to solve. ”The Internet Can Teach You Almost Everything Except JudgmentBusiness owners don’t have an information problem anymore. Need advice on marketing? There are thousands of videos, articles, and podcasts available within seconds. Need help with hiring, pricing, or customer retention? Chances are, someone has already published a guide explaining exactly what they would do. The challenge isn’t finding information. The challenge is figuring out which information actually applies to your business. A strategy that helps a startup grow quickly may have little value for a restaurant owner. A pricing model that works in one city could fail in another. Even good advice can produce poor results when it’s applied at the wrong time. That’s where experience creates an advantage. Over time, business owners begin to recognize patterns that aren’t obvious to newcomers. They learn which problems deserve immediate attention and which ones are likely to resolve themselves. They become better at separating temporary trends from meaningful changes in customer behavior. “When I moved from Portugal to Canada, I couldn’t just copy what worked before,” says Siingh. “Customers had different expectations. Even small things had to change. Experience helped me recognize that quickly. ”According to the World Economic Forum, analytical thinking remains one of the most important skills for business leaders. That’s because successful decision-making requires more than access to information. Business owners need judgment. They need to know when to stay patient, when to act, and when it’s time to change direction. Most Expensive Business Mistakes Don’t Look Dangerous at FirstMany people assume businesses fail because of one major mistake. In reality, problems often start small. Costs creep up month after month. Customer complaints become more frequent. A supplier becomes unreliable. Staff turnover starts increasing. None of these issues look like a crisis on day one. Experienced operators know that small problems rarely stay small. They understand that waiting too long often makes the solution more expensive and more difficult. “One lesson I learned early was that problems don’t fix themselves,” says Siingh. “If customers keep mentioning the same issue, or if costs keep moving in the wrong direction, you need to deal with it before it becomes something bigger. ”Research fromCB Insightsfound that many business failures stem from avoidable operational issues such as pricing problems, cash flow challenges, and poor planning. However, these aren’t usually caused by a lack of information. They’re often caused by decisions that come too late. One practical habit every entrepreneur can adopt is scheduling a monthly review of recurring problems. If the same issue appears repeatedly, it’s usually a sign that a system, process, or assumption needs to change. Customers Usually Tell You the Answer Before Your Data DoesMany business owners spend a lot of time looking at reports. Smart business owners spend just as much time listening. Customers often notice problems before management does. They’ll point out confusing processes, mention products they’d like to see, or explain why they’re choosing competitors. Those conversations contain valuable information. According to Microsoft,90% of consumerssay customer service plays a major role in deciding whether they’ll do business with a company. That means understanding customer expectations isn’t optional. It’s essential. Throughout his career, some of Siingh’s most valuable business insights came from direct conversations with customers. “Sometimes a customer mentions something that seems minor,” he says. “Then you hear the same thing from several more people. That’s usually a sign you need to pay attention. ”Many companies invest heavily in research while overlooking the people already providing feedback every day. Often, the fastest way to improve a business is simply to listen more carefully. The Goal Isn’t to Avoid MistakesMany entrepreneurs spend too much energy trying to avoid failure completely. A better goal is learning from mistakes faster than everyone else. Every successful business owner has made poor decisions. They’ve hired the wrong people, invested in the wrong ideas, or missed opportunities they wish they had recognized sooner. The difference isn’t that successful entrepreneurs avoid mistakes. It’s that they learn from them. For Siingh, some of the most valuable lessons came from ventures that didn’t unfold the way he expected. “I learned more from difficult years than easy years,” he says. “When everything is working, you don’t always stop and ask why. When things aren’t working, you’re forced to pay attention. ”Researchers at Harvard Business School have found that entrepreneurs who have previously failed are more likely to succeed in future ventures than first-time founders. Experience changes the way people evaluate risk, manage challenges, and make decisions. Failure isn’t useful because it’s painful. It’s useful because it forces people to learn. Technology will continue to change the way businesses operate. New tools will save time, improve efficiency, and create opportunities that didn’t exist before. Smart business owners should absolutely use those tools. But tools can’t replace judgment. Software can generate reports. It can’t explain why customers are becoming frustrated. Data can reveal a problem. Experience often helps leaders understand what’s causing it and what needs to happen next. Throughout his career, Siingh has found that the most valuable lessons rarely came from moments when everything was going smoothly. They came from difficult decisions, unexpected setbacks, and situations where there wasn’t an obvious answer. “Some lessons cost time. Some cost money,” he says. “The important thing is making sure you learn from them. ”Shortcuts can help businesses move faster. Experience helps them move in the right direction. That’s why, despite all the new tools available to entrepreneurs, experience remains one of the few business advantages that can’t be copied, automated, or downloaded.