Lesson 35: Ease

Kevin brought his Rubik’s Cube to school in sixth grade and pulled it out of the side pocket on his backpack. He handed me the puzzle to turn the sides until all six colors were scrambled across each surface. Red next to blue next to green next to white next to yellow. 

The Rubik’s Cube celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and has always frustrated first attempts to solve the puzzle. However, Kevin solved it in seconds because this was not his first attempt. His hands rotated each side quicker than my eyes could track the movements. I was fascinated with how he solved the puzzle with such ease. Kevin had practiced. 

Ease comes from practice. It follows frustration and fatigue and precedes proficiency and prowess. So far in business school, ease has yet to arrive. My challenges include studying supply and demand curves as well as reading case studies about leaders like Lyndon B. Johnson. However, what interests me (and challenges) me most is learning how to acquire skilled trade businesses.

This week, I met Kyle Coots, Co-Founder of Miramar Equity Partners, which invests in traditional search funds for those pursuing Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition like myself. Kyle told me, “If you are going to buy a business in a highly regulated industry, you need to become an expert in that industry’s regulation.” This is important so I can instill confidence in my investors, and more importantly I can understand the best practices for serving my students. 

I know very little about regulation, but I added researching this topic to my never-ending to-do list.

My research on skilled trade education regulation has been fruitful. I learned the federal government provides nearly $1.4 billion annually for career and technical education. I also learned about the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission (GNPEC). They authorize institutions to operate in the state. GNPEC publishes 14 Minimum Standards and my 2-page overview highlights how these Standards protect students.

My values are to act with love, humility, and wisdom. While regulation may feel like a scrambled Rubik’s Cube today, accepting the wisdom from Kyle brings me one step closer to becoming a more prepared leader. Collecting wisdom offers the underrated but almighty prize of ease. This might take years, but I am patient.

Ease is Lesson 35. Next week, I will share Lesson 36: Honor.