Weekly insights on how to perform when it matters | High-stakes decisions. Real situations. No BS. | 👇JOIN +2k readers 👇
You want to get fit or financially free? Don't do this
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You know that working 8 hours a day for over 40 years straight, just to retire and finally enjoy “the life of your dreams” in the last stage of your life has never been my cup of tea. My goal is not the Lambo. It’s not drinking overpriced wine… and obviously not New Zealand red wines. I just want to own my time. That’s it. Some people call this financial freedom. You know that I read about the subject. Forums, blogs, books, and… from time to time I did it on social media. Yes… it was a time where I checked those places. Here is the problem I discovered. If you check those sites that poison your brain, you’ll find a bunch of self-proclaimed “experts” telling you exactly what to do to reach financial freedom. The problem? None of them have actually achieved it. Think about it: Overweight people preaching health. Government employees giving startup advice. Broke financial gurus talking about “freedom” while watching their bank account hit zero on the 25th… Come on… You have to laugh. I don’t know about you, but I don’t listen to people like that. Think again: Want to get fit? Follow athletes, coaches, and nutritionists. Want to learn business? Study successful entrepreneurs. Want financial freedom? Pay attention to people who are already there. That’s it. And with projects or infrastructure, this works the same. Think again please: Want a bridge over the sea? Find those that have successfully done it before. Want a tunnel under the sea? Find those that have successfully done it before. Want a successful PPP? Find those projects that were delivered successfully That’s it. Want to know about a project that was successful despite all the odds? Check below.
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Vicente Valencia
Weekly insights on how to perform when it matters | High-stakes decisions. Real situations. No BS. | 👇JOIN +2k readers 👇
You know the IBM ad: “Nobody has been fired for choosing IBM”. Well… in procurement there are ads like that. “We didn’t just go for the cheapest.” Lovely. Everyone nods. Someone writes “quality” in the minutes. Your career feels protected. Unfortunately, the project hasn’t read the minutes. Take Scotland’s Parliament building at Holyrood. In January 1999, three final candidates were competing to become construction manager. Bovis came out comfortably ahead at interview. 82 points out of 100....
A few days ago, I talked about the smallest PPP in the world. It’s in Poland. 12.000€. Probably quite unknown. There are another one… this time famous. Small building. Small investment. Small transaction costs. Sorry. That last one was a joke. Scotland. 2002 Audit Scotland reviewed six school PFI projects. For Glasgow, it reported around £12 million in combined public and private sector set-up and advisory costs. Against £212 million in construction. For West Lothian? Around £2 million....
Before you tell a difficult public client: “You can’t do this without me.” Consider a small building in Sydney. White roof. Quite photogenic. You may have seen it. February 1966. Jørn Utzon, the architect of the small building, met the NSW Minister for Public Works, Davis Hughes. There were unpaid fees. A dispute over funding for prototypes. And a relationship that had already gone thoroughly to hell. Utzon threatened to quit. Hughes replied: “You are always threatening to quit...” And both...