Yarak is a word from the sport of falconry used to describe when a bird is superalert, hungry but not weak, and is ready to hunt.
It is when the falcon is scanning the horizon and is able to chase down anything that moves, but is not desperate enough to go after prey that could pose unnecessary risks.
Entrepreneurs should always be in a state of yarak. And so should our teams.
We should always be scanning for deals, opportunities and talent, but should never be willing to say yes to the wrong client or a bad agreement.
Yarak in yourself and your team comes from the constant evaluation of where you are and where you’d like to be, and from continued movement from crisis to crisis (artificial or real).
It is the result of never holding too much money in hand that you become complacent, but never too little that you become weak, unable to move and willing to do absolutely anything for liquidity.
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Post inspired by a section in Yvon Chouinard’s Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman