- (And Why Billion-Dollar CEOs Sit on Chairs Older Than Zimbabwe’s Independence)*
As a business consultant, I move around a lot. I enter small companies, medium companies, and big companies making millions in revenue. And I have noticed something VERY interesting…
When you enter a multi-million-dollar company, the offices are shockingly simple.
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Small desks
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Old chairs
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Modest boardrooms
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No fancy décor
Sometimes you wonder, “Ko pano panotengeswa zvinhu here? Or is this a school staffroom?”
Then you walk into small companies that are failing to pay rent, and boom you feel like you’ve entered the headquarters of NASA.
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Giant mahogany desk
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Leather chair that can rotate like it’s about to launch
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Gold-plated pen holder
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Carpet thicker than the company’s profit margin
You even see someone with an office so big you need Google Maps to find the exit.
THE WARREN BUFFET EXAMPLE
Warren Buffet is worth $149 billion. Not ZiG. Not “face value.” Real USD.
Yet the man still sits at a wooden desk he inherited from his father… In the 1950s.
That desk has seen things. It has survived:
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World War II
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The Cold War
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The moon landing
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The invention and death of Nokia phones
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Zimbabwe’s 2008 inflation season (that alone deserves a medal)
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The rise of TikTok
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The fall of Twitter
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Three generations of iPhones
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And probably a few billionaires who came and disappeared
You would expect someone with that much money to be sitting on a diamond chair with Wi-Fi and massage function. But no. Buffet sits there quietly, on a chair older than most African nations, eating McDonald’s and making billions.
Why?
Because the desk doesn’t bring him money. It doesn’t raise revenue. It doesn’t improve cashflow. It doesn’t grow market share. It doesn’t even close one deal.
He focuses on:
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Businesses
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Investments
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Systems
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Cashflow
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People
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Strategy
Not carpets imported from Dubai.
WHY SMALL COMPANIES LOVE BIG DESKS
Most small business owners buy big desks for two reasons:
1. To look successful instead of becoming successful
The desk becomes the evidence of success, not the result of success. They want clients to walk in and say, “Wow!” Meanwhile the accountant is whispering, “Sir, we are behind on rent…”
2. To impress employees instead of leading them
A fancy office creates distance. It says, “I am the boss. The big boss.” But ask the employees: The people would rather have systems, salaries on time, a working printer, and a strategy.
Not a gold pen holder.
THE REAL LESSON
A big desk won’t turn losses into profits. A swiveling chair won’t fix a broken strategy. A thick carpet won’t stop a business from collapsing. And a leather chair won’t turn a poor leader into a great CEO.
Big companies keep simple offices because they know: Money must work, not chairs. Capital must move, not furniture. Strategy matters, not decor.
Small companies must learn this:
Build the business first. Buy the expensive desk later.
In fact, let the business buy the desk Not the ego.
If your business looks successful on the outside but is struggling behind the scenes, it’s time to fix the fundamentals. We assist with sales training, entrepreneurship coaching, strategy formulation, and building practical business systems that focus on cashflow, structure, and sustainable growth not office furniture and appearances. Get in touch on +263 77 961 9739 or +260 972 936 033 and let the business start working harder than the desk.
By The Chartered Vendor
#BusinessStrategy #EntrepreneurshipAfrica #SalesTraining #SMEGrowth #ZimbabweBusiness #BuildSystemsNotEgo #CashflowFirst #SmartLeadership
