T_hen Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left._

Exodus 14:21–22

Most are familiar, at least in its most basic construct, with the story of the parting of the Red Sea.

Captured in Exodus 14, Moses leads the Israelites out of the slavery of the Egyptians to Canaan where they are to settle. With the Egyptians in pursuit and all looking lost, Moses raised his staff, splitting the waters of the Red Sea allowing the Israelites to cross. Once on the other side, and instructed by God, Moses once again raised his staff, bringing the waters back together, drowning the entire Egyptian army and setting the Israelites free.

I have used this story many times over my career when speaking to others about the delicate nature of entrepreneurship. While I’m not religious, I feel that this story best exemplifies the specific timing needed to be successful as a business, without which even the best can be washed away.

It is a common misconception that what makes a company successful is the product that the company produces. Wrong. A close second is “the team” or the capital raised — sorry, not those either. Of course, all of these things are important to a successful business, but they are not what makes a company successful. What is it?

Timing.

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