I recently met an old friend. Years ago, we worked together as senior corporate executives- two different departments with frequent conflicts over challenges. Today, he is building his own B2B startup.

Over coffee, our conversation turned naturally to his business.

“Every department says it is doing its best,” he said. “Yet our topline isn’t growing. We have held several leadership meetings, but the same issues keep resurfacing- investors have begun to question us.”

Most of the time, images appear blurred when seen closely in a mirror.

Before we parted, I suggested an experiment instead of another review meeting. He agreed. My goal was not to solve his business problem but to shift how people viewed the business.

A week later, I was at his office conducting an interaction program titled “I Want to Become an Entrepreneur”.

Rather than delivering lectures or presentations, I divided employees from different departments—Sales, HR, Finance, Logistics, Marketing, Production, Operations, and others—into mixed teams and asked them to build a business around a completely new product or service.

They had to decide everything: pricing, market positioning, costs, MRP, distribution, logistics, competition, resources, long-term growth—the topline.

One condition applied: every group member had to present the business vertical from another department’s perspective.

One representative first explained the real challenges faced by his or her department. The remaining team members, drawn from different functions, had to suggest practical solutions rather than defend their own areas.

The discussion then opened to questions from a jury composed of the senior leadership team.

The whispers in the conference room changed. Finance began to look past figures. Sales started to recognize production constraints. HR grasped the business consequences of staffing choices. Operations described why implementation often seems simpler from afar than in practice. Departments ceased self-defense. They began to understand one another. 

Slowly, dialogue moved from “Who is responsible?” to “How do we address this together?” 

Most companies do not falter because units lack skilled staff or strong leadership. They falter because capable individuals know their own roles well but seldom see another’s reality. That is where the divide emerges. 

Companies do not collapse because units stop speaking. They collapse because units stop understanding each other. 

By contrast, entrepreneurs do not think in units. They think in enterprises. 

During those few hours, every participant stopped acting like an employee. 

The aim of “I Want to Become an Entrepreneur” was met.