Could the best pizza in the World hold the secret to business partnering?

I love pizza.

It’s my favourite food.

So much so that a few years ago I visited Naples in Italy, the home of pizza.

I had heard about the legendary L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele restaurant.

A no-frills haven for the pizza purist.

Hailed by many as the home of the ‘World’s best pizza’.

I was told locals queue outside late into the night, waiting for table.

I arrived and joined the back of the queue, adding to my excitment.

Before long I was sat down.

There is no menu.

You don’t need one when there are only 4 choices: Margherita or Marinara pizza to eat. Coca-cola or Peroni to drink.

Within minutes the best looking pizza I’ve ever seen came out of the wood-fired oven in the centre of the restaurant.

The bottle of chilled Peroni closely followed.

From that moment on, pizza at home would never taste the same again.

The simplicity of this place was mesmerising.

There was no noise, no fuss.

The pizza took centre stage.

Every effort was focussed on making the very best pizza in the World.

Nothing else mattered.

Focus.

Simplicity.

Outstanding results.

I went back 3 times that weekend.

As finance business partners, we normally try and do too much.

The best focus ruthlessly on the few things that make the biggest difference.

Anyone can make the complex more complex.

Anyone can write a 50 slide powerpoint deck.

It takes a special kind of skill to make the complex, simple.

To condense your message into 5 slides or less.

The kind of skill it takes to make the best pizza in the World.