I have a confession to make.

Yesterday, I spent a good chunk of time watching my kids play — and explain to me — one of the most popular Roblox games of our time: 99 Nights in the Forest.

The protagonist finds himself in a dark, frightening forest with a simple but daunting mission: to survive for 99 nights and rescue four children kidnapped by cultists and hidden in different locations.

Now here’s the thing: to survive in the forest, the player must keep doing a few essential things.

He must:

1️⃣ Chop down trees and use the logs to feed the campfire at his base. By doing so, two things happen:

 (a) The game map gradually opens and expands as more of the landscape becomes visible.

 (b) Predatory animals stay away because of the fire — but the human enemies (“cultists”) become attracted to it.

2️⃣ Hunt animals for food to stay alive.

3️⃣ Gather better tools and resources — stronger axes, sharper weapons, rare gems — that allow him to cut bigger trees, build fences, and fortify his base against attack.

There are, of course, secondary objectives too: decorating the base with flowers, building storage shelves, adding a hammock to rest, and so on.

But to truly progress, the player must constantly do three things:

Feed the fire.

Hunt to survive.

Protect the base.

So, what does all this have to do with business?

Pretty much everything.

Let’s take a law firm as an example.

For a firm to survive and thrive, there are also three vital disciplines — exactly like in the game.

1️⃣ Feed the fire — expand your map.

In a law firm, this means lifelong learning. The law constantly evolves. Staying updated expands your professional “map” and keeps your path visible.

In Cyprus alone, lawyers face a flood of changes:

• The new Civil Procedure Rules.

• Restructured tax laws.

• EU crypto regulations (MiCAR).

• Landmark case law — such as the criminalisation of tenants refusing to vacate terminated leases.

Learning is not optional — it’s a sine qua non for survival.

2️⃣ Hunt to survive — find work and clients.

Business development is the profession’s lifeblood.

Firms must prospect and build client relationships — ethically, strategically, and persistently.

Those who stop “hunting” eventually run out of resources, merge under unideal terms, or take on risky work that endangers their licence and reputation.

Every lawyer must understand the golden chain: Quote → Deliver → Invoice → Collect.

Without it, business development is meaningless.

(See my earlier edition on The Golden Chain)

3️⃣ Build the fence — protect your base.

Protection in business means discipline and structure.

That includes:

• Systems (CRM, HR, AML, etc.) that ensure consistency and accountability.

• Cybersecurity to shield from external attacks.

• Culture — a workplace people want to stay in, where clients feel well served and staff feel proud to belong.

This last one is crucial. In a world of shifting demographics and faster job mobility, keeping your best people and clients requires both strategy and heart.

In the end…

In the game of business — just like in 99 Nights in the Forest — survival and progress come from staying focused on what truly matters.

𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞.

𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞.

Everything else — the ornaments, the decorations, the shiny novelties — are optional.

So what do you think?

Do you also see the parallels in your business?

I’d love to hear your thoughts — share your comments below.

Philippos