I recently had the opportunity to go on a life-changing trip in the Himalaya mountains of Nepal. For the first time in many years, I was completely disconnected from my business, which was a really weird feeling. I did all of the right preparation prior to leaving and let my clients know I’d be out of touch. And guess what? Everything was just fine! Even though I wasn’t actively working in my business, I was however thinking about it quite a bit during our long hiking days. I’ve learned a few lessons from hiking that are actually relevant to running my business!
We were hiking through some fairly difficult terrain most days. This caused me to reflect on the value of my hiking poles. Now, not everyone had hiking poles, but to me, these poles were a critical component of the success I achieved on my trek. They supported me on the treacherous downhills filled with boulders and small rocks – they helped boost me up seemingly endless stairstep type rock formations, and over time, became my trusted companions on the trail.
I reflected upon the parallel between my hiking poles and the support systems we have in our businesses. Whether you are a small business owner with a team of people to support you, or you are a solopreneur trying to do it all yourself, think about your metaphorical hiking poles. What support systems do you have in place to help you run your business? Who or what provides that unfailing support at all costs? Sometimes it is our team members, or sometimes it is a process or system that we have implemented. Perhaps it is your mentor or accountability partner. Sometimes it is even a supportive client or vendor.
Give some thought to where your “hiking poles” are in your business. Need some poles? Figure out where you need support and look to fill that space in your business. The more supported you are in your day to day activities, the more you have room to grow and expand.
Need help figuring out some support systems and fail-safes for your business? I’d be happy to talk through some options that would be relevant to your company.
