Start up businesses tend to be characterized by “go-go”. Get your business going, starting shipping, work out the bugs later, make improvements, get it out there again, come up with a complimenting product, get that going, hire, expand, and on and on.
This can also happen when a younger family member buys or inherits the business. “The old man was too stodgy. We need to make things happen.” New tech is needed, new blood, new energy. Yes, sometimes we older folks might take a little bit longer to come around. But maybe it’s because we have been there and we know that “there be dragons out there”.
To motorcyclists that like to go around the country, the Tail of the Dragon is a particularly interesting ride. It is a two lane road that is only 11 miles long. it starts at the North Carolina — Tennessee border and hugs the hills, valleys and mountains of the Great Smoky Mountains. Absolutely incredible scenery. But if you pay too much attention to the scenery, you become part of it.
The trick, the fun, and the danger of the Dragon, is that there are 318 turns along those 11 miles. Many of them are hairpins or blind turns of more than 90 degrees, in both directions. Turns with names like The Whip, Rockslide Corner, Guard Rail Cliff, Thunder Road Bend, and Break or Bust Bend.
Something of note about the Dragon, there is a helicopter landing station at the beginning and at the end of the 11 miles. Because there is usually at least two motorcycle fatalities per year, along with countless accidents, scraps, broken bones, busted bikes, all from not paying attention to the road. And if you stop along the road and look down, don’t be surprised to see a motorcycle about 100 feet down the mountain.
My first time on the Dragon was with my best friend and his son. We decided that we would go up, then back down and then back up to continue on our journey home from Florida.
The first time through was absolutely amazing. We are all seasoned and very proficient motorcyclists. And as experienced riders and performers on a motorcycle, leaning back and forth, scraping the bottom of the bike, sparks flying, throttling up and on to the next turn only 30 yards away, all 3 of us were exhilarated. This was the ultimate ride.
On that first time I was in the lead. The next time going back we had my friend’s son lead the way.
On that second ride, about 4 miles in, in front of us were a couple of bikers that were going slower than we had become accustomed to on our first ride on the Dragon. We had communication sets and could talk to one another during the ride.
My friend said to his son that he should look to pass the other bikers so we could gain some speed. While we were all very experienced riders, my friend’s son was just 21 and fearless. When my friend said that his son should pass up the other riders he thought that he needed to do it right now.
Unfortunately, up ahead was a blind left turn with us being on the outside lane. Who knows what might be coming at you. He throttled up but quickly realized that there wasn’t enough road to get in front of them before the turn. He tried to stop but then dropped the bike and slid in front of the other riders with his bike hitting the shoulder and flipping over to its other side.
When we stopped to see about him, the other riders cried out to “get the bike”, even while his son was trying to get himself up off the deck. We then saw why. Had the bike slid 2 more feet, it would have fallen 75 feet down a ravine.
We got the bike secured and then looked after the kid. He was banged up a bit but nothing broken, nothing really serious. His jeans and jacket were torn up but he was good. But he would remember that experience long after the scraps had healed.
When it comes to your business, even if you have traveled on that road before, you still need to take a moment to think about your actions before committing to it. Take a look at the situation ahead of you. Are there some obstacles you have seen before or are they new? Have you scanned the environment to look for dangers? Is this the right time to take action?
You might read this as I am saying to procrastinate or possibly analyze so much that you don’t actually do anything. That is completely wrong. Once you have a plan, you need to move forward. If you are not moving forward you are not only falling behind but can get run over.
Your vision, your purpose, is your guiding light for your business. Creating goals that are relevant and measurable are like the road map of the Dragon.
You create objectives and strategies that help you move your business along that path, to stay on the road to success. While you are making your plans, you should also try to figure out what problems or obstacles might be in the way from you being successful.
Recognizing them before they come to you is the key. While you can’t foresee everything, the process of thinking through issues helps you to prepare for the road ahead. It gives you more confidence to press forward “where there be dragons.”
Originally published in Medium - May 24, 2021