Long time readers of miview will know that I love getting away for a wee break. And this autumn weekend I was delighted to be driving up to St Andrews in Fife to reunite with some school friends, one of whom recently set up home there.
After a quick cup of tea and a catch up, we headed out for lunch and a stroll around the old town, which included a brisk walk to the chilly beach front.
We headed home as the evening set in and sat reminiscing around the wood burner, pondering how our lives have changed over the years and the value of lasting friendships.
On the second evening I asked if I could prepare the fire and after receiving my instructions, I gathered all the materials together. And I found myself thinking that it’s not just me and my friends who’ve had an interesting life; the contents of my bucket have had an adventure too.
And I thought of all the journeys required to bring warmth into the room. As I scrunched up the newspaper I thought of the seed that was planted, that grew into the tree that was chopped down, pulped into paper, transported to a printing press, and from there to the newsagent to the person reading at home, and how the information very quickly became old news and no longer relevant.
As I layered the kindling, the journey this time went from seed to tree to log to small pieces of wood, able to take flame from the newspaper and hold it until the bigger logs start to burn.
I took a match and lit the newspaper, excited that it took flame. I opened the air vents to help it spread and encourage the kindling to take that flame, priming the fire for the logs. With two large logs now on the fire, I sat on the sofa enjoying my success.
Unlike many previous attempts to light a fire, where I watched it fizzle out, only to start again, I watched with satisfaction as flames danced and the logs burned. Success!!
There is something lovely about burning wood and my mind drifted to the similarity between building a successful fire and building a successful business.
As I’ve said, I’ve often started to light a fire, often to watch the flame go out and have to start again and sometimes again. And it’s the same in business.
We gather our newspaper, kindle, logs and matches to produce our fire, just like we gather our idea, our vision, plans, people and equipment to start our business.
Our aim with the fire is to produce heat, with the business it is whatever result we have decided we want. That’s why it’s so it is crucial that we have a clear definition of the results we desire before gathering up what we need to begin.
And if we do it wrong, the business will never catch fire; never give you what you want from it.
When lighting a fire if you don’t have enough newspaper the kindling won’t light.
If the kindling’s too small, it’ll burn out before the log takes flame.
If the logs are too wet they won’t catch flame. If they’re too big, they won’t catch flame. If they’re too small they burn too quickly and the fire goes out.
And if you don’t have a match there’s no spark to set the paper alight. What’s the spark you need to set your business alight? How do you keep the flame burning brightly as you transition your business from one stage to the next?
Have a clear vision of where you are headed, in my story it’s a roaring fire that gives you warmth, light and comfort.
Align your vision with a strong sense of why you are doing it, for me it was not only for heat and light and comfort but also to provide a focal point for my friends to gather around as we sat and caught up with our lives.
Have a plan to define how you are going to prepare for your venture, for me that was gathering paper, dry kindling, dry wood and matches.
Ensure you have the right processes, equipment and people skills to get your venture started successfully, for me it was gathering the newspaper, kindling, dried out logs and matches and building the fire in the wood burner as prescribed.
Ignite that spark, recreate it if that’s what you need to do and build a business that sets you and life on fire. Make your heat, light and comfort, creating warmth, safety and security for you and those people who are special to you.
Will Your Business Catch Fire And Keep You Warm?
Long time readers of miview will know that I love getting away for a wee break. And this autumn weekend I was delighted to be driving up to St Andrews in Fife to reunite with some school friends, one of whom recently set up home there.
After a quick cup of tea and a catch up, we headed out for lunch and a stroll around the old town, which included a brisk walk to the chilly beach front.
We headed home as the evening set in and sat reminiscing around the wood burner, pondering how our lives have changed over the years and the value of lasting friendships.
On the second evening I asked if I could prepare the fire and after receiving my instructions, I gathered all the materials together. And I found myself thinking that it’s not just me and my friends who’ve had an interesting life; the contents of my bucket have had an adventure too.
And I thought of all the journeys required to bring warmth into the room. As I scrunched up the newspaper I thought of the seed that was planted, that grew into the tree that was chopped down, pulped into paper, transported to a printing press, and from there to the newsagent to the person reading at home, and how the information very quickly became old news and no longer relevant.
As I layered the kindling, the journey this time went from seed to tree to log to small pieces of wood, able to take flame from the newspaper and hold it until the bigger logs start to burn.
I took a match and lit the newspaper, excited that it took flame. I opened the air vents to help it spread and encourage the kindling to take that flame, priming the fire for the logs. With two large logs now on the fire, I sat on the sofa enjoying my success.
Unlike many previous attempts to light a fire, where I watched it fizzle out, only to start again, I watched with satisfaction as flames danced and the logs burned. Success!!
There is something lovely about burning wood and my mind drifted to the similarity between building a successful fire and building a successful business.
As I’ve said, I’ve often started to light a fire, often to watch the flame go out and have to start again and sometimes again. And it’s the same in business.
We gather our newspaper, kindle, logs and matches to produce our fire, just like we gather our idea, our vision, plans, people and equipment to start our business.
Our aim with the fire is to produce heat, with the business it is whatever result we have decided we want. That’s why it’s so it is crucial that we have a clear definition of the results we desire before gathering up what we need to begin.
And if we do it wrong, the business will never catch fire; never give you what you want from it.
What’s the spark you need to set your business alight? How do you keep the flame burning brightly as you transition your business from one stage to the next?
Have a clear vision of where you are headed, in my story it’s a roaring fire that gives you warmth, light and comfort.
Align your vision with a strong sense of why you are doing it, for me it was not only for heat and light and comfort but also to provide a focal point for my friends to gather around as we sat and caught up with our lives.
Have a plan to define how you are going to prepare for your venture, for me that was gathering paper, dry kindling, dry wood and matches.
Ensure you have the right processes, equipment and people skills to get your venture started successfully, for me it was gathering the newspaper, kindling, dried out logs and matches and building the fire in the wood burner as prescribed.
Ignite that spark, recreate it if that’s what you need to do and build a business that sets you and life on fire. Make your heat, light and comfort, creating warmth, safety and security for you and those people who are special to you.
Categories