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8 ways that sailing is like business
I’ve used the analogy of sailing to describe business many times – and not just because I’m a sailor!
Here are 8 ways that show why.
1. Let’s say you want to sail across Lake Ontario from Toronto to Rochester. You know where you’re starting from and where you want to get to – your destination. That’s like business planning. For example, you plan to get gross sales of $1 million and you have a revenue of $0 to start.
2. You have a nautical map and use it to mark your route. In business this is your written business plan.
3. When sailing in waters unknown to you, you need a chart (map) that shows not only the land but also what’s under the water – rocks, shoals, sandbars or reefs. In business you must know your industry and its trends and you must always be learning so you have a good idea of what’s coming. The future could hold things like changes in your industry, technology updates, the need for a mobile friendly website, or laws like CASL (Canadian Anti-Spam Law).
4. Sailing is different from using a powerboat since the motor in a powerboat allows you to get to your destination in a straight line. There’s no such thing as “straight there” in sailing. It always depends on the wind – you could be on a tack or a reach, use a small sail or your spinnaker. In business you learn to “go with the flow” and expect changes in everything.
5. Speed is also dictated by the wind on a sailboat. Sometimes you move fast (on a reach – all hands on deck) and sometimes you’re in irons (no wind and therefore no movement) during which you clean the ship, fix sails etc. As I said in another article “All marketing is slow marketing“.
6. You keep adjusting your sails to try to get as “close to the wind” as you can. In business you need to review your marketing and sales results (analytics, split headlines) frequently and then tweak your plan accordingly. But since you know your destination that’s not a problem. Changing it just gets you closer.
7. You could be in a fog (a real one like I was in in San Francisco Bay) or heavy rain and you need help from others. That time we asked the US Coast Guard for help. In business it’s important to know when to ask for help.
8. Before you begin any sailing – daysailing, racing or a trip, you ALWAYS check the equipment – the sails, the lines, the mast, and especially your team to make sure they’re all in good shape. In a business you do the same – it’s called having knowledge. I know the information for what to do is free on the internet but that’s not good enough – take courses – hire a consultant – get a team around who know what they’re doing because they’ve done it before.
What other similarities did you think of while reading this? Tell me!
Originally posted August 9, 2015
ABOUT
“If at first you don’t succeed, welcome to the school that educated me.”
– Thomas Edison, Inventor
I’m 71 so I’ve had a long and full life, filled with adventure, much success and my share of failures. When I was thinking about what was next for me I realized that I wanted to share what I’ve learned over the years in life and as a small business owner, to support others in their careers and business journeys.
My posts from 2007 to 2018 are practical “how to” business procedures and practices written when I was a marketing coach for women small business owners. I added another category in 2019 when I officially closed “Boomerbizbuilder”. Called “Beliefs and Views”, it includes my personal views and beliefs and how they contributed to who I’ve become as a person and as a self employed individual.
Have you ever wondered how you got to be the person you are? Have you thought about what you would say to your younger self today? What do you think about fear? Excitement? Kindness? Gratitude? Control? Loss? Pain? Failure?
This is what my blog posts on my personal views and beliefs are all about. I write about what I’ve learned and offer that knowledge to you.
In 2021, during the pandemic I took an online Memoir Writing course created and led by Alison Wearing a friendly, outgoing, generous writer with three published books who currently lives in Stratford, Ontario. I did my due diligence about her and you can too. Visit her website here https://www.alisonwearing.com/ .
I learned and continue to learn about writing so much so that I’ve added yet another category to my posts called Writing. They’re pieces from my memoir or pieces I’ve written to submit to publications.
(Some of my history: We had a compost bin at the back of our yard in the 60s, used brown paper grocery bags in the 50s and 60s which we then made into school book covers. We hung clothes outside on a clothesline using wood clothes pegs in the 50s and 60s. What we did then is now called recycling 🙂
BTW I wore mini skirts, hot pants, “string” bikinis and “big” platform shoes in the 70s!
Who am I?
“You can be whatever you want to be.”
This was a statement I heard from my Mom throughout my early life in the 50s and 60s.
“Get an education. That’ll help you to get ahead.” It’s what Mom repeatedly told me.
My Mom never finished high school and my Dad had Grade 12. My aunts and uncles and most of my cousins did not go to university. Did I feel some pressure? You bet I did! So I went to university because I believed my Mom when she said that a degree would make a difference. It did and it didn’t … but more about that later.
I went to the University of Western Ontario for my BA then attended Althouse College of Education to become a teacher. From ages 22 to 30 I taught elementary school. I loved teaching and, as a matter of fact, teaching is what I’ve always done over the years (just outside of the formal school system). I was happy teaching the kids and got a lot of satisfaction from this.
But I always felt that something was missing, so when I was 25, I made the first significant change that would begin to transform my life. I moved from London, Ontario to the “big” city of Toronto. I believed this city would have more opportunities for me. There, I completed a Masters in Education part time while I continued to teach. I was an elementary school teacher for eight years in total and I’m glad I was.
“I met Trudy Van Buskirk in my undergraduate program at The University of Western Ontario. That was over 40 years ago and, like life, our friendship has had its ups and outs and downs. One thing that has not changed, despite the years or our health issues, is Trudy’s dedication to marketing, small business and being an entrepreneur. If you need someone in your corner I recommend Trudy without hesitation.” Aletta de Wal, Artist, Artist Advisor & Art Marketing Strategist, Author of ”My Real Job is Being an Artist – What You Should Know Before you Quit Your Day Job (or Get One)” http://www.artistcareertraining.com
I had three dreams. Travel had always been one of them and so was having my own business. However it was in Toronto that I became aware of the third one – the fact that I wanted to sail and own a sailboat.
At 30 (in 1980) I did one of the things I’d always wanted – I started a business. My dream became a reality. My partner and I co-owned one of the first Apple computer dealerships in Canada – and we had employees! I didn’t have education of any kind on how to start or run a business. That’s where my formal education didn’t make a difference. I’ve never put my degrees on a business card.
at the helm of MY OWN SAILBOAT
in San Francisco Bay.
And I never stopped thinking about the sailboat! From the late 1970s to the late 1990s, I took lessons, raced on a boat owned by another woman, went on a sailing vacation from the Thousand Islands to Niagara-on-the-Lake, took a 2 week sailing vacation in the British Virgin Islands, sailed in San Francisco Bay … and finally … owned a sailboat when I lived in San Francisco!
I had done all of this even though I couldn’t swim. I wasn’t afraid of being ON the water in a boat just being IN the water. When people ask why I sailed even though I couldn’t swim, I answer, “I like taking risks … and I made sure I never fell off .”
The following anecdote is an example of risk taking…
A Sailing Story …
Picture this. One January afternoon, three of us sailed from San Francisco across the bay to a café in Tiburon. Being winter (although still warm and sunny), it was becoming inky black except for the lights of the city twinkling in the distance. We finished our coffee and set sail for home.
It was now dark and foggy. We couldn’t see more than 6 feet in front of us. All of us knew how to sail. I knew we’d get across. It was Jeff’s boat and he was the most worried. Nigel was at the helm and was enervated. He’s an Englishman who’d sailed the English Channel where he’d experienced much worse. I was trembling with both excitement AND fear, ready for another adventure.
We were prepared. We knew where we were going, had maps, and had a ship to shore radio on which Jeff called the Coast Guard so they could see us on their radar. During the short trip, we even had to do a 360 degree turn to stay out of the path of a BIG ship in the shipping channel that couldn’t stop or turn quickly like we could. Very scary!
We got across the bay and saw San Francisco. We sailed the rest of the way in (we had been motoring) to our berth at Pier 39. All three of us were “buzzing” as we docked. We had done it!
A man at the Coast Guard was our “friendly voice in the fog”.
I think this adventure illustrates three important characteristics for success in life and business – flexibility, preparedness and willingness to take a risk .
I’ve applied these and other characteristics in my many endeavours as an entrepreneur.
Some of my past business endeavours
- Co-created, built and helped run two companies from the ground up – one of the first Apple computer dealerships in Toronto (1980-89) (that’s why I’m still a Macintosh user) and a market development company in San Francisco that designed and produced national conferences and trade shows (300 to a maximum of 2000 attendees) in the mobile and wireless industry (1994-1998). Both were at the “bleeding edge” of technology.
- Consulted, coached and mentored 100’s of startup and existing small business owners in marketing their business online and offline.
- Developed and taught training seminars on a wide variety of topics from planning to marketing and sales, for large companies then focused on doing them for small business.
- Consulted with small business owners and professionals on projects to review and revise company operating procedures including marketing strategies and programs, sales and service procedures, computer technology, and inventory control.
- Given keynote addresses in Canada and internationally on networking (the human kind), marketing, entrepreneurship, and sales.
- Been a founding director of four associations for business and education in Canada and the U.S.
- Ran my own networking group in Beaches in Toronto
All of them show my interest in and subsequent knowledge of and experience in the areas of small business, teaching/ training, technology and event planning and implementing. My knowledge has not come from formal education (although I hold two degrees) but rather from passion and perseverance. I love learning so I’ve been self-taught in business.
Four things helped me:
- My summer and part-time jobs while in university taught me business skills (I worked in several departments in a factory office.)
- My attendance at university taught me discipline.
- My training and experience as a teacher provided me with many skills such as planning, implementing the plan, being flexible, and working with groups.
- Teaching special education taught me patience and acceptance.
Do we “fit”?
“People rarely succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it.” Author Unknown
What are YOUR goals? Why not “Reach for the Stars”? Let me be a small part of helping you reach them.
Today my goals are:
- To help you connect head and heart in your business
- To inform you of the tools you can use to grow your business
- To give you “how to” written, straightforward, and clear instructions in many blog posts
- To share with you my knowledge and wisdom acquired in my 40 years of self employment
Do you feel that I can help you? Try me out. I’ll give you 20 minutes, at no charge to answer your questions, coach or consult with you.
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