Business Orienteering is a directional concept using guidelines to help entrepreneurs find clarity about where they are going. Orienteering is actually an outdoor navigation sport that I’m learning with my young son. The sport uses maps, compass, markers and control points in fostering personal development. The same orienteering concepts can easily be applied to the business world as well.
Orienteering is concerned with geographical navigation. Business operations are also concerned with movement in the right direction. As in the Orienteering sport, there are business obstacles and detours that have to be overcome.
Orienteering demands that competitors constantly interpret information, usually from map to ground. In business, competitors must constantly interpret marketing information as well as changes in the competitive landscape.
Orienteering requires speed, agility and strength to compete successfully. In business speed to market, agility in service and competitive strength are likewise critical qualities needed to succeed.
Unlike orienteering, however, starting a business (home-based or otherwise), should not be viewed as a recreational sport. A successful business requires a long-term commitment in time and resources. Deciding to leave the “road most traveled” career path of working for someone else can be quite intimidating. Understand, however, that this seemingly safe career path is nothing of the sort. Downsizing, outsourcing, and new technologies can quickly muddy your path.
The orienteering concept, however, is quite appropriate to the challenges of starting and operating a business. There is nothing like the feel of having control over your life. Unlike working the corporate job, your success will be based on your ability to plan and chart a direction. This means developing new skills, attitudes, and new philosophies.
