I used to be an endurance rider which involved riding horses over long distances. The most popular distance was 80 kilometres and this would involve two sections of 40 kilometres each.
The ride would usually take place on a Sunday morning and we would travel to the location on a Saturday.
The programme would look like this:
- Step One – Take horse to the onsite vet for a pre ride check.
- Step Two – Ride first 40 Kilometres.
- Step Three – Present horse to vet for second check.
- Step Four – Ride second 40 Kilometres.
- Step Five – Present horse to vet for third check and gain a completion certificate.
You may be asking, “Why all the vet checks? Surely it would simply be a matter of making sure you followed the course and got to the finish line”?
Well, the vets checked the horse for such things as heart rate and lameness but the most important part of their work was to ensure the horse was fit for the next leg.
So the check at the finish was to ensure the horse would, in their opinion, be fit to complete another 40 kilometres.
So how does that relate to a business?
Many business owners only think about their Profit and Loss Account. That’s like being out on the ride. But they never really think about their Balance Sheet which is like going to the vet and checking whether their business is OK to carry on.
Watch for my next post on this topic where I will expand this thought further…..
