Business development – the time set aside to work “on” rather than “in” our business. It’s the point when client projects, email, bookkeeping, and admin take a short-term sabbatical to make room for more serious planning and implementation. Not the kind of planning that’s make the day run more smoothly – although that’s important, too – it’s the kind of planning that keeps your business on the right track to your intended goals.
This blog article could be complete with one sentence – because if it’s not scheduled, it won’t get done – but then Google wouldn’t be happy. Being a people-pleaser – and not wanting to disappoint – allow me to continue. 
Plotting Your Destination
When I bought my Lexus GS 300 in 2000, it came with a navigation system. Today, course-plotting systems are everywhere. At the turn of the century, however, it was as rare as a northern hairy-nosed wombat.
One of the navigation features I loved most was “rerouting”. If you failed to make a turn, the system automatically reset itself to keep you on course to your final destination. There isn’t a driver alive who isn’t grateful for this sweet little item when an engrossed conversation causes one to miss an off-ramp.
Of course, the key to the entire system was plotting the appropriate destination at the beginning of your journey.
Entrepreneurs are excellent at establishing their endpoint. It’s everything in between the beginning and the end of the day, week, month, and year that pulls us off our pre-determined path. Without an automatic re-routing feature built into our brain, the course we take isn’t smooth, straight, or pretty.
Manual Business Navigation System
This brings us back to the importance of scheduled business development time. Without it programmed into our calendars, we miss the chance to confirm our destination, check our current position, and re-route our small business, if necessary.
Minus an automatic re-routing system in our head, it’s the best we can do.
How do you keep your business on the smooth path to its destination?
