How Much Runway Do You Really Need to Take Off?
“Valdosta Tower, Tomahawk November Tango Two Five Three Four Bravo, request landing Runway One Seven.”
“Roger, November Tango Two Five Three Four Bravo, you’re cleared to land at your discretion. Cessna at your two o’clock is on final.”
“November Tango Two Five Three Four Bravo, roger clear to land Runway One Seven — traffic in sight.”
With that I pulled back on the throttle and began my descent. Eight hundred feet.. five.. two.. until finally the old Tomahawk airframe creaked a bit as we settled on the runway. Its wheels made their distinctive squeal of rubber meeting asphalt.
I made it — my first solo cross-country. Private pilots jokingly call this the “$100 cheeseburger.”
That’s roughly how much you spend (after fuel and airplane rental costs) to complete this check box on your way to getting your pilot’s license. Usually, because of that not-so-cheap hourly rate all you really have time for is grabbing a meal in the airport snack shack and RTB (return to base,) and not really do the whole tourist thing.
Everyday I love seeing creative entrepreneurs taking that leap and seeing if the net appears, but here’s the idea that Srinivas Rao inspired me to write about here.
On his Unmistakable Creative Facebook group he shared..
“One of the things that’s often overlooked in the world of the individual creator is the concept of a runway. In the startup world, runway is the time you have left until you’re out of money. And burn rate is how much money you are spending. If you know what your runway looks like you’ll be more likely to achieve take off.“
Sure, it’s great to be hopeful and optimistic — Vegas and the billion dollar gambling industry it powers is built on this spirit. But you can’t change the laws of physics as Scotty says.
A friend Dave Shorthill uses this flight analogy to talk about the importance of financial planning for businesses planning their exit strategy. It’s a great metaphor for what is probably the most important sale of a business owner. That’s also one of the main reasons why I chose Bush Pilot Marketing as the branding for my consulting.
Then, there the opposite end of the spectrum. On her new podcast Magic Lessons Liz Gilbert tells a blogger that she’s done enough preparation.. that it’s time to be in flight.
Many creatives have this fear of getting started. It’s that blank page staring back with cold defiant contempt. “Go ahead.. make my day,” the white canvas seems to taunt.
On one hand we have “Resistance is the enemy” — Steven Pressfield.. on the other we have “Resistance is futile..” — Borg
So, how do we make sure we get there “safe on deck”?
Test Flights — these are both confidence builders but also in Lean Startup terms, as Eric Ries and Steve Blank teach, it’s an opportunity to get feedback from the market
Plan, Prepare, Preflight — do the work; too many mishap stories shared by the NTSB are filled with stories of human tragedy that could have been prevented
Enjoy the Ride — while vigilance and a good scan is essential for your success, one of the key lessons I took from aikido is that we’re better prepared to *respond* when we’re relaxed and alert — it’s not only exhausting to be tense but science we can only sustain it for so long before it takes its toll.
So what’s your flight plan?
Here are a couple more of my flight stories you might enjoy -
Push the Creativity Envelope — what does it take to stretch yourself as a Creative Entrepreneur?
Facing Our Fear in Creativity — how do we kick fear to the curb and set our creativity free?
Let’s talk about your business flight plan - head on over to Bush Pilot Marketing. To get more inspiration for your creative vision to take off visit Butterfly Formula. Or join me on food travel adventures as a digital nomad at Tango Vagabond.
