Why is the Navigator called the Navigator?
Naming our newsletter “the Navigator” was an easy choice, as the word “navigate” encapsulates what we do for business owners and how our relationship with you is defined.
Over the years, we’ve compiled 84 issues (and counting) of the Navigator into a searchable cache on our website, where you can look up topics from the eight business fundamentals to the five D’s: Disagreement, Divorce, Disability, Distress, Death, and a sixth runner-up D, Don’t want to do it anymore. These are all potentially business-wrecking scenarios business owners face sooner or later, and each situation can be successfully navigated (there’s that word again) if an owner plans ahead and has some expert guidance.
It’s important to point out that navigators guide, they do not lead. A navigator is not the hero of the story, only a necessary support role. A good navigator functions in the background, plotting out the best path while taking into account hazards, weather, and timetables to show the captain the best options ahead. On the high seas a navigator deals with currents, storms and pirates. In business, our currents are currency, and the hazards are anything that keeps your business from Performing Higher.
A navigator does not give orders. Once you decide where you want to go, and how fast you want to get there, we map a path and help you stick with it. Your destination as a business owner, or as an advisor helping a business owner, is to maximize the value in that business before it goes to market. Some treat this as an afterthought, something to worry about only once it presents as a crisis. This would be like a ship’s navigator deciding on a destination randomly, based on wherever the ship floats. Many business owners, in fact, feel adrift as they just focus on the day-to-day operations.
Eagle is here to do a deep dive into how your specific business is set up, then help fine-tune each business fundamental and hold regular meetings and workshops to keep you meeting goals and benchmarks. This is all to create more measurable, transferable value over the long run.
Choosing a guide to help grow the value in your business is an important decision. Your navigator must be experienced, have good instincts and know how to use every tool at their disposal. If they are also someone you respect and get along with, the voyage becomes an adventure. Yours might be an open-ended adventure or one with a deadline, depending on when you are looking to exit your business. The longer we have to work with a business, the more time we have to make foundational changes that can reap benefits for years to come.
Like a trusted navigator, we are on the boat with you. With our monthly retainer structure, we are available to help at a moment’s notice. You never know when you’ll need to change course because something unexpected comes up, or because your priorities suddenly change. Whether it’s one of the five Ds or some external force, like changes in your market or the economy in general, we are in your corner to help you stay nimble, focused, and aware of all your options.
We’re here to help, and we won’t come at you with main-character energy. Rather, we help you determine how best to channel your own efforts, organize your team, and reach your goals in the most efficient way possible.
The first step in figuring out where you want to go is figuring out where your business is now. Check out our free Altitude Assessment to learn more. For a view on how ready you are, as an owner, to exit your business, see our new Beyond Soaring Index. If you’ve already used one or both of these assessment tools, it’s time to give us a call and set up a meeting.