Driving In Montana…

Roughly 25 years ago, I was doing some HR Consulting and Executive Coaching for a large mine that was located in Montana. Since Montana was not my home I would commute and stay a week at a time to complete my tasks. The project I was to complete took roughly 10 months and I was only home on the weekends and sporadically throughout the duration of the assignment. It was difficult to be away.

The mine was located in a small rural part of the state in the middle of massive mountain ranges, winding streams, vast valleys, and some of the bluest skies I have ever seen. It was truly amazing and what I referred to as “God‘s Country!”

Spending an extended period of time in that part of the country was an experience that I will never forget. Life seemed to slow down in that fresh mountain air. There was the sense of pride and a heavy devotion to work ethic.

Other than in the city, there were no coats and ties. There were boots and jeans and work shirts and cowboy hats and a ruggedness that was true to form from what so many popular TV shows portray. Montana and that entire area is something that I would wish everyone to experience.

I remember talking to many of the locals during my tenure in this amazing place.  They were very friendly but quick to point out they were very protective of their land and their community. One restaurant waitress even warned me that there was a very famous celebrity that had a large ranch in the area. She told me that since this was the only restaurant within 75 miles there was a decent chance he would walk in with his family for a meal. She politely asked that I refrain from making a big deal should he arrive as everyone else considered him just another rancher who worked the land hard and deserved privacy. I never saw him…or at least I did not recognize him if he had, indeed, rolled into the restaurant for dinner.

While I considered my work challenging and difficult, it was nothing like the hard physical work that these ranchers and miners accomplished every day. I was privileged to see some of the backbone of America firsthand, and I can honestly say I was honored to be in their presence.

On the first day I arrived at the worksite, and before anything else was covered, I was warned about driving in this part of the country. I remember thinking, “well that’s a funny introduction.”

I was told that there were more cows than people in the area and that there were deer everywhere. I was warned about the possibility of coming across an occasional bear, cougar, mountain lion, or even bighorn sheep. I remember thinking to myself, “this is amazing, I’m working in an uncaged zoo!”

While I did not encounter a lot of the animal varieties I was warned about, I did see thousands and thousands of cows and hundreds and hundreds of deer and the occasional elk roaming freely in the mountains and in the valleys.

The main warning I was given about driving was to not drive as if you were in a city but to drive with half your vision in front of you and the other half of your vision hundreds of yards in the distance. It was further explained to me that it was not unusual for people to hit deer and then I actually received instruction on what to do if I struck a deer.

I couldn’t believe that this was part of my orientation and I had to chuckle a little. The person telling me this information said that everyone eventually will probably hit a deer and he further described to me, in great detail, the multiple times he had unfortunately done so.

At that point, I realized this was not a time to joke or chuckle, but a time to pay close attention. He explained that if you see a deer on the side of the road to slow down and to be cautious because more than likely behind that deer was his or her family hiding in the bushes.  If one jumped out and ran across the road, others would follow.

He also warned that if I were to see animals on the side of the road to not get out and take a picture as they were wild animals and may perceive my approach as a threat. I believe his words were “Bambi will not hesitate to take you out!”

I took the message to heart as while I was there, I observed exactly what was described. I learned to drive differently in Montana. I learned to drive purposely and with caution, with my eyes on the horizon and not just the few feet in front of me. I learned to be aware of when obstacles might interfere with my progress on the road and because of this, I am happy to report that in my 10-month stint working in Montana, I did not hit one deer.

There was a benefit to this type of driving.  I was able to further observe and appreciate the beauty of this land. There were many occasions that I would drive for an hour or more and not see one other car. One day soon I hope to go back to Montana and drive those roads and truly take in God‘s Country once again!

So, what does this have to do with running an online business? Well, I’m glad you asked!

When I first decided to begin my online my business, I focused on one thing with a narrow-minded approach of what was required to build a business. And, that was good as I needed to learn the many administrative and technical aspects required to set up a business as I’ve described in several of my blog posts.

But after websites have been set up and system responsibilities have been taken care of, I still remained focused on what was in front of me. This was not necessarily a mistake, but if I would’ve broadened my outlook on my niche, I may have progressed faster and farther in the beginning.

What I mean by this is I was not looking ahead. Yes, I had a website, but I did not maximize the capabilities of that website. Yes, I had a blog, but I was not as interactive as I could’ve been or presented the opportunity for engagement with my readers. Yes, I had a good product, but I did not focus on the possibility of offering other products that could provide value for the different needs of my audience and potential customers.

In short, I was not looking at the horizon. Again, I don’t think this was a huge mistake as I was so new and raw. But if I would have begun to look ahead sooner and taken the advice of my coaches, I could have remained laser focused on my niche while looking for other opportunities.

Lesson learned and I am looking ahead right now! I am using my new skill set to offer consultation from what I learned in my former career to provide additional value. As I mentioned in previous blog posts, I am now actively pursuing the opportunities of social media platform, such as TikTok, to further enhance my ability to not only add to my income stream, but to learn a new skill set.

I have always been comfortable talking in front of people. I have given presentations in very small meetings and in front of over 1000 people in the past. But I have never been in front of my phone creating content for these platforms.  This is something that is totally out of my wheelhouse and comfort zone and I’m learning how to do it in a proper way.

It is often nerve-racking and frustrating but I am learning and I’m actually starting to have fun doing it. Just like when I was in Montana and learned to look out in the distance and a happy byproduct was an appreciation for the landscape all around (while not hitting a deer).  I am learning this new skill. I’m experimenting with new ways to talk in front of my camera and new ways to deliver a message. I’m also learning what is valuable to post and when to post this material.

I am learning to appreciate this short video content format in a way that I would never have thought possible. We’ve all seen videos from content creators that are fun and engaging and informative. But unless you set out and do one of these videos, it is difficult to understand and explain just how much work actually needs to be accomplished in order to do one correctly and one that will be effective.

My hope is that you learn from me and learn early on to look at opportunities all around rather than to be narrowly focused and miss a chance to expand your knowledge and abilities. If you are looking into getting into an online business, being open minded will help you progress much faster and farther.

Yeah, give yourself a break and allow yourself to be new and learn the fundamentals and the basics. But once you start to master those early learnings, don’t stop! Keep driving and keep looking all around for new and exciting ways to expand your business.

What about you, are you looking to expand your business or learn new skills or try new things? What are you doing to broaden your knowledge so that you can take your business to the next level? I’d love to hear from you and learn from you so please drop a note in the comment section below.

With all this talk about driving in Montana, I am missing the peaceful feeling and experience of a long drive with beautiful scenery. While we don’t quite have Montana views where I live, we do have beautiful country roads and I think I’ll get my wife, go for a drive, and appreciate what my “neck of the woods” has to offer.

“The mind that opens to a new idea never returns to its original size.” – Albert Einstein

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

 And of course, a few VERY BAD Dad jokes:

I told my wife I was going to make a car out of spaghetti. She didn’t believe me… until I drove pasta!

Why don’t cars ever get into accidents at parties? Because they always “brake” the ice first!

Until next time, STAY FRESH, Friends!

 

 

 

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