Last week, I was at a course in Heathrow. A great session on how accountants can build better businesses…for ourselves and for our clients.
But then came the journey back.
The Tube was delayed. In fact, it was completely suspended for over an hour. Why? Because the tracks had expanded in the heat. Apparently the rails on the brand-new Elizabeth line couldn’t cope with a bit of British sunshine. Who knew?
Now, I’m no train engineer, but it got me thinking…
We all build our businesses expecting things to run smoothly. But what happens when something doesn’t go to plan? When the temperature rises – literally or metaphorically – and things start to buckle?
The Elizabeth line is new. State-of-the-art. Designed with the latest tech. And yet, a sunny day still caught it off guard.
That’s the lesson.
If your business only works when everything goes perfectly, then it doesn’t really work.
It could be:
- A key team member being sick…or leaving
- A supplier failing to deliver
- A price increase you didn’t see coming
- A customer paying late (again)
- Or even a heatwave shutting your premises. (Or the landlord removing the aircon as happened at JDA Towers last year!!)
You can’t predict everything but you can plan for the unpredictable.
Because true resilience isn’t about avoiding problems. It’s about handling them without derailing the whole journey.
That’s what we help our clients with – building businesses that can take the heat.
So next time the sun shines a bit too brightly, ask yourself: Is your business heatproof?
If you have any questions, please email su*****@*********************co.uk or give us a ring on 0151 380 8084.
Many thanks
Jon
PS Trekking across Terminal 4 and then Piccadilly Line/Heathrow Express/Hammersmith & City….and some running between platforms saw us making the train with 2 mins to spare…to find the aircon wasn’t working on the train back to Liverpool!!