Finding Your Way

I would like to direct your attention to The Simple Truth (page TK), in which Miles Hall discusses the “Business Compass.” Essentially, the Business Compass helps you understand where you are and how to get to where you want. His first lesson with a compass occurred in the Cub Scouts; for me, it was the Boy Scouts. And though I always had trouble figuring out declination, I did understand the basic concept of compass navigation. My grouse hunting partner never leaves the truck without a pair of old school compasses to complement his GPS unit. Another outdoorsmen of my acquaintance, a former pilot, understands redundant instrumentation.

Miles notes that “Today our phones, watches, and cars all have a compass built right in. The core of the GPS is a compass. You have one in your operation, too. It may not be a mechanical device, but it sits between your ears.”

He goes on to say, “You had vision and a plan when starting or leading the business you have now. The concept of the term ‘business compass’ is a powerful tool. It can be a diagram, chart, or report that points very clearly to what your business does and why it does it. That information helps you set the direction of the business. Sadly, many enterprises do not have a compass of any sort. They have ideas, but not much more. That, my friends, is called drifting, and it won’t get you anywhere.”

This is powerful advice, for we have all seen great ideas hit the shoals and sink for lack of a plan (the compass) to steer clear of danger.

This issue of SHOT Business also features a pair of articles on ammunition. The first, “Ammo 2026” (page TK), is a review of new products. Here, Brad Fitzpatrick reports that it is a particularly good year for retailers: “This year’s list of new ammunition products includes loads for every discipline from big-game and waterfowl hunting to home defense and competition shooting.” The second article, “How to Sell Hunting Ammo” (page TK), by Wayne van Zwoll, gives you advice on which cartridges to stock and how to sell them.

Many years ago a veteran gun writer told me about the ammo that was available early in his career. “I could always count on one spectacular failure in the field. It was fodder for an annual column on how underwhelming some of the factory ammo was. But then factory ammo got really good, and I was no longer was able to write that column.”

Which is good news for all of us us.