Orange cones, small businesses, and fast cars.

Orange cones, small businesses, and fast cars.

I never thought that having fun at a car race would teach me anything about small business, but a few years ago, I did. We like to go to the Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta, which is near Gainesville, Georgia, with my wife. Along with the Le Mans prototypes, exotic stock cars like Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Aston Martins compete. The prototypes can pass Ferraris at speeds of more than 200 miles per hour like they are standing still.

The Petit Le Mans is a 1000-mile endurance race that takes 10 hours. You will have ample time to explore the area and view the vendors. At the nearby Lanier Raceway in 2010, one of the vendors was giving test drives. They had laid out a course with orange traffic cone lanes. You had to weave in and out of a short series of cones that were part of a slalom course on one side of the track.

Before beginning again, you had to stop completely on the opposite side of the track. Each driver received a qualified instructor from a nearby racing school to lead us around the track for three laps. We had to wait a while to see other drivers go around the course, so we got to see them. Some were quick, others were sluggish. My spouse Judy drove in front of me and did an excellent job. My driving time was drawing near. I wanted to show my instructor and wife how crazy I could drive.

My objective was to “Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!”. I was determined to circle the track as quickly as possible. However, just as it was my turn to drive, I began to worry about the track cones. I began to consider how embarrassing it would be for them to remove six or seven cones from under my car. Avoid hitting the cones!” started replacing “Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!”.

I chose to avoid any and all risks and utilize my most memorable lap to get familiar with the course. Naturally, move quickly enough to avoid hitting the cones. I got in the car, talked to the instructor, started the engine, and drove toward the slalom amid the roar of Peugeot Prototypes and the scream of Ferraris nearby. I started well enough, but as soon as I got to the slalom, I stopped thinking about going fast. I slowed down when I saw a cone to avoid hitting it.

Naturally, I rushed over it right away. I was stunned and wondered, “How could I possibly have hit a cone?” I had dialed back and watched out for it just to ensure I didn’t hit it. “Don’t look at the cones or you’ll hit them,” my instructor warned me.

He instructed me to look as far away as possible and proceed there. I would look wherever I went. I tried to look as far as I could the rest of my laps, but I didn’t hit another cone. The cones didn’t matter nearly as much when I concentrated on “down the road.” I also moved a lot faster. However, I became overly cautious as I concentrated on the cones. In addition to hitting a cone, I had lost sight of my primary objective.

I’m sure I would have slowed down even more to miss the next cone without my instructor’s guidance. It occurred to me that many owners of small businesses end up trying to “miss the cones.” They slow down so as to miss the cones, and as a result, they lose interest in their future. Think about where you want your business to be in 10, 20, or 30 years’ time, whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or an established small business owner. Drive your company there.