Stages of Business are Like Stages of Flight in an Airplane

Flying an airplane can be likened to running a business. At some points in the life of a business, during the startup and initial growth for example, it is necessary to “hand fly” the business - you as an entrepreneur (pilot) must “control” the business directly and make large changes to its direction. In an airplane this is during takeoff and climbout and only lasts a few minutes. In business, it may last a few years.

Airplanes are amazing pieces of machinery. During some portions of flight, it is required that a pilot make large changes and major corrections to the path of the aircraft. Takeoff and landing are obvious places where this comes to mind. This is called “hand flying” an airplane.

Other times, however, it is unnecessary to “hand fly” the plane - during straight and level “cruise” flight for instance. During this phase of a flight, the pilot will use what’s called “trim” to make very slight corrections to the flight path of the airplane. If it is descending slightly, the pilot will use “nose up trim” to stop the descent. If climbing slightly, “nose down trim” will be used. Some aircraft have trim for rolling (aileron trim) and turning (rudder trim) as well. I am not talking about any kind of “auto-pilot;” this is just a way to more carefully and precisely control the plane once it is in “cruise” flight and flying at a constant altitude and in a constant direction for some length of time.

In business, startup and initial growth are not the only times when a company must be "hand flown." If you plan on selling or in some other way “exiting” the business, you will also need to “hand fly” for awhile. You may not be “hand flying” the business directly, but you will be directly and significantly involved in the process of finding a buyer and negotiating a fair price for both of you. This roughly coincides with the approach and landing of an airplane - again a time when the pilot must be significantly involved in the aircraft’s control.

Most other times during a business’s “flight,” small corrections and tweaks are all that is necessary to keep the company moving in the direction you want it to go. This is, of course, assuming you have a good business plan (flight plan) and a good team (crew). You also must be in a well-designed company (stable aircraft). See The Aviation of Business post on Tradeoffs for more on business design and aircraft design.

There ARE times during cruise flight when a business (or an airplane) DOES need to be hand flown - any time a change of direction is necessary. In aviation, it is all about navigation or avoidance of other aircraft, and in business it is during times of change, when a new direction is needed to grow to the next level or to outmaneuver competition.

Times to hand fly an airplane / business:

- Takeoff / Startup

- Climbout / Initial growth phase (combination of trim and hand flying)

- Change in direction / New business opportunity

- Traffic avoidance / Response to competition (can be proactive or reactive)

- Initial descent / Considering exiting (combination of trim and hand flying)

- Approach to landing / Decision to exit made (combination of trim and hand flying)

- Landing / Exit of business (sale or other exit strategy)

The reason it is important to understand this is that it is possible to “hand fly” an aircraft (and a business) when it should be “trimmed.” It is very easy to “overcorrect” when you hand fly an aircraft during cruise flight… this will cause large changes in altitude and direction because the pilot feels the need to directly control everything the aircraft does with relatively large control movements. But in a stable aircraft, small adjustments with trim allow the plane to “fly itself” - and that is exactly what aircraft (and businesses) should be designed to do.