Your Business Is a Kite

My family recently returned from a fun week at the shore. Lots of waves, lots of biking, lots of ice cream, and not too much sunburn.

One evening after dinner, we headed out to the beach to play some games and fly kites. My mother-in-law had brought along a whole collection of kites (I learned she’s quite the enthusiast), and we spent a couple hours trying to get them airborne.

Some were more successful than others.

Some were too successful (My son sent one up over 500 feet and it took forever to reel it back in).

It was a really fun time; and it was incredibly ripe with business analogies (I’m sorry this is just how my brain works).

Flying a kite is a lot like launching a business or a new offer.

Follow me for a minute:

1. You Need Wind. But You Can't Control It.

You could have the coolest, best-designed kite ever created. You could be an incredibly skilled kite pilot. But if there's no wind, that kite isn't going anywhere.

Wind is completely out of our hands. We can't force it to blow. We can't change its direction.

Similarly, there are external forces that impact the success of our business that we simply have no control over. Politics, algorithm changes, market trends, or even how our customers are feeling on any given day. Maybe they have a headache, or someone cut them off in traffic, and they just aren't in the mood to entertain your offer.

We can do everything “right” and create the most compelling offer in the world, but the wind doesn’t always blow our way.

But here's the thing: While we can't control the wind, we can go where the wind is.

If you try to fly a kite inside a shopping mall, you're not going to have much success. But it’s usually nice an breezy at the beach.

You can position yourself strategically and use the wind to your advantage. Sometimes you just need to wait for the right conditions. Your job it to be ready to catch them when they arrive.

2. Simple Usually Wins Over Complex

My mother-in-law brought a sleek stunt kite that’s supposed to perform all sorts of acrobatic maneuvers. I say “supposed to” because we never actually got it to work.

We spent a solid hour untangling lines and trying to get it into the air. Every time it launched, it would zip up for a second before spinning, tangling, and crashing back to the ground.

Meanwhile, I grabbed a classic diamond-shaped kite - a piece of fabric, two sticks, some ribbon - and it went up without a hitch. It flew just as high as the fancy ones, and higher than the stunt kite that spent most of the evening lying on the sand.

The lesson? Don’t obsess over bells and whistles before you’ve mastered the basics.

In business, it’s tempting to add special features or complex elements to stand out. But complexity can slow you down, drain your energy, and keep you from actually launching.

Get your basic kite (or offer) flying first. Serve your customers. Generate some revenue. Then you can experiment with new features and tricks.

3. Start Close, Then Let Out the Line

You don’t launch a kite by unwinding 200 feet of string and tossing it into the sky. It will crash every time.

You start with a short line. You keep the kite close. You feel the wind pulling. You make sure it’s balanced. And then, slowly, you let the line out and watch it climb.

Too often, we try to scale our business before we’ve even proven it works. We spend a ton of time and resources on elaborate marketing campaigns trying attract our next 2,000 customers, when really we should be focused on finding our next two.

Start close. Leverage your personal network. Ask for referrals from people you’ve already served. Reach out one-to-one.

It’s not endlessly scalable, but until you feel the wind catch - until your offer is validated and generating lift - this is the work that matters most.

Once you have a simple offer, the wind is picking up, and your business is in the air, then you can let it rise higher.

Your Pre-flight Checklist

1. Find the wind – Go where your ideal customers are. Be patient. Be ready.

2. Keep it simple – Launch with the basics before adding complexity.

3. Start close – Build lift one person at a time before scaling.

You don’t need a fancy stunt kite to get off the ground. You need a breeze, a simple frame, and a steady hand.

Now let’s go fly. 🪁