Here’s an idea which I think we can teach to every single client we’ve got because it will help them, particularly if they’re in business.

Many years ago, I was watching TV and I saw a guy on a brilliant programme. His name was Ray Mears. He was an outdoorsman who would go out into the woods, get bits of wood, carve paddles, make boats and bowls, and do all sorts of fantastic things.

I actually saw him speak live as well. A really interesting person.

The Voyageurs and the Hudson Bay Company

In one of these episodes, he was talking about the voyageurs.

The voyageurs were Canadian trappers who would go out on a journey for three to six months, trapping furs, and then come back and sell the furs. That was how they made their money.

They used a special idea called the Hudson Bay Start.

They went out in these long canoes. Of course, at times, because of rapids and other dangerous water, they had to climb out of the river, put the canoe on their heads, and walk around what were called the portages, which were the routes around the dangerous waters.

What the Hudson Bay Start Actually Means

This is the system they used.

They would go to the Hudson Bay Company, which was formed in 1670, over 350 years ago, and is still going strong today, with hundreds of branches throughout Canada.

They would buy all their supplies, everything they needed for this three- or six-month journey, and then they would start the journey.

One or two miles down the river, they would stop. They would unload the boats, make camp, prepare a meal, sleep, and stay the night.

And they would do this for a very particular reason.

This was called the Hudson Bay Start.

Checking Before You Go Too Far

They would check that they had everything they needed for the three- or six-month journey.

They didn’t want to get five miles, ten miles or a hundred miles down the river and suddenly find:

“I’ve forgotten the knife.”

“We haven’t got the tent pegs.”

“We haven’t got the salt.”

Or whatever it might be.

So they would do a Hudson Bay Start.

What a great idea.

Using the Hudson Bay Start in Business

We can use this in business.

Let’s say, for example, you’ve got a project you’re doing with a group of team players.

Early in the project, you stop and ask:

“Have we got the right people in the boat?”

“Have they got the right skills?”

“Have they got the right attitude?”

“Do we still want to go on this journey?”

“Is this a goal we still want to achieve?”

“Have we got the right resources?”

“Is everything in place?”

“Have we brought everything with us that we need?”

Why This Works So Well With Clients

I have a friend who is a very successful senior consultant in business. He has been a director of a number of companies, and he spends part of his life going into companies and helping them.

With every company he works with, he introduces them to the idea of the Hudson Bay Start.

He told me recently, at a breakfast meeting, what a positive impact this has had on people.

So I believe this is something you and I can take into our private lives as well.

A Simple Example From Everyday Life

Let’s say we’re going on a driving holiday.

We decide that we’ll stop a couple of hours in for breakfast. At that breakfast stop, we simply check that we’ve got everything we thought we were going to bring with us.

If anything is missing, it’s only a short way back.

It’s the same idea, isn’t it?

A Practical Idea Your Clients Will Remember

I think if we taught this to every single client we’ve got, it would make such a difference to their lives.

And as a result, they would think more highly of us.

I’m sure you can take this idea away and use it.

 

In the meantime, I wish you every success in all your adventures in life.

Peter

Peter Thomson

‘The UK’s Most Prolific Business Development Author’  

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