Proudly, a Veteran-Owned Business
11 min read
PARALLELS IN RIDING DIRT AND RUNNING A BUSINESS
Introduction
Some of my earliest memories involve the intoxicating smell of two-stroke exhaust and the feeling of pure freedom that comes from twisting a throttle. It started with a neighbor's YZ80 and that first jump – that moment when physics briefly releases its grip and you're flying. Once you've experienced that rush, you're either done forever or hooked for life. I chose the latter.
Over the years, my garage has hosted a parade of machines: ZX-7s that made my heart race on asphalt, a red, white, and blue Interceptor that looked like it belonged in a Top Gun sequel, a CRF 500 that taught me respect for power, and today, my beloved KTM EXC 500 6-Days. Each bike taught me something different, but they all reinforced one fundamental truth: riding requires a tolerance for risk, but letting that risk consume you kills both the fun and, ironically, increases the danger.
Speaking of risk tolerance, a little over a decade ago, I decided to start my own small business, CRRNT. My passion and focus center on helping other small businesses and mid-market companies modernize and thrive in an increasingly complex world. As part of that journey, I invested in The New Blank, where I've spent the last ten years splitting my time between leading TNB and building CRRNT into something meaningful.
After years of riding dirt bikes – including that eye-opening DirtWise class that changed how I think about technical terrain – I've identified some striking parallels between mastering a dirt bike and running a small business. Both require technical skill, mental fortitude, and the ability to find stability in chaos. Here are five lessons that translate directly from the trail to business ownership:
Build a Well-Oiled Machine
During COVID, while everyone else was baking sourdough, I was elbow-deep in a frame-up customization of my KTM in preparation for the legendary D-100 ride in Odessa, Washington. Every decision mattered: suspension settings for comfort over long hauls, steering geometry for precision control, power delivery for reliability over raw horsepower. The flashy stuff – plastics, graphics, the aesthetic choices – those were about personal expression. But the core components? Those had to be bulletproof.
My KTM EXC 500 after the build was complete - ready to ride!
Here's the thing about bike builds: you can have the prettiest machine in the parking lot, but if you're worried about it breaking down on the trail, you'll ride conservatively. Fear kills flow, and without flow, you're not really riding – you're just surviving.
Building a business team follows the same logic. At CRRNT, I've had some stellar partners cycle through over the past decade, each bringing unique strengths to different challenges. But the real success story in building a well-oiled machine is reflected in The New Blank. Working with two other Navy veterans created an instant foundation of trust. We didn't serve together, but there's something about that shared experience – understanding teamwork under pressure, knowing someone's been tested and didn't break – that creates an automatic baseline of reliability.
When we scaled our Managed Services team, that first hire was critical. We needed someone who could handle the technical demands while fitting seamlessly into our culture. That decision has proven to be one of the smartest moves we've made. Like that perfectly tuned suspension, the right team member doesn't just perform their function – they enable everyone else to perform better.
Maintaining Balance
To be honest, when it comes to work-life balance, I'm a cautionary tale. It's all work, all the time. My family and friends would argue this is an Achilles' heel, and they're probably right. But like most obsessions, it's simultaneously my weakness and my strength.
On a dirt bike, balance is everything. Proper riding form – standing up, knees over your toes, elbows up, knees in, correct foot position on the pegs – prepares you for the unexpected. When you hit that root you didn't see or that rock that appeared out of nowhere, proper balance lets you absorb the impact instead of getting launched. You're ready for anything because your body position is fundamentally sound.
Running a small business demands the same kind of foundational stability, even if perfect work-life balance feels like a luxury you can't afford. The parallel isn't about achieving some mythical equilibrium between office and home – it's about being positioned to handle whatever gets thrown at you. Market shifts, client demands, team challenges, cash flow hiccups – they're all part of the terrain.
My "balance" on a dirt bike is admittedly better than my balance between work and life. But both require constant micro-adjustments, staying alert to changing conditions, and maintaining a stance that can absorb unexpected impacts without losing forward momentum.
Staying in the Rut
One of the most counterintuitive lessons from that DirtWise class focused on riding through deep ruts in corners. Most riders see a rut and panic – they fight to get out, make jerky corrections, or fixate on the obstacles. But ruts, those deep grooves carved by countless tires before you, can actually be your fastest line through a turn if you understand the technique.
Here's what I learned from the two-day riding course:
Carry Your Momentum
Physics is your friend. The faster you're going, the more stable you become. Momentum harnesses the gyroscopic forces of both wheels and engine, creating stability that feels paradoxical but works every time.
Eyes Forward
Don't stare at the rut or watch your front wheel. Think of it like a slot-car track – once you're committed, you're essentially on rails. Look ahead to where the rut is going, not where you are. You can't do anything about what's happening six inches in front of you, so focus on where you'll be when your reaction time kicks in.
Stay Committed
This is about patience and consistency. Don't try to gas your way out before it's time. Smooth throttle control keeps you stable. Every time you chop the throttle or get back on the gas aggressively, the bike climbs the wall of the rut. The secret is committing not just your body but your head – where your head goes, the bike follows.
Running a small business is all about staying in your own rut. When you have momentum, there's not just a desire to keep it – there's a necessity. Looking forward is survival; it's about scanning for what's next while managing what's immediate. You have to balance urgency with patience, knowing that deals can be won or lost in a moment, but also understanding that sustainable success requires consistent execution over time.
At CRRNT and TNB, we've learned to embrace the challenging terrain rather than constantly seeking the easy line. Sometimes the path that looks most difficult – taking on complex clients, tackling technical challenges, staying committed to quality over quick wins – ends up being the fastest route to where you want to go.
Know You're Gonna Eat Shit – But Get Back in the Saddle
Here's something that sounds backwards but holds true: riding slowly often leads to more crashes than maintaining speed. When you're tentative, when you're riding not to crash, you're actually increasing your chances of eating dirt. Momentum provides stability, and confidence creates flow.
This mirrors a principle that's become gospel in business and software development: "Fail Fast." The idea isn't to seek failure, but to accept that it's inevitable and focus on learning quickly when it happens. If you're running a business solely to avoid failure, you might be setting yourself up for exactly that.
I've crashed plenty of times – both on bikes and in business. Bad decisions, market timing, client relationships that went sideways, product launches that fell flat. Each time, the temptation is to get more conservative, to add more safety margins, to slow down. But often, that's exactly the wrong response.
The crashes teach you respect for the consequences, but they shouldn't teach you fear of the risks. Get back on, adjust your technique, and keep moving forward. Standing still is rarely an option in either domain.
Be Good with the Grind
After a decade of building businesses and countless hours on the trail, I've learned that both dirt biking and small business ownership demand a fundamental appreciation for the grind and mental resilience. Whether you're navigating a gnarly single track or guiding a company through market turbulence, success comes down to preparation, commitment, and the ability to stay focused on where you're going rather than fixating on immediate obstacles. Sometimes the gnarliest route is exactly where you need to be.
So when your business hits that section that makes you question everything, remember what the trail taught you: carry your momentum, keep your eyes up, trust your technique, and don't be afraid to lean into the turn. The fastest way out might just be straight through the middle.
Running CRRNT and leading The New Blank have taught me the same lesson. It's not the big wins that define you (though they're nice when they happen). It's the daily grind: client relationships that require constant nurturing, team development that never really ends, and the unglamorous work that creates the foundation for everything else.
Being good with the grind isn't just about surviving the difficult stretches. It's about discovering that sometimes, the most challenging path carves the deepest satisfaction. The grind doesn't just build character – it builds champions.
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