‘Raising The Bar’ by Gary Erickson is one of my favorite
books that I find very inspiring. It’s the account of how Gary created Clif Bar and his challenge to
keep his unique vision in a massive growing corporate food industry. I stumbled
across this gem in one of my usual trips to my safe haven, the public library. As
I flipped through the pages I saw Gary
was not only an entrepreneur but also a cyclist, I snatched the book up
immediately and couldn’t put it down.
Gary
writes about the parallel of life in business and life on the bike. I agreed
with his philosophies even before I had read them, it was my view on life and I
found it heartening that someone of his caliber would share my eyes. But there
was one philosophy I hadn’t realized and it has stuck with me since, the Red Road, White
Road. In biking you have a choice to take the direct path of the red road that
is mapped out, fast, predictable, safe and you know exactly where you are
headed. The red road is only about a destination. The white road on the other
hand is less traveled, may be dangerous, not mapped out, length unknown but
there’s the possibility for adventure and a sense of accomplishment. The white
road is about the journey. Gary
uses the same comparison in business. Clif Bar is a white road style of
company. I knew I was the white road kind of girl on the bike but in business I
wasn’t sure. My gut said white but society said red. After reading Gary’s words I found it
easier to go with my gut. It was as if I found someone to ride with on the
lonely, undiscovered road.
*I'd
love to hear from you, have questions? Comments? Please contact me at
casey [at] caseyshepparddesigns [dot] com Thank you again for reading*
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