Trying to build up the courage to take some risks in your business? On this page you’ll find free business assessment tools that will help you. They were inspired in part by reading “Shadow Divers” by Robert Kursonwill, which I’d recommend you read.

It will provide you with a compelling illustration of just what extreme risk looks like. A quick business assessment of this venture would have had large red letters marked “danger!”

What is Deep Wreck Diving?

Deep wreck diving is among the most perilous of human activities. These brave adventurers risk their lives – and often lose – in pursuit of glory, riches and perhaps simply to test themselves.

But what does deep wreck diving have to with business & corporate growth?

The business owner who considers such a risk is betting on his/her ability to win or, in the event of a loss, starting over. Is that you?

Important Questions: What are the risks?

This is one of the most important questions regardless of whether you’re doing a free business assessment or paying for one. In the case of deep wreck diving, for example, the risks are huge:

• Strong and very unpredictable currents,
• Limited visibility in which to get lost both inside and outside the wreck,
• Sharp edges and heavy objects on damaged/decaying ships and
• The almost inconceivable pressure on the human body when depths beyond 100’ below sea level are explored.

Every 33 feet you descend into the ocean increases the pressure on your body by one atmosphere. 95% of diving in the ocean is recreational and takes place in depths of less than 50’. Divers report that at 130’ the body starts rebelling, and at more than 200’ – where this story takes place – hallucination and even worse set in.

As if those problems aren’t enough, returning to the surface must be done very slowly – often up to an hour- with rest/recovery at specific depths in order to allow the body time to adjust. Those who return rapidly to the surface often do not survive.

Important Questions: What are the rewards?

What’s the Return on Investment (ROI) on such a venture? Financially, it would depend upon the value of goods salvaged from the wreck. The reputation or Brand impact for your Company would be measured in the ability to convert success into future business. The Personal Satisfaction from such an undertaking may also influence your go/no go decision.

THIS Opportunity

These divers report having explored the sunken U-869 60 miles off the New Jersey coast beginning in 1991 for 7 years! It was a boat that simply couldn’t have been there according to the war records of the Allies and German military. It was enticing yet far more difficult – 230’ below sea level – than other deep sea wreck explorations attempted by anyone. As a business owner, your assessment template should be based on the idea that you don’t consider something like this unless you truly understand the risks and are willing to take your chances.

How they did it

Meticulous planning, a very experienced team, operating as safely as possible and avoiding bad weather were just some of the keys to success. You can’t leave persistence out of the equation however. Lesser adventurers would have given up on this quest years before this team did. As you look at your own team, do they have the right stuff to attempt a major move? This is not a good time to perform an inaccurate assessment.

The Result

The divers ultimately did solve the mystery of the U-Boat. 3 diving companions lost their lives. The surviving families of the crew of the U-Boat were told of the fate of their love ones. Valuable items were recovered but the divers primary satisfaction came from solving the big mystery… by taking the big plunge.

Are you considering a big plunge? Think deep. And take this free business assessment that we developed just for you.

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The entrepreneur is charged with the task of turning a business idea into reality, either by starting a new business or injecting new life into an old one. At every point along the line – from having the idea to planning and implementing it – the entrepreneur learns the lessons from others who have charted the same territory previously. He can follow their example and the wisdom of their clear practices and precepts. In fact, many entrepreneurs have done exactly this and built their wealth upon the past experiences of others.

But every firm is faced with a key question sooner or later: do you try and grow the business, or are you quite content with what you’ve got? If the latter is true for you – a view which perhaps represents the traditional image of the smaller firm – then you are in the minority and behind the times.

Most firms these days are committed to growth. However, you can’t expect to grow without entrepreneurship and innovation when the climate is one of intense competition. And intense competition is not only the current climate, but a permanent feature of the new economy.

Many are averse to the inherent risk of innovation, however – including those who are actively seeking to grow their business. This is especially the case with proprietors. A survey showed that 30% are ‘unwilling to pursue any risky growth strategies’. That figure goes down to 18% among non-proprietor managers, though – obviously a more dynamic bunch altogether.

But only a fifth of the managerial types concur that ‘Growth is everything: we can’t survive in this business unless there is growth. Success comes only from taking big chances, and I would risk a great deal for a strategy which promised to deliver strong long-term growth.’ Those quite intimidating words could help to explain why as many as three-fifths of the businesses came out in favour of relative safety, preferring a ‘medium-risk strategy – as long as growth prospects are reasonably good.’

But anyway, growth doesn’t appear to be the number one objective. Most firms rated profit as ‘very important’, with growth just underneath it on a list of priorities, then market share, steady employment and value for sale.

But success comes with profitability and growth in business (together) – you need both, along with innovation and entrepreneurship.

–Robert Heller