Consider Thanksgiving for a moment. You probably immediately thought about a delicious feast shared with loved ones, games, and maybe even counted your blessings. But go a little past all that (and it's all good), and remember the gusty, inspiring people from the first Thanksgiving. Are the lessons they learned from their crazy adventure still relevant?

You bet.



Here are five business tips from the Mayflower pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe.

1. Have a business plan. Before even landing at Plymouth, the Mayflower pilgrims decided to set down in writing the rules, regulations, and order of the settlement. Survival depended on this, so the 41 adult male passengers signed the Mayflower Compact. Likewise, smart business folks are those who have a set plan for where they are going and how to get there ... and also a plan in case the original plan changes.

2. Stick with it. In other words, don't give up when things are difficult or seem to be falling apart around you. The pilgrims were headed toward a place in Virginia, but bad weather forced them off course. They ended up at Plymouth instead. Did they quit? Nope. And even when sickness wiped out about half of the crew and passengers, they clung to their dreams and worked hard to keep it alive. Overcoming hardship never is easy (that's why the word "hard" is in it), but often, good, fruitful times are just around the bend. You just have to stay the course as best you can and work intelligently.

3. Mingle and mix it up. Imagine Thanksgiving dinner, and you don't just picture Governor William Bradford and Captain Miles Standish. You also picture Squanto and Massasoit. The pilgrims needed the Wampanoag tribe for their own survival, and everyone knew it. Without a mix of people with different roles and purposes, the story of Thanksgiving would be entirely different. Consider your own business's survival. How are the different departments treating one another? Is everyone together in feast and famine?

4. Educate yourself. The new land was far different than what the pilgrims knew. Yes, they tried the best they could, but there was so much that they did not know. When help came in the form of Squanto and Massasoit, the pilgrims didn't refuse it. And so, the Wampanoag shared their knowledge of local crops and navigation. The pilgrims weren't too proud to learn. Likewise, if your business wants to move into a new direction or expand its offerings, be sure to know what you need to learn---and where you can learn it.

5. Use what you have. The pilgrims and Wampanoag tribes took advantage of everything that could be used around them. When the pilgrims harvested rye, they used the grains to grind into flour, then they kept the remaining straw to make roofs or stuff mattresses. Little was wasted. Look around your organization and see what talents and resources around you can be employed better and more wisely.

Work hard, but also know when to relax and be in the moment. The first Thanksgiving feast in 1621 lasted for almost a week. And no one felt guilty about it.

Happy Thanksgiving, Daily Fix readers.