You probably saw Rory McIlroy’s less than stellar start at the US Open yesterday, and after his horror show round, he wasn’t making any excuses, admitting that his timing was off and he was a little bit rusty.

He also said something else really interesting, along the lines that if you’re good enough to play at the US Open, you should be able to stay on the fairway.

If you don’t, you can’t make excuses. You just weren’t good enough.

The same is true with employment law and running a business. If you can’t stay on the straight and narrow when it comes to the legalities and compliance, you shouldn’t be playing the game. Right?

But let’s be realistic: just like golf, there are days in business when your timing is off, and that’s when things can go pear-shaped.

But should you be banned from playing the business game, just because your time goes off occasionally?

Not really.

If we continue the golf parallel, we know that the pros work with experts to keep them on the fairway, and the smart business owners do the same.

The trouble is, it’s much more attractive for business owners to spend on “sexy” advice – like marketing and PR – without dealing with the nitty-gritty, legal side of things.

Same with golf – everyone’s on the driving range, but no one wants to practice putting.

But just look at Lee Westwood, a big drive doesn’t win you everything, unless you can putt your way to a win.

There’s little point growing your business if you’re going to end up ‘in the rough’ because you can’t look after your staff properly and legally.

If you know of a business that could do with our help, please let us know – we always reward referrals with chocolate!