What Is a “Lodestar”?

I often get asked, “Harshaw, what is a lodestar anyway?” Good question!
As you can tell by the link to my astronomy book, I am an avid amateur astronomer (and so it’s a good thing I live in Arizona!). When I started my company in 2003, I decided that if possible, I would honor my hobby some way in its title. I considered names like “Orion Consulting”, but frankly, the idea of a giant hunter chasing down a bull with a club did not strike me as a good metaphor for what I do. Likewise, “Sirius Consulting” sounds too much like “Serious Consulting”, and although I am serious about what I do and consider Sirius to be one of the most beautiful stars in the sky, I removed that possibility from the list. “Galaxy Consulting” seemed too arrogant for my tastes.
Then one day it hit me: “Lodestar Consulting Systems.”

Lodestar is an ancient name for the North Star (what we today call Polaris). The Lodestar was named for the fact that it was due north (at least for those of us who live in the northern hemisphere). Since the old explorers knew of a magnetic iron ore called “lodestone”—a rock which displayed the curious property that if a shard of it was suspended on a thread, it would point due north—it was a natural fit to call the star that a lodestone pointed to a “lodestar.” Hence the early name for Polaris.
Early navigators—people who had to get ships and caravans from point A to point B in the days before we had GPS systems and good maps—had to know which way was north so they could know about where they were and safely plot their courses to bring their precious cargos into port where money could be made. Likewise, Lodestar Consulting Systems exists to help distributors and contractors find the true north for their businesses and then help them plot a course that can bring them safely into harbor where vast riches await.

Finally, I included the word “Systems” in the company title because I use a systematic approach to my one-on-one consulting work (whether I am working with the owner of a distributorship or the owner of a contracting business) and that system makes sure that I cover the important issues in the right order. Then, and only then, can I devise a solid and workable plan to help my client get her ship safely into port.