How to Master Your Small Business by Following the 2014 Olympics

If you were to compare a small business owner or entrepreneur with a certain personality type or character, who would come to mind? A firefighter? A doctor? An astronaut? Or a superhero? How about an Olympic athlete? Seems like a stretch, right? Not quite. While entrepreneurs may not have the skills to perform surgery, operate a space shuttle, most would agree that some days we feel like we put out fires, we save lives, and even fly to the moon and back. As far as the Olympics, what do professionals and athletes have in common? What does it take for them both to succeed?

What does training for the Olympics and running a business involve? A lot of blood, sweat, and tears. Not to mention the time, energy, and stamina needed to compete. It’s not easy, and it may not always be fun, but it’s what we do to go for the gold. Entrepreneurs and small business owners operate with the same attitude and on the same level of thinking to succeed.

So where do you start? The answer is the Olympics. And where do Olympic athletes start? The starting line, of course. Here is where your starting line should begin:

Dream Big, and Don't Set Limits. Where did Olympic athletes start? They most likely started with  a dream, a vision, or a thirst and hunger for gold. They don’t limit themselves and they dream big. The same can be said for business. Thinking big and outside the box will set small businesses out from the rest and will make them shine.

So where do you start? Follow a dream, set a goal, do NOT set limits, and stop at nothing until you get there. This could be as small as do something small for your business every day to reaching $500,000 in revenue for the year…and everything in between. No goal is too big or too small it is 100% your choice. All in all, it should be something you are capable of, but is also a challenge.

The Power of Motivation. But...you aren't going anywhere without motivation. Motivation is the drive behind setting and reach a goal. We can’t accomplish anything without motivation, let alone run a successful small business or win an Olympic gold medal. Motivation isn’t something that you feel “in the zone” some days and not others, it must be consistent. Staying motivated means putting in the time and work, staying disciplined, keeping a positive frame of mind. Is it hard? Sure. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Quoting a line from Tom Hanks in one of my favorite movies, A League of Their Own: "The hard is what makes it great."

Face the Music. It’s not always going to be pretty. It's impossible to run a small business and competing for a gold medal without facing some kind of challenge, pitfall, setbacks, or even injuries. But you get up, you brush off your knees, and you keep going. It's only way to get there.

Remember that challenges and setbacks don't equal failure. Failure is when a challenge, pit fall, or setback makes you quit. Failure is a choice. Quitters and failures don’t run successful businesses and do not win Olympic gold medals. But this is what sets apart the men from the boys and the women from the girls. Face the challenges. Face the music.

Commitment. Motivation plays a large role in commitment. Commitment means setting goals, sticking to them, and staying motivated enough to reach them. Commitment and motivation are in a strong marriage: One cannot survive and function without the other. If you are committed to reaching a certain goal, you will stay motivated. If you are not properly motivated, then you are not committed enough and therefore will not reach your goal.

Easier said than done, I know. It’s easy to say, “Hey, I’m going to run five miles today.” But the hard part is tying your sneakers, or maybe even taking that first step, or completing the first mile. But you made a commitment earlier in the day to run those five miles. You owe it to yourself to make it happen. Make a commitment to yourself and to your small business.

All in all, being a small business owner and entrepreneur takes balls. It’s not easy, but neither is being an Olympic athlete. They both come with their share of challenges, struggles, and uphill battles…literally. But they also come with their share of successes, triumphs, and gold medals. Do you have what it takes?



Image credit: © Galina Barskaya - Fotolia.com

Written content: © 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 J.H. Language Solutions