If you think about it, professional athletes are indeed small business owners. Their name is their brand, and they often have a small but mighty team working behind the scenes. You don’t have to be an athlete or work in the sports industry to learn valuable lessons from these professionals.
The Importance of Branding
Since an athlete’s name is their brand they must be strategic about the way they present themselves in public, the brands they endorse, and the messages they send on social media. While you will never have 100% agreement with all you do and say—you must clearly define what message you want your brand to send.
Change is Inevitable
In most leagues, professional athletes can be traded without notice. Even if the trade is to an excellent team, it temporarily turns the athlete’s world upside down. They have to leave their team behind, adjust to a new coach and team, relocate to a new state, and maybe even revise some of their personal goals. Most players are unexpectedly traded multiple times throughout their professional career. What this means is that they have to be ready to adapt to change, and keep moving forward. As a business owner, so do you.
It Takes a Team
There will always be shining stars and key players, but without the respect and support of their entire team, no athlete will achieve greatness. As a business owner, you must also use this as a reminder that you may be the boss, but you are little without your team. Many who are new to management, manage instead of leading and empowering their team—and few focus on the employee experience and innovative entrepreneurship.
The next time you find yourself struggling or stressed to the max, ask yourself what a professional athlete might do.