When we launched our business in 2018, I had no idea what I was in for. I had no business background. I wasn’t an “entrepreneur”. I hadn’t sold a single thing in my life (aside from the recurring high school sports fundraisers)…and in fact the thought of selling something made me cringe. 

Now, almost three years later, I can clearly see what has played one of the biggest roles in our success. 

Kristina and I are both athletes. Kristina led her team to win a state championship in volleyball her senior year in high school and went on to play in college. I have been playing sports since the age of 8 and earned a scholarship to play for one of the top Division II volleyball programs in the country. 

And there’s something about the “Athlete Mind” that is different. It’s what has set us apart in many ways. Maybe you were an athlete yourself. Maybe you’re seeing your daughter fall in love with sports and start to develop the mindset that will only continue to serve her for years to come. 

Come to find out, elite athletes and successful entrepreneurs have a lot in common. Here are four things I’ve learned…

1. I Don’t Fear Failure

Being an athlete means that you publicly fail over and over, in front of peers, coaches, fans, parents, and refs. I can’t even count how many mistakes I’ve made at every level of my athletic career. But what I do know, is that the more mistakes I made, the closer I got to mastery. 

It’s hard to fail over and over. It’s difficult to learn a new skill and be bad at it. But, that’s the name of the game in athletics. 

It’s also what happens in business. Kristina and I have had more “failed” attempts than successful ones. We’ve made more mistakes than we’ve got it right. But, we learn and keep going. We don’t stay down. We know that the more mistakes we make, the closer we are to success.

2. I Set Big Goals

When I was playing, it was always about the next mountain to conquer. Be able to hit this shot. Now, be able to hit this shot. Become first-team all-league. Now, become all-state. Play in college. Earn a scholarship. 

Goal after goal I set, then worked relentlessly to achieve it. 

Without the goals and enormous vision we have for our business and The Elite Competitor, we would be floundering, letting life and circumstances happen to us. Once we summit one mountain, we are immediately looking for the next. It’s always up and up.

3. I Can’t Do It Alone

Through each step of my athletic career, I had support. Support from my teammates, parents, and, most importantly, my coaches. 

While I do believe I have intrinsic motivation and a die-hard work ethic, relying on myself to become the athlete I wanted to be would leave me underwhelmed to say the least. My coaches brought out the best in me and challenged me. They saw my blindspots and pushed me to improve. They taught me things I never would have known without them. They were experienced, knowledgeable, and cared about my growth. 

In our business, we have the same. (Remember – we didn’t know anything when we started!). We invested in coaches, mentors, and programs to pace us, point out where we can improve, and challenge us. 

We would be nowhere without each other and our coaches along the way. 

4. Both Work and Rest Are Key

It goes without saying that in order to be an elite athlete and a successful entrepreneur, there has to be a level of grit, intensity, and work ethic driving everything. We have no shortage of that over here! 

What I’ve learned is equally important is when to rest. When I was playing, we had built in recovery days. We had practices that followed a specific pattern that ramped up, then slowed down in order to get the very best out of us physically and mentally. 

It’s something we tend to forget. Energy, brain power, and focus are all precious commodities that need to be preserved. Successful entrepreneurs know when to rest (before burnout strikes!) and incorporate it into their weekly/monthly cadence. 

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To wrap up, I have no doubt that my athletic career is what has contributed to the success of our business. I’m so grateful my parents saw the importance of sports in my youth and that I was afforded the opportunity to step into my power as a strong female to prove to myself what I’m capable of. 

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