Keep Your Eye on the Ball: Sports and Entrepreneurship

You may have noticed that a common transition for former pro-athletes is to enter into a life of entrepreneurship. Seems kind of like an odd direction for someone who’s spent the majority of their life scoring touchdowns right? Not exactly. Being a successful athlete gives you many of the same tools being a successful entrepreneur uses. Let’s see how these two career paths are connected and why being sports-minded can benefit your business. Here’s a run down of the skills taught and sports and necessary for a great business!


Endurance. Athletes have to endure grueling practice sessions, tough workouts, and long games, win or lose. This physical endurance can be equated with the hard work it takes to start your own business. It’s not usually an overnight success and can take years to really be settled and make a decent profit. The ability to make a committment to your sport is the same type of committment you make to being your own boss. Both athletes and entrepreneurs have strong levels of stamina. Whether it’s to win the game with a last-minute touchdown or produce positive cashflow, in both cases, the hard work usually pays off!

Teamwork. Performing well as a team member is obviously important to being a great athlete. The same goes for business as well. A cohesive team can either make or break your season or your business. Mapping out plays and creating a plan with your business partners or are employees are very similar. You have to anticipate problems, delegate tasks, and in the end work together to get the job done right. If someone isn’t on the same page or isn’t pulling their weight it can greatly affect the outcome of a game or a new business venture.

Vision. Starting a business is not something you can be lukewarm about. If you don’t have a clear vision of goals or a concrete idea of what you want your business to be like it it will be heard to stay focused and make your business a successful reality. The same is true in sports. Being a great athlete is about being the best, and the same type of strong vision would also be integrated into your entrepreneurial spirit.

Work/Life Balance. It’s obvious that athletes don’t prescribe to a regular nine to five schedule, and neither do entrepreneurs. Working weekends, missing holidays, and in general being completely devoted to your job are all part of these two gigs. This aspect requires the ability to prioritize and balance your work life and personal life. While having to play in a professional football game on Thanksgiving and having to work at your store on black Friday aren’t exactly the same thing, the dedication and balance it takes is applicable to both jobs.

So, next time all you entrepreneurs out there are watching a Phillies game think about how you and and your favorite players are more similar than you would think.