Being an athlete in high school was no easy feat. It required a lot of time, dedication, and consistency; Something I was willing to do to become the best version of myself. After college, I made the decision that I wanted to be a successful business owner, but how could I achieve this? When I came to the realization that running a successful business required the same dedication and consistency as being successful in football (or any sport for that matter), I knew I had the tools for success.

Here, I would like to share the 7 Keys I utilized to create a successful career and to win a “championship” in business.

1. Don’t Quit/ Remember Your Why

Running a business is not easy. If it was, everyone would be doing it. If you ever feel like things are getting tough and have even the slightest of giving up, remember your “Why.” Why did you start? And most importantly, what is your vision.

2. Show Up

Everything starts with commitment. Like in sports, you have to commit to practices in order to better yourself. In business, you must make a commitment to show up every day to work on your goals and improve yourself and your business. It is important to be committed to doing your best, even when you don’t feel like it.

3. Coaching

Having the right coach is everything. The coach must have a great track record of success, integrity, and a vision to win. Most importantly, they must have a system that can easily be followed.

4. Master the Basics

Mastering the basic is important in any industry. In basketball, before you can go out on the court, you need to master dribbling, lay-up, shooting and more.

In business, we must master the basics of communication, building relationships, and closing.

5. Synergy/Teamwork

Teamwork is everything. Your favorite football team wouldn’t make it to the Superbowl if everyone played for themselves. In order win, each player has a role, that when done properly, creates a smooth flowing system.  The same goes for your business. Everyone must be on the same page and working towards a common goal- Success.

6. Track Performance

Where performance is measured, performance improves.

How many calls did you make? How many presentations did you give?  What is your closing ratio? The average ratio is 10:3:1

10 prospects make an appointment.  3 of those people will keep their work.  1 person will close.

Everyone has different ratios however, so make sure you know your numbers and track your performance accordingly.

7. Keep Score

At the end of the fiscal year, we want to have profits and growth.

In order to track this, you must keep score, plan accordingly, and keep the following in mind:

If you want a good decade, you must have good years.

To have a good year, you must have a good quarter.

To have a good quarter, you must start with a good month.
To have a good month, you need to have a good week.

In order to have a good week, you must start with a good day.

And all of this starts with planning ahead.