I enjoy watching football. It’s symbolic of my favorite time of year – fall. I enjoy the leaves changing, the cool crisp air, and college and professional football on the weekends.
This past weekend, I watched one of my favorite fall, football movies, Rudy. Everyone should watch it, especially if you own your own business.
OK, that last statement might have caught you off guard, not assuming there is any business philosophy in this movie.
Oh, but you would be wrong my fall, football friend. Very wrong.
You see, every time I watch Rudy, I get charged up for my business. And the reason is simple. It’s the 5 principles that Rudy lives by that should be seen in every business owner. Rudy’s principles are great principles of business and life.
#1: Focus on a goal and passionately go after it.
In football, the “best” team does not always win. Sometimes intangibles lift an underdog to victory. Focus and passion are two very powerful intangibles. They can guide you down unchartered paths to reach new levels of achievement and performance. Rudy understood the odds against him. He also understood his level of passion and his willingness to work to reach his goal. Focus and passion are principles of business success. They’re as important in business as they are in football.
#2: Don’t listen to naysayers.
“You can’t do that. It’s never been done before.” The list of people who defied their naysayers is long. The world is flat, but Columbus set sail anyway. Only birds can fly, but the Wright brothers had other ideas. Only really smart people are accepted into Notre Dame and only really big guys play on its football team, but Rudy didn’t listen to naysayers. If the Pet Rock was a success, your business idea has a chance, too. Go for it!
#3: Don’t be discouraged by failure.
Some people – maybe Rudy – have dictionaries in which the definition of the word “Failure” is “Temporary setback from which lessons are learned.” Whenever there is competition, whether in sports or business, there will be winners and losers. In sports, the losers come back next game to try again. They use the experience and lessons from the loss to improve their performance. It took Rudy several attempts to gain admission to Notre Dame. He did not stop trying as long as he still had a chance for success. In business, the experience gained and lessons learned from unsuccessful ventures helps future endeavors succeed. Failure is not an option, so get back out there!
#4: Use the skills you have and do it with heart.
We all can’t be the best at the everything. Some of us are not the best at anything. But each of us can do the best we possibly can with the skills we do have. If your heart is fully invested in your actions, performing to the best of your abilities comes naturally. That was true for Rudy as a teammate and that’s one of the principles of business, too. Success is built on using your skills with all of your heart.
#5: Embrace your role as an underdog.
Beating the odds as an underdog makes achieving your goal that much sweeter – just ask Rudy. In business, whatever competitive disadvantage you have is probably also indicative of an advantage you have. Being smaller can mean being able to respond more quickly. Being less known can mean being able to take risks the established brands can’t. Being new to market can mean you redefine audience expectations. If you understand the differences between you and your competitors, you can leverage your unique qualities to your advantage. Like Rudy did.
Principles of Business are Principles of Life
Now you know why this is my favorite time of year. I get to enjoy watching football games. Plus, the movie Rudy annually reminds and inspires me to follow the basic principles of business. The fact that the real Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger reached his goal just up the road a bit, right here in Indiana, makes his story that much more inspirational to me.
Everyone faces challenges and competition during their journey through life. Business owners add a layer of financial risk on top of that. The risks they take make it very important for them to follow principles and processes that lead to successful outcomes. If you apply the principles of business above to each challenge, you have a better chance of reaching your own successful outcome.
Everyone’s journey through life also includes time spent as a consumer. As a business owner, if you fully understand the decision-making journey your target audience experiences before they make a purchase, you can use that knowledge to convert prospects into customers. To learn the six buyer’s steps that will change your sales and marketing process forever, enroll in the MEMO Marketing Academy’s “The Buyer’s Journey” class today.
