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12 Ways That Marathon & Fitness Training Can Make You A Better Entrepreneur

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A number of experienced and well driven Entrepreneurs have been known to have a great fitness and workout routine. This is believed to give entrepreneurs ‘the edge’ at the same time keeping them fit and well in tune for a busy and balanced lifestyle.

David Feinleib, co-founder of five startups and a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, is a classic example of a fit and driven entrepreneur. He has been training for The Ironman Triathlon for the last 7 months and has used the training to help him become a better entrepreneur.

Here is a run down on what you to can learn from endurance and fitness training as an entrepreneur.

 

  • Dedication. “If there’s one thing I hear over and over when I tell friends and colleagues about my training routine, it’s how impressed they are by my dedication. Building the endurance required for an Ironman means putting in the hours every day. Having built five companies, I’ve seen just how much dedication building a startup takes. Ironman training has renewed my ability to dedicate.”

 

  • Rhythm. “Entrepreneurs know this as the hum of a high functioning startup. It’s when things are buzzing. Everything is humming. It’s that “It’s working!” feeling. I can feel this rhythm during certain swims, rides and runs. It’s when my legs are moving just right, when I’ve got the right amount of energy, when I’m firing on all cylinders. Things are flowing. When I have that rhythm, I try to memorize what it feels like. It’s what I’m striving for every day as an athlete and as an entrepreneur.”

 

  • Go big or go home. “I’ve run marathons before and done some longer triathlons. But I didn’t understand what real training was until I committed to do an Ironman. You can build a little startup, but if you’re going to build, go big. Go really, really big.”

 

  • Schedule. “To train for an ultra-endurance event requires a schedule. It means committing to that schedule and sticking to it. There’s no ‘I’ll just get that workout in tomorrow’ or ‘I’ll reschedule that Saturday ride.’ Because there’s a limited amount of time between now and the race. The same holds for startups. Great pitches, great products, and great teams don’t just appear overnight. They take time to build. It is that commitment to investment of time that creates value.”

 

  • Pacing. “Training for an Ironman is like making deposits in the bank over time–you have to deposit enough so you can make a withdrawal on race day. There’s no cramming. You can’t just put it all off and do it at the last minute. It means hard work every day.”

 

  • Inspiration. “A lot of people comment on my dedication and discipline. Yet training is something I look forward to. I can’t wait till my next workout. I look forward to long Saturday rides around Marin and on the peninsula followed by a run. Hard as they are, I love my long Sunday runs. These are not activities I dread — quite the opposite. I draw inspiration from them, much as I draw inspiration from building great teams and great products.”

 

  • Time. “Training 90 or more minutes a day means time really matters. Lounging around with friends is a great luxury when time is limited. It means that when people are late or fail to deliver on their commitments, I think really hard about whether I want to continue working with them.”

 

  • Energy. “Endurance activities require the right fuel and constant fuel. So do startups. You have to feed the engine at the right time — too much fuel too soon and you’ll bog things down. Wait too long to feed the engine and you’ll run out of energy and bonk.”

 

  • Internal drive. “You might think that training for an Ironman is an external goal — something that requires external validation or motivation. It isn’t. I started training because I wanted to get back in shape. I wanted to be operating at my personal peak. I wanted to push my limits in business and in life. I’m by no means a natural athlete. A commitment of this level cannot come from the outside — it must come from within. The same holds true for building a game-changing startup. It must come from an internal desire to operate at your absolute best.”

 

  • Team. “A lot of people view triathlons as an individual event. That is certainly true on race day, when although there is encouragement from friends and fellow racers, it all comes down to you and how much and the kind of preparation you’ve put in. But every moment leading up to the race is a combination of individual and team effort. Without my friends from the SF Tri Club, the challenge of riding 80-100 miles would be nearly insurmountable, not to mention incredibly lonely. With them, it is social, fun, and inspiring.”

 

  • Break things into chunks. “I don’t think about a hundred mile training ride as a 100 miles. Sometimes I break it into thirds. Or I think in segments — easy first 20 followed by a tough tough hill climb, then an easier 10. Same for startups. You have to build success in steps.”

 

  • Confidence. “The thing about redefining your limits is every time you break a limit and reach a new one, you build more confidence. That confidence lets you break the next limit and the next limit and on and on. Redefining your limits is what makes great athletes — and great entrepreneurs.”

 

I am the the Founder of Addicted2Success.com and I am so grateful you're here to be part of this awesome community. I love connecting with people who have a passion for Entrepreneurship, Self Development & Achieving Success. I started this website with the intention of educating and inspiring likeminded people to always strive for success no matter what their circumstances. I'm proud to say through my podcast and through this website we have impacted over 200 million lives in the last 10 years.

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Success Advice

Why You Shouldn’t Discount A Brick And Mortar Store In 2025

We’re constantly told about how stores are closing down and how shoppers prefer online options, but is it worth questioning this theory?

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How to grow a brick and mortar store
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In 2024, you’d be forgiven for thinking that physical shopping is a thing of the past. We’re constantly told about how stores are closing down and how shoppers prefer online options. But is it worth questioning this theory? (more…)

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Success Advice

How to Alter Your Business Approach With Technological Advancements

Keeping up with technological trends has become a challenge for almost every business owner.

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Technology’s evolution has impacted everything, and business is no exception. Keeping up with technological trends has become a challenge for almost every business owner. Entrepreneurs unable to do so are being wiped out of the market.

There is no doubt that AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) have taken over the business world. These technological advancements are impacting decision-making, success percentages, and other entrepreneurial aspects.

Adapting to these developments is integral to business success. Let’s explore how you can accomplish these milestones.

Embed the strength of AI and ML.

AI has modified business operations in major ways. For instance, companies have employed bots for customer support. These bots go through an effective learning process via Machine Learning before being able to answer like humans.  

Bots can also perform detailed data analytics and make business moves with high success percentages.

ML is used more for the analysis of data chunks and generating successful predictions. This simply means that business owners do not have to worry about large-scale financial losses. 

In terms of deployment and usage, a reputed company like Netflix employs machine learning for decision-making.

Blockchain is increasing the count of business opportunities

Tampering of financial transactions is quite common and causes severe monetary damage to customers. With the rise of digital payments, this risk has increased. 

Blockchain is used to elevate your experience for monetary transfers. It combats penetrating events to extract confidential customer information. 

Most business sectors are using block chain but finance and supply chain management sections have a higher count. These two corporate sections have several monetary deposits and withdrawals taking place. 

In terms of percentage, approximately 72% and 5% of finance and supply chain firms have implemented block chain successfully.

Dedicate Yourself to Continuous Learning and Individual Development

You invest in learning some of the very important skills, including digital marketing, financial management, and how to gain customers as an entrepreneur.

You need to set up your knowledge base about doing business on Coursera and Udemy with the basics that are necessary for the business, building further by networking with experts through webinars.

Besides, Agile methodology will introduce elasticity to your company: this review and feedback system with further correction regularly will allow for enhancing efficiency and promptly reacting to the market.

Developing key skills to achieve goals

Running a business successfully is not only about having niche/domain knowledge. Business owners need to have communication / soft skills as well in addition to niche information.

Here are some key technical/domain-related areas that business owners should have a strong grip on.

Data Storage on Cloud: These days, companies do not store their data on physical servers. Therefore business owners should know how data is stored/edited/removed/updated via AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and other platforms.

Data Analysis/Interpretation Qualities: These days, data is as precious as gold. Business owners with data analysis abilities make correct predictions. As a result, their ventures grow in volume.

Development/Coding Knowledge

Programming knowledge gives business owners an edge whether the application is developed in-house or outsourced. It assists in getting updates deployed and handling application underperformance without getting professional support every time.

Hacking proof framework

There is no benefit of having an advanced automated system if can be penetrated. Successful business owners have above-average knowledge of cyber security and hacking attempts. They are able to choose top-notch anti-hacking software without much of an ambiguity.

Communication Abilities/Soft Skills

Here are some key communication qualities that business owners should have:

Communication/Conversation: Business owners should use to-the-point sentences in both written and oral communication.

Issue Resolution Abilities: Business owners should be able to drill down to problems and solve them. This is done successfully only if an entrepreneur has in-depth business domain knowledge.

Agile Implementations

It is mandatory for business owners to have knowledge of iterative/agile models. With such a competitive environment, it is impossible for business owners to succeed without adopting an agile framework.

Create a productive well-crafted Business Strategy

A productive business venture starts with a clear vision. The first factor making a business successful is the idea behind it. It helps with endless growth and combating competition successfully. Katherine Philips once mentioned that business goals are inevitable if goals are set concretely.

  • Goals should be based on smart achievements instead of complexity. Focus on the value that each one of them adds. 
  • Business objectives should not be vague. Key indicators should be constructed to measure the success/failure of each milestone.
  • Be realistic when setting goals. Do not aim at impossible milestones since they can be demotivating.
  • Milestones/goals need to be time-bound. Set a completion deadline for each one of them. 
  • Business goals should not be alien. Owners can think out of the box but not be obsolete / unrelated.

Create a productive well-crafted Business Strategy

Business owners cannot succeed without having a network. Some tips help in this case. Attend conferences and professional gatherings to connect with other entrepreneurs.
Here are some other related points business owners should pay attention to.

  • Attend meetings and conferences to stay updated with trends and meet business owners who already have well-set ventures. This helps in enhancing the learning curve of new / growing entrepreneurs.
  • Being a part of business communities/groups is very productive. When one shares opinions and discusses decision-making tactics, it helps in preventing errors and enhancing success rate.
  • Even the most experienced business owners have mentors as learning never stops. Take part in mentorship programs so there is an assurance that you are following the correct roadmap.

Conclusion

There is absolutely no doubt that business dimensions have evolved with technological advancements. Successful entrepreneurs have grabbed these changes in due course of time and continue to evolve. On the other hand, people following old paths and conventional steps fade out of competition. In a nutshell, keep an eye on the processes and practices you follow as these factors decide success rate.

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Success Advice

Understanding the Power of Yes and No: How to Create Boundaries For Success

These words have a significant impact on how our success unfolds

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Creating legal boundaries
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The two smallest yet most powerful words in life, “Yes” and “No,” have a big impact on our growth on both personal and professional levels. In addition to affecting the choices we make every day, these words have a significant impact on how our success unfolds. (more…)

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Motivation

From Couch Potato to Go-Getter: A Step-by-Step Motivation Plan for Everyone

By understanding what motivates you, you can turn your dreams into reality

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How to be motivated
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Are you tired of feeling like a couch potato? Do you want to transform your life and become a go-getter? You’re not alone! Many people struggle with motivation, but the good news is that change is possible. (more…)

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