I love to run. Since I can remember, I have always been running around. I discovered distance running in my late 30s and so much so it drove me to run marathons - 4 of them exactly.
My best race was Pittsburgh, 3:48 h:m. My worst was Charlotte - Thunder Road they call it and it about killed me. In total, I ran 104.4 marathon miles. After Charlotte, I literally had had enough. I hung up my metals and stopped running completely. It was no fun anymore.
Being a ‘marathon runner’ is a lifestyle. It consumes you. Eat and run. Eat and run. It’s constant. And unless you are willing to live that lifestyle completely, it will ruin you. Kind of like running a business- though I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
Then 2020 happened and a book called 80/20 Running found me - usually that’s what happens, books find me. And I started running again. After several months, my mileage was hovering around 3 miles per run and I was really enjoying it again...did I mention I am insanely competitive?
Yes, my competitive brain was starting to think about another marathon...a fifth...that would be cool. I talked myself up about it…
Well if I am going to do something that big again, maybe I should think about other massive goals to train for...oooo maybe an Iron Man! Or I am really into ping pong right now, maybe win a ping pong tournament? At that moment, I was running alongside the 14 fairway of the golf course that surrounds my neighborhood...why not win a golf tournament??
And I began a process of elimination over several weeks of debate, analysis and research and I decided on golf - train and win a golf tournament in 2022.
I signed up at the golf course, I dusted my golf clubs off and started practicing and working on my game at the end of 2020.
At the same time, the effects of the Pandemic had a profound effect on my business. Being that we were 20 years old, means that we lived and survived the recession in 2008.
April 2020 had many of the same signs as Oct of 2008. We had been here before and we prepared ourselves and our employees for a series of decisions that would ultimately position the company to exit 2020 and enter 2021 better, stronger, more profitable and with zero debt.
Some of it was luck, some of it was circumstance and much of it was because we were team able to make critical decisions at the right time.
Our business is in the automotive industry and many of the realities pre-2020 are simply not realities in 2021. We have recognized that we have to fundamentally change our business model to survive and continue to thrive. And you might be thinking, WOW after 20 years of business that’s got to be really hard - and yes it is and here’s the reality - this is our third major course change in our history or you might say it's our third stage of evolution.
Ironically, my business AND my golf game are going through massive changes as we speak heading into 2022. And the next decision or the next golf swing will determine how successful the future will be.
Being a business owner, like a marathon runner or someone who wants to win a golf tournament is all consuming. It’s a lifestyle that takes patience, perseverance, and a Practice.
This is what my TEDxCrawfordRoad talk is all about. I developed a methodology out of my golf practice that applies to any major goal in life, whether running a business or running a marathon. It’s my BOLD SOLUTION and I hope you can join us on November 13 for TEDxCrawfordRoad.