Good News for Maturing Cyclists and Solopreneurs: You too can Recover After a Slow Period

How often do you wake up these days and feel like you can conquer the world??Whether in work or your personal interests, those times when you feel 100% “on” can be rare during our challenging era. As an avid cyclist, I must admit to having felt sluggish this spring. Why are my fellow cyclists passing me on hills? Is slowing down inevitable with my advancing years?

After 11 years as a solopreneur, some of that sluggishness can creep into my ongoing effort to build my professional brand. For example, I used to publish six articles per year on LinkedIn. Now that total is down to four. Before March 2020, I spent about six hours a week traveling to and attending in-person networking events. Now I consider two hours of Zoom networking per week to be a “good” effort.

Fortunately for me, the experiences that I have as a passionate cyclist can help to “recharge my business batteries” periodically. In 2021, what new lessons can be applied from a slow period of cycling to small business ownership? How does one get out of a rut? Here are some suggestions:?

1. Surround yourself with fellow cyclists (and solopreneurs). ?While I do most of my riding alone, once a week I ride with a friend or a group, the Westchester Cycle Club. In early July, David Cohen saw me struggling and gave me a tip on going up hills. My friend Dean Schwartz followed up with some more useful advice. This help became the spark for improving my hill work. As a solopreneur, I work alone most of the time. However, I gain valuable tips and insights as a member of Laurie Schultz’s Collaborative Community of small business owners. I have repeatedly learned that being part of a community can increase the chance of getting the help I need.
2. Track your progress, and celebrate small successes. ?I am a passionate member of the social networking app for bikers - Strava. Even when I’m in a period of biking slowly, there are successes to track using Strava – mileage goals for the month and year, as well as long individual rides. ?So too in business. As part of our small business community, we are rigorous in establishing and tracking our monthly goals and take time out of our regular meetings to celebrate even small business wins.
3. FOCUS (don’t get distracted). In my opinion, road biking requires absolute concentration to stay safe. Focusing well is much harder in business these days. There are dozens of techniques to maintain concentration, like turning off notifications and exiting out of email periodically during the day. As a cyclist, I need simply to apply my biking concentration to finish the work task at hand.
4. Become self-sustaining, not overly competitive. While I pay attention to my fellow cyclists on Strava, most people that I follow go farther and faster than me. ?I have learned not to focus too much on them. ?I remind myself that I answer to my own standard of success, not some outside measure. Each business owner should define success in a way that is unique to him or her.
5. Be grateful, even during a “slow period.” Even when I am riding slowly, I still find a lot to be grateful for on each ride: a route I’ve never taken before, beautiful views, or spending time with friends. Similarly, when business is slower, I get to exert more focus on each client deliverable, try a new approach or technology, and build stronger relationships with just a few clients.

So what is the “good news” referred to in the title of this post? After a slow spring, I applied the advice from my friends, got myself into gear, and had a fast first month of the summer.?Then I broke a cable and thought I was going to have a riding hiatus.?Thanks to Stan Avedon and the team at Hastings Velo, I got my bike back early surprisingly soon. That got me really energized for my fastest ride in three years – leading to a Bonus lesson for all of us. ?

6. Be open to a pleasant surprise that gets your business back in gear.

Cyclists and other athletes, feel free to share other lessons from the sport you love in the Comments.

If you enjoy reading about the intersection of biking and business ownership, check out my previous articles from 2016 and 2017 I also learned a great deal about biking and life after a major health event in 2013.