"I ain't good enough"

I said this to myself and others many times over the years in the context of shooting and instructing. It came up most often when it came to sponsorship and things like that. Shooting sports, like most sports, gets expensive. Rifles and optics run, for quality, anywhere from $2000-$3000 each. Ammunition has become nearly prohibitively expensive. Those who are "good enough" get picked up by companies and those costs are mitigated.

I never got one of those calls. It must have been cause I wasn't good enough right? I never got 1st place, never got on that podcast, because I wasn't good enough for that. Even when I got into the industry with Knight's Armament, the calls never came. More importantly, I believed it.

Now, I am a firm believer in "no one cares... work harder" so rather than be mad at folks that were in my opinion, less qualified, less skilled, whatever getting picked up by companies, I worked harder. It does no good run around the internet talking smack on people, particularly those who are getting the perks when you are not.

I wasn't good enough to get deals, so I did the next best thing. I started a company and my own slice of a sport. Quantified Performance is small and niche. Sure, we do the same thing as other shooting sports but it's my own little corner of the market. That was four years ago.

Today, at this very moment, my home office is overflowing with prizes from major companies. I have communication with those companies weekly. QP has rifles and optics from great companies that are all part of the marketing arsenal.

All the things that I wasn't good enough to get on my own.

Over the past few years, I have learned why I wasn't getting those calls. I wasn't showing enough value on my own. It wasn't because I don't sit in first place at every match, it was because even if I did win, it didn't create a buzz or make people want to buy the products I used. I wasn't marketing myself well enough. for the record, I am still not getting those calls for Ash Hess, but Quantified Performance is.

I also learned that not all the people that we perceive as getting hooked up, really were. Some are for sure, but keep in mind, a lot of the content you see is smoke and mirrors. They may have something new, but its temporary.

To tie this up, you are probably good enough. Look hard at how you present that. Look at the value you provide. Under promise and over deliver. If you can't get where you want to be, devise a different plan to get there.