Running a business whilst running in business

Running a business and running in business

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Whilst out there pounding the roads, it occurred to me that there are so many similarities between running a business and being a runner, so I thought it was worth noting it. It’s not just running where these similarities can be found, its prevalent in most sports but here are my top 10 findings as I put one foot in front of the other running through Formby woods:

1.?????? Keep one step ahead of the competition. We all know how important it is to keep doing things better to maintain the uniqueness of our brand or business. We need to strive to do the things others don’t or won’t want to do. Cliché as it sounds but going the extra mile is essential if you want your brand to maintain its freshness and appeal in the market. The same applies with running – nobody gets on that podium by luck, their journey is defined by hardship and by focusing on training hard, racing smart and in most cases following a plan to keep you on track and ahead of your rivals.?

2.?????? Keep an eye on the trends. Environmental scanning on a regular basis is more essential than ever in the fast-paced world we now live in. Markets move at such a pace as consumer demand has become so multi-faceted and so many boxes now have to be ticked before any product launch. Many of our decisions have to be made on good solid market data. On the roads as a runner, this is just the same - we all obsess over the latest super shoes, the best watches, or any technological wearables, as we are now focusing more than ever on tech and data that can help us improve performance.

3.?????? Dedication, hard work and commitment will deliver. It takes a resilient type of person to keep going when everything seems so negative. We are bombarded with negative news stories day in, day out and when business goes through tough patches, it can really take you down, but the best of us dig in, we graft away and we keep going and believe in the plan and the future direction with energy, commitment and passion even when its hard and seems insurmountable. In most cases, that’s where the magic happens. This is so true when training for athletic events, you have to put yourself in that pain locker, you have to switch your mind to new place and use visualisation to get you to the place you need to be when every muscle in your body is screaming for you to stop. You have to find that inner magic to break through those barriers and every time you do so, you become a better and more improved athletic version of your previous self.

4.?????? Preparation and planning are everything. You can’t get to where you want to be without a well-defined logical and achievable plan. That doesn’t just mean you put the big yearly plan together and just hope for the best, you have to constantly visit that plan weekly and monthly to monitor your progress as a team to answer those important questions: How achievable is this plan? What do we need to do to get there? Do we need to make changes given our current environmental factors etc? The same goes in running – all the best runners and athletes have plans, they know what they are training day by day, week by week, they know when their races are, they know when to taper and when curve balls happen, they are confident of the direction they need to change in order to still try to get to their end goal. Without plans, we would all just flounder.

5.?????? Practise, practise, practise. The more we do our thing in business, the better we become at it, we are also never too wise or to old to learn new things too. If we keep to this sentiment, work becomes so much easier as expertise will more than often outperform even the most willing of folk. On the track its identical, we train to improve, we train to be competitive, we train to win. Even when its boring and it feels like you are doing the same thing over and over, that training keeps us sharp and on top of the game. Never underestimate the power of practise.

6.?????? Utilise a coach – Often we are too proud to accept that we need help but it really is OK to seek help, in fact it’s better than OK as utilising a mentor, a NED, or a business coach does so much for the business and its people. Whether its from a cultural improvement point of view, or to check that decisions are on point or just to bounce ideas off, a coach can really add value to the business as a fresh pair of eyes that aren’t so involved in the day to day running of the business often point out some of the most obvious things we are quick to dismiss or miss altogether due to being stuck in firefighting mode. A good running coach will do the same, they will analyse your strengths and weaknesses to make your weaknesses become your strengths, they will offer the ear of reason when you have booked too many races that will tire you out, they will change your plan to work around family commitments and they will devise a plan to get you to where you need to be based on your personal fitness and your personal circumstances. I didn’t win anything international until I had both a running and bike coach and it made a huge difference. It culminated in one world bronze, one European gold and one world gold in Duathlon and 2 European bronze medals in running all within a year. I was doing a few things wrong prior to being coached and the tiniest of tweaks ended up making the biggest of differences.

7.?????? Recovery is everything – We all do it, we all work late, burn the midnight oil and work crazy hours in an attempt to get that latest project off our desks but it is so counterproductive as we then end up so exhausted and burned out which compromises the immune system and can then cause health problems. This shouldn’t happen if you have the right team around you and you are all clear of your roles and responsibilities and points 4 and 5 are nailed down with regard to following the plan. A well-rested you will make the best decisions and will have the right amount of energy to deal with the normal stresses of business. In sport it’s just the same, it’s so easy to over train especially when you are feeling on top of your game, its so enticing to hit the road for those few extra miles or to throw yourself into the gym for an extra session but having ample time to recover and to allow your heart rate to have some time off from being in those high zones is essential. A well recovered body that has had enough time for muscle repair and relaxation will come back stronger and will perform better. This is also applicable to those times when you feel tired or exhausted – you have to listen to your body and give it a break, a good coach will always adapt your plan if you need to modify it any may include some lower impact stuff to get you back in the game.

8.?????? Failures and mistakes are natural – None of us get through a year in business without some issue, problem, mistake or failed goal, but that’s ok - it’s all part of the journey. It’s all part of our evolution to learn from, to adapt to and to pivot in order to increase our strength in our respective fields of expertise. Mistakes and failures make us stronger, more informed and more equipped to deal with the future and in most cases, allow us time to analyse our plan to make sure where we are going is still where we want to be. You can’t win every race, every athletics meet and every event and that is fine. Most of the times you either don’t get your desired position or something goes wrong – the learning point far outweighs the win as it puts a new cloak of knowledge and experience on you for next time. Whilst winning feels amazing, not winning isn’t a bad thing on the whole either as you can still gain improvements as an athlete, time wise or performance wise that wont necessarily be reflected in position every time – this is especially relevant to athletes coming back from injury.

9.?????? Keep focused on the goal – It is so easy to get side-tracked in business, we have all been there – all of a sudden we change, we see something we want to jump on but then realise a little later than what we should that it’s just a distraction from the core business or in some cases you may not be resourced to deal with this new distraction be it a new product idea or new industry all together. We just have to keep our eyes on the prize – on what matters – on our core business. Distractions will always be there, but you have to have a good filter in place to keep things relevant. With running or any sport to that end, it’s just the same – its so easy to listen to team mates who are perhaps doing different things – boxing, cross fit, hyrox, calisthenics, hot yoga – you name it and they all have a place, nobody will deny that but you have to make sure you are super focused on achieving your goal that is personal to you and in most cases, like point 5 says, often than not, it means doing the same thing over and over again and yes there can be healthy distractions but anything that wont add any value to your sporting performance should be avoided until your season is over.

10.?? Enjoy it – This is definitely the most important point which is why it’s the final one. We have all been in roles that have been painful and it makes every day a hard slog and a total grind on our minds and our bodies. It’s not healthy or sustainable. You ideally need to be doing something you enjoy, something you are interested in, something you are passionate about and if possible something that aligns with your core values. That way, it doesn’t feel much like work, it just feels like a natural flowing day of activity. Not everyone is fortunate to be in roles they are totally happy with but its so important to try and get this right as much as you can as it takes up such a big part of our lives. If you hate running, guess what, you will hate the training and you won’t have the right mindset to perform to the best of your abilities. You have to find a sport that you truly love. You may love it for what it does to your mind as sport/fitness is the only addiction I would every advocate in life as being a healthy addiction. You may love it for what it’s done for your body with regards to weight loss or muscle definition. You may just love it because of the addictive endorphin rush. You may do it for the runners high, but above all, you should be doing it because you enjoy it. That way you are always guaranteed for a positive outcome no matter where you end up in business or on the roads.

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Wishing everyone all the best for Christmas and here’s to a positive 2024! ?