Entrepreneurship is a lot like a sport. To be fair, it wouldn’t be an exciting sport to watch. After all, if you think golf is dull, imagine spending the same four hours watching someone craft a pitch deck or make cold calls. But plenty of the other basic features of sports are there. You’ve got teams of people competing against each other in a market. You’ve got winners. You’ve got losers. You’ve even got a scoreboard of sorts in terms of valuations.
In fact, entrepreneurship is so much like a sport that, when I stumbled across a list of the 100 best sports quotes of all time, I couldn’t help but notice how every quote applies to building companies. And since few things in life are as motivational as a good sports quote from a famous athlete or coach, and since I’m sure plenty of founders in startupland are struggling with motivation right now, I thought I’d take a few minutes to inspire some of you to pick yourself up off the mat, shake it off, and get back in the game because it’s time to dig deep, go the extra mile, and leave it all on the field.
“Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.”
— Mike Singeltary
Let’s get these motivational quotes started right with a reminder that the best part about entrepreneurship is simply getting to be an entrepreneur. Some days will be amazing. Some days will be awful. But, for true entrepreneurs, there’s nothing else in the world they’d rather be doing. Always remember how much you love what you’re doing, and, even if the outcome isn’t always perfect, channel your inner Mike Singeltary and make sure you’re appreciating the opportunity.
“I always tell kids, you have two eyes and one mouth. Keep two open and one closed. You never learn anything if you’re the one talking.”
— Gordie Howe
Sure, the legendary Gordie Howe was probably referring to something about hockey, but he might as well been talking to all the entrepreneurs out there trying to…