Entrepreneurial Lessons from a 10k Run

First off, let me save you the trouble of reading this if you’re not an entrepreneur nor have an interest in being one in the future. These lessons are for my brethren in business for themselves.

This morning I ran a 10k for the first time in my life. I’m more of a cyclist and once said “running isn’t my thing.” So I ran this morning for the sake of the experience and, I must say, I came back with some lessons I didn’t expect to learn.

Entrepreneurship is a marathon and not a sprint

As the race progressed beyond the 5km mile-marker this morning, I was starting the feel the pain. I just wanted it to be over already but I pushed myself and went further. By 7km, I had just about had it. So I took my very first walk and had a realization. When I started, I was sprinting. My only goal was to pass people; perhaps a little strategy might’ve been useful there; one to preserve some of my energy for later. I realized that the situation was so much like entrepreneurship; as we work towards building a business or getting that client it’s not that one meeting or that one engagement that will give you ultimate success. It’s the consistency with which one approaches his/her work each day that wins him/her the success he/she searches for.

Entrepreneurs are willing to kick-start themselves again and again

At the 7km mile-marker, I took a walk for a few and then picked myself up and ran some more. I continued this process for until the end of the run and along the way thought about my own experience as an entrepreneur of 8 years. There were times when I was down and out; no clients, no money and no opportunity. It was in these times when I had to be ok with myself to ‘walk’ instead of ‘run’ with the intention to bounce back. Like Mohammed Ali once said: Success is defined by getting up one more time than being knocked down.

Entrepreneurs work with what they got

Sometime after the 7km mile-marker, I noticed an acute pain from the ball of my foot. This is a common phenomenon for new runners. Due to the lack of training, the skin on the ball of one’s foot shifts and begins to separate from the muscle. It can be a painful experience for some of the freshers as it was for me. I no longer remembered my exhaustion after this pain became prominent. At this point, even walking would be a painful affair. There were rescue vehicles passing by and the thought of throwing in the towel did cross my mind. But I couldn’t live with myself having done that. So I said to myself: this is my predicament and I need to get to that finish line. Perhaps if I could devise a technique of stepping, I could reduce the pain I feel with each step. In changing my stance, it reduced the pain as I had anticipated and I couldn’t help but think about the number of times I’ve had to work with what I had in my entrepreneurship career. There were times when my circumstantial preparedness was negative, if anything; no car, no resources, no support system. Nothing but a dream and a burning desire to make a difference. It was in those times that I learned to work with what I had and make the best of it. After all; need is the mother of all inventions.

Entrepreneurs find a running buddy

In my stopping and going routine, I passed a lady in a fluorescent t-shirt. When I walked, I noticed, she passed me. This happened twice before I concluded that she’s a seasoned runner and that I could use her help. She became my running buddy and she didn’t even know it. I kept a track of her and we played this little game of passing each other. I would run some and then walk, then she would pass me and I would catch up. She helped me finish and she was completely oblivious of my existence. As I look back in my life, I realize that I have had some amazing running buddies who helped me keep the pace up. The incredible thing is, even in life as in the run, many of them didn’t know they were my running buddies. I chose them because, in my heart, I found admiration for them.

Entrepreneurs give credit where credit is due

At the end of the run, I walked up to the lady in the fluorescent t-shirt and thanked her for being my pacer. She helped me finish the race and it was only fair for her to know what she had done. I learned that thanking people who inspired me to do more in life lead to me living a happier and fulfilled life. One of the people I thanked was so surprised that he was a role model for me that he offered to mentor me. The mentorship has now turned into a friendship for which I couldn’t be thankful enough for the difference it’s made in my life.

So do you entrepreneur? If you resonate with these lessons, please share your experience in the comments also. I’d love to hear the ways in which you’ve handled entrepreneurship.

About the author:

Mohsin Memon is the Director of Memcorp Learning and Performance Solutions. He has had over 8 years of experience in HR of having worked with leaders from various industries globally. Besides HR work, he is an adventure junkie; rock climbing, mountaineering, sky-diving and snowboarding are among his hobbies. He believes a leader is never a leader just in the corporate boardroom. If he is a true leader, he must be a leader everywhere he goes. It doesn’t mean he needs to be the best at everything he does, but it does mean that he needs to exhibit leadership character in every-one of his relationships.