Sitting here thinking about a topic to write about, and the OC 100 comes to mind. I’ve run the Oil Creek 100 Trail Race quite a few times. I actually finished six times and I think I did not finish (DNF’ed) just as many. The DNF’s I tend to like to forget. It’s a total of 100.7 miles on the Gerard Hiking Trail in Oil Creek State Park in Titusville Pennsylvania on the first weekend of October.
You might be asking, why would anyone run a 100.7 mile trail race? Well, I don’t have a straight up answer for that but here are some reasons.:
- I like a challenge
- You get a cool buckle for finishing
- Trails are softer and easier on the body than concrete or asphalt
- I combined it with fundraising for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Who doesn’t like a good cause?!
- The OC 100 terrain is beautiful
- Trail runners are good people and cool to hang out with
- Keeps the weight off. I eat too much.
- It’s peaceful out there
- And, crazy. Crazy comes up a lot.
So, what did I learn from all those races? Taking on challenges like the OC 100 can teach us new life lessons in many ways. I share those lessons today in my small business coaching work through analogies and stories that help people relate and learn the lessons in their own way to help them reach their goals. Here are a few that you might relate to:
Go Big or Go Home
An Ultra-marathon like the OC 100 is a huge risky undertaking just like starting a business. You don’t just go out and run 100 miles, you have to do your homework. A ton of long training miles over many months. You need the right gear. You have to research the terrain and train specifically for that. Some races are on flat terrain and some on mountainous. You have to train your body and your mind to run all day and all night. You find mentors and coaches to help you train. You invest a lot of time and energy to get ready for an event that has a high probability of failure. Many ultras have a 10%-ish to as much as a 50% failure rate.
You have to do your homework for your start-up as well. You research the market and find a need to fill. Scope out the competition. Develop a marketing strategy. Create a brand and organizational structure and file the paperwork. Lots of homework and if you don’t do the homework, you are likely to miss the mark going in. Risk taking without doing the homework is foolish. Many small businesses don’t do the homework and don’t get past the first year and about 50% don’t get past year 5. Do the homework and it’s still risky but it’s calculated risk with a plan which dramatically improves your chance of success.
Systems Give You an Edge
Systematizing the business helps you to be more efficient and more effective even from the beginning. A lot of times I see business owners winging it and flying by the seat of their pants. They tell themselves they don’t have time to develop and document systems. They have to do the work, generate sales, and create positive cash flow, which is true. But the sooner you get to systematizing the better.
When you systematize, you don’t have to recreate the wheel every time something needs to be done and the quality is more consistent. It’s more efficient with resource usage saving you money. It’s quicker saving you time. All of that makes for happier customers and happier employees making you more money. Rinse and repeat. Trail running is the same.
When running for 24 hours or more, you develop the routine that allows you to keep moving and eventually cross the finish line. You find a running pace that you can maintain over the race distance and not hit the wall. You determine when and where to take breaks to hydrate and refuel and change out your gear. You develop the habits in training that you use in the race for consistency and ultimately success, crossing the finish line. Surprises on a trail run, inconsistent pacing, not hydrating or refueling properly, or simply not changing your socks half-way through the race, will just like in business, tend to take you out of the race.
Find Your Mojo
That thing down deep and inside your heart and soul, that thing that gets you up and moving, that’s your mojo. It could be a feeling, a word, or a phrase that encompasses it. You have to find it because times are going to get tough and when they get really life sucking tough, your mojo is what is going to keep your ass moving. When you trip on a root and faceplant into the cold mud in the middle of the night at mile 75 and are totally exhausted struggling to stay awake, your mojo is going to get you back on your feet.
For the OC 100, my mojo was friends and family with Leukemia and Lymphoma, survivors and those who passed. Out on the trail hurting from head to toe, your mojo helps you keep perspective. You realize your pain is nothing compared to theirs and that realization allows you to redefine your own pain and keep going. The body is capable of incredible things when you can keep perspective.
Owning your own small business can get difficult too. You may not have the physical pain of trail running like in an ultra-marathon, but the mental and emotional difficulties can be huge and overwhelming. The sleepless nights and daily firefighting can wear you down. The squabbles of a family business can leave you frustrated and depressed. Most business owners don’t really think about their mojo or why they do what they do.
They’re just running a business but it’s not just that. It’s paying the electric bill. It’s putting food on the table. It’s sending your kids to college. It’s helping raise your grandkids. It’s taking care of your church and your community. It’s making payroll and taking care of your employees. It’s all of that. Dive into that and you will find your mojo and that is what you focus on when it gets tough. That is what pulls you up out of the muck and back up onto your feet.
Do you have to run an ultra-marathon like the OC 100 to be successful in business? No, of course not. Just set your goals and do your homework, develop good habits and systems, and find your mojo. With that combination, and some grit, you will go far. Happy business building!
What lessons have you learned that helps you in business or other areas of your life? I would love to hear about it. Shoot me an email.
