Entrepreneurs Play Midfield

Last Saturday as I watched my son’s lacrosse game, I empathized with the players in one particular position. While the defense and goalie were required to stay on the half of the field where their goal was located and the attack positions play near the opponent’s goal, the midfielders were allowed (and expected) to roam the entire length of the field. Their job, as in soccer and hockey, is to catch a pass from the defenseman or goalie with their stick, run down to their opponent’s side of the field and then pass the ball off to an attackman, who will in turn, shoot the ball into the goal and score.

Wow, I thought, the midfielder’s exhausting job is similar in many ways to that of an entrepreneur. Just as a midfield player must be able to play both defense and offense with great stamina, small business owners have to be skilled in all aspects of their business: sales, marketing, production, shipping, bookkeeping, HR, often touching on each of those aspects of the business in a single, often very long day.

In addition to stamina, the midfielder needs to be a master communicator and to understand intuitively where he needs to stand in relation to his teammates to be most effective. Successful entrepreneurs must also be able to clearly express their needs to employees and vendors and to articulate their company’s value to their customers.

It’s possible to see a midfielder scoop up the ball, carry it 80 yards and score with little help from his teammates, but as with an entrepreneur, he doesn’t have the stamina to repeat that solo performance over and over in a game. By coordinating with teammates in specialty positions (employees and vendors) both can focus on what they do best and bring about a successful outcome.

Early stage businesses struggling to manage rapid growth can benefit from an array of services offered by TD Business Solutions. Don’t have enough time to develop and implement a digital marketing strategy? Looking for independent sales reps who will love selling your products as much as you do? Or do you want a trusted vendor partner to manage your supply chain, fulfillment and customer service functions so you can focus on selling? To learn how you can improve your small business game by partnering with TDBS, schedule a free consultation today at: info@tdbizsolutions.com.