Jon Gruden, the coach of last year's Super Bowl winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers*, has written a book called "Do You Love Football?" While I am a football fan, I don't make a habit of reading books about football, but this one caught my attention for several reasons, the most significant of which was Mr. Gruden's take on football as the "ultimate team game." Says Gruden, "There are just so many people who play a role. There are trainers, managers, coaches, players, fans, media. It’s just so exciting. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to see it at such close range for so long." So if you didn't think many comparisons could be drawn between winning at small business and winning at football, here are a few analogies to convince you otherwise. 

1. You Can't Go It Alone.
Like football, running a small business is definitely a "team sport." To succeed in the long run, you simply can't go it alone. Oh, sure, you may start out alone, and while things are small and manageable, you may be quite happy to peacefully manage your enterprise on your own. But if you grow your business into a full time venture, you will eventually need and want some help. The trick is to recognize the best time to obtain help, and to know where to go to get it. A good football coach picks and chooses from among hundreds of different potential team members before settling on a group that seem to have the best chances of  promise of winning as a TEAM, so must a small business owner surround him or herself with a group of people who contribute to their success! A great place to start building your team is the US Small Business Administration (SBA) in your town. You can find a local office on SBA's home page. Also, the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) is a great place to go for top quality, inexpensive advice from experienced retired business owners. Also, network, network network! I say that "if you don't schmooze, you lose." Staying connected with people who own and manage companies similar to yours will help prevent the kind of isolation that can often result in stagnation and boredom. Keep things fresh by taking the time to remain connected with others -- share ideas, ask questions and stay involved in your industry. If you are a handmade beauty business, HBN is a great place to do that! (Check out our member benefits here!)

2. Planning Precedes Successful Execution.
Gruden's book details the care and attention that he gives to each and every game long before it starts. In addition to rigorous practices and strategy meetings, he arrives at the stadium before a game long before it starts just to study game plans, which he has reduced to small enough type to fit onto a small piece of laminated paper. During the game, he prioritized the calls that were reviewed with the staff and the quarterbacks the night before the game. In sum, he prepares as much as possible for each game. Business owners must do the same. Before starting, have a game plan. It doesn't have to be a huge book -- even if it fits onto a small piece of paper, it's better than nothing. If you were going to drive from Maine to Disney World, you wouldn't do it without a map, right? Apply the same common sense principle to business and you can't go wrong. If you are thinking of starting a beauty business, become familiar with the laws you must abide by and get some assistance or tips on creating a business plan that will set you up for success far into the future. You can find some dynamic resources for both at this link.

3. Turning The Page.
One final piece of helpful advice offered by Gruden is that whether you encounter success or not in a particular endeavor, be sure to "turn the page" when it's over. In other words, don't dwell on the successes or the failures. When asked how he planned to "follow up" on last year's Super Bowl, he said that was not in his plan. Instead, he had enjoyed that success for what it was worth and then turned the page so he could concentrate on the present. I think that's great advice because if we dwell on a failure for too long, we can find ourselves losing hope and giving up. If we try to live on past successes for too long, we risk becoming prideful and can end up being overtaken by the competition before we even know it. Don't let either happen! Learn what you can from failure and success, enjoy the success of course (enjoy the failure too since you always learn from it!), and then move onto the next thing.