Tweet
Well…. the Cardinals are on a losing skid and this may be one of those seasons Saint Louis baseball fans would rather forget.
We could blame Tony LaRussa, but in the end it is the players that have to show up and get it done. We just seem to be a bit short on talent this year.
Baseball scouts look for players that have all of the following five characteristics. These players become affectionately referred to as “5 tool players.”
- Running Speed
- Arm Strength
- Hitting for Average
- Hitting for Power
- Fielding
These guys are natural baseball players. They are built to succeed.
It got me thinking —- what would a 5 tool Tiny Business owner have?
The 5 Tool Tiny Business Owner
Tool 1: Common Sense
You don’t need a Finance degree to run a successful tiny business. I mean seriously… when is the last time you needed to run a Dupont Analysis for your tiny biz? Yep, that’s a Wikipedia link to ‘Dupont Analysis’ — who else but Wikipedia would have an article about that snoozer topic?
What you do need is the ability to reason through situations, keep your head level and figure things out. Common sense is a difficult skill to learn and train someone on — you kinda have it or you don’t —- like running speed in baseball.
Tool 2: Courage
Your courage has certainly been tested as a Tiny Business owner. I am certain of that.
The courage to get out of your comfort zone. The courage to walk into a sales presentation that is over your head. The courage to tell a customer that they are wrong and stand your ground. The courage to pull the plug on a partnership or to pull the trigger on a new product or service.
It takes courage and a heavy dose of it.
Tool 3: Persistence
If you are a tiny business owner, you were the type of person that didn’t know when your big sister had you whooped at Monopoly. You didn’t think that being down 65-4 in your 6th grade basketball game was a big deficit.
There is no quit in you.
If something isn’t working, you try harder or you try something new.
Tool 4: Kindness
Isn’t it refreshing to know that the Internet is making kindness a key “tool” to business success. It’s true. The Internet turns your business into a crystal clear fish bowl.
And we are all tapping on the glass and staring at you.
If you aren’t a good person, we will find out. If you aren’t genuine, we will find out. And if you are kind and do good things for others — we will find that out too.
As Dr. Deb Carlin says, Kindness is good business.
Tool 5: Creativity
Marketing today takes creativity — I have been quoted as saying that you need to be your own paparazzi.
Creating articles, video, podcasts, infographics and whatever else to build attention or buzz requires a bit of creativity.
Creativity can be developed — the more you write, the better you will get. You will start to find your voice in your podcast or video posts.
Do You Need All Five Tools To Win?
Absolutely not. But it would be helpful to understand which of these are your strengths and which your weaknesses.
There are very few 5 tool baseball players. If someone hits well for power, they often can’t run well or can’t hit for average well. But running a tiny business is your profession and working on these tools will make you a major leaguer.
What about you? What tools would you include as the most important in running a tiny business? What tools should tiny business owners be working on? Will the Saint Louis Cardinals make the playoffs this year?
Learn more here or sign up below
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Two comments about your recent post:
1. “We just seem to be a bit short on talent this year.”
This statement misses the mark as I think the Cardinals have an abundance of talent: 3 Quality starting pitchers. All of which are better than the best pitcher on the first place Cincinnati Reds. Cardinals have the best hitter, not just for this season, but arguably the best all-time after ten years. We have good hitting, defense and experience.
We have the best catcher in the National league, great combination of talented veterans and rookies. Have beat the first place team 10 times so far this season. The winning-est manager in baseball, a proven slugger in Matt Holliday. Candidates for MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year. This team does not lack talent, it lacks execution, drive and momentum. EXAMPLE: you saw how differently they looked when incentivized by the inapropriate comments made by Branden Phillips. For a series, we saw what the Cardinals are capable of doing.
Which brings me to a key point or “6th Tool” required to succeed. That is the ability to change, to adapt, to tweak your approach to the ever changing conditions. You need to find ways to motivate and keep momentum in all the situations you will face. Albert knows how to do this.
In business, each client each project offers different criteria and challenges. We must be ready to adapt and know which took to use and how to use it effectively for each situation.
We can’t slack off, just cause it looks easy or unchallenging. You always need to bring your “A” game to every opportunity.
@Gary kodner — Wow! You are absolutely right on both counts Gary. The Cardinals are absolutely under performing — it’s sad really — since I wrote this post they have been swept by the struggling Houston Astros. Pitiful.
Adaptation is an perfect 6th tool. In fact, it may be the most important tool as I am not sure you can be in business without this tool.
I am impressed with how well each of your points about courage touches home with me. I can related to each of them. I like your article here and wonder if I can meet you? I would love to learn from you.
@Adam — I am glad you can relate to this post Adam! I will shoot you an email that will direct you to my Meet Up group — located in Saint Louis at this link http://www.meetup.com/Tiny-Business-Mighty-Profits/ — I will be announcing a new meet up this week some time.