What do triathlons and business growth coaching have in common? Join coach Shad Tidler as he breaks down the mindset and strategy needed for success in both.
Preparing for a triathlon has a lot of similarities to growing a successful business. Before race day, it is important to first set a goal and determine what success looks like for that goal. Next, you have to establish a plan to reach that goal. Then, track and measure your progress months in advance. Next, you must ensure that you have the right tools and support structure in place. Finally, you must make sure your mindset is dialed in and strong. After you have gone through this checklist, you are reading to start training, whether that be for a triathlon or for growing your business.
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Video Transcript
Hi. My name is Shad Tidler, and I'm a sales coach at Lushin. I started racing triathlon seventeen years ago. I've raced anywhere from sprint distance up to full Ironman distance all over the US in this time. I've trained and raced on various teams as well as alone to get ready for these races.
After all these years, I've realized that preparing for a triathlon is very similar to growing a successful business. When I decide to train and complete a triathlon, no matter the distance, there are some key things that I do to ensure I have a good plan I can execute to be ready for race day. First, I determine my goal. If it's my first time at a new distance, my goal is to finish the race strong and enjoy the experience.
If it's a distance that I've done before, my goal is usually to hit a certain finish time. Either way, I start with the end in mind and have a vision of what success will be for the race.
From there, I have to lay out a solid plan that builds through the proper stages of my training timeline, and I can execute it in my daily life. I'm not a professional athlete and have other responsibilities in life, so I have to look ahead and determine what distractions or problems may come up that derail me from my training.
I also can't forget to have a few checkpoints along the way to judge my success and determine where I need to make adjustments. Perhaps I'll race a few smaller triathlons or duathlons to prep or do some long training days that mimic the full race. While I'm implementing my daily training plan, I need to ensure I have the right tools and support structure in place.
Do I have the right equipment, such as swimming, biking, and running gear? Do I have the right nutrition for both training and racing? Do I have the right support team in place? What upgrades or changes will I need to make to ensure success?
Finally, I must ensure my mindset is dialed in and strong. There will be days when I don't want to get out of bed and do training before work or put in the time after a long day in the office. There will be weekends when a long bike ride or run is ahead of me, and I just want time to relax. There will be injuries and setbacks along the way to hitting my goal. I have to ensure my mind stays strong and focused on my goal to keep me continuing through this.
There will be people along the way that say, you're crazy for doing this. There will be times on race day when I just want to stop and give up. I have to be ready to put these thoughts out of my head and continue through to the end, no matter what. Growing your business really isn't any different. Are you ready to put in the work?
