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3 Lessons Competitiveness in Sports Teaches about Success in Business

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Many of the most successful entrepreneurs are highly competitive. It’s no coincidence that many of the most successful entrepreneurs are also athletes or former athletes.

Speaking personally, sports have played a huge role in my success. I was a pole vaulter in highschool, I earned a college track scholarship, and became a high school coach. Through all of this, I developed an internal measure of success and was able to hone my mental and physical discipline. Without my athletic background, I wouldn’t have achieved the level of business success I enjoy today.

But one mistake people make about competition and business is thinking of winning only in comparison to others. Falling into the comparison trap can actually be self-defeating because we forget how little we know about others’ success. We don’t see the 10 years of effort behind the “overnight success.” We don’t see the grinding quietly in the shadows that preceded the explosive launch.

Instead of competing with others, the biggest lesson my athletic background has taught me is that we entrepreneurs should focus on competing with ourselves. Key to my success has been competing with who I was yesterday, last week, last month, or even last year. So let’s talk about three other lessons competitiveness in sports can teach us about success in business.

Make Every Moment Count

My dad was my first coach. In high school, he would give us an epic speech before every track meet. He would talk about how we have to make every event count. From the first 4×800 meter relay to the closing 4×400 meter relay, he would tell us we had to “scratch and claw” our way through the entire meet. This taught us that while winning feels great, what you learn on the way to winning is even more important.

The same is true in business. You have to scratch and claw your way through the days when you don’t feel like working. You have to scratch and claw your way through the mishaps and misfortunes, the natural ebb and flow of running a business. Are you going to fall down? Of course. Over and over. But if you keep your eye on the prize and focus on making every moment count, you’ll find your path.

Hold Yourself Accountable

When I talk about how it’s more important to compete with yourself than to get distracted by comparing yourself to others, I’m talking about holding yourself accountable. One of the challenges of owning your own business is that no one is there to hold your hand or look over your shoulder to see if you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing. If you don’t find a personal source of motivation, you can easily fall on your face.

I was fortunate to learn this lesson early in my career. Once I graduated from college and stopped pole vaulting, I missed the competitive outlet. Being a high school coach and teacher just didn’t give me the same fire. I knew I wasn’t done competing, though. I simply needed to find another competitive outlet – somewhere where I could direct my discipline and mental fitness.

Starting my Amazon store became that outlet and I channeled everything I learned throughout my years as an athlete into growing my store. The fire was back and the fire made it easy to hold myself accountable. What stokes your fire?

Adjust Your Path, Not the Final Result

Once you develop solid habits around making every moment count and holding yourself accountable, you’ll see another important component of entrepreneurial success: momentum. And the great thing about momentum is no matter how bleak things might look, you’ll stay committed to your dream. While the path may need adjustment, the final result will remain the same.

For example, during the early days of starting my Amazon store, I made a mistake that cost $18,000. My back was completely against the wall. I hadn’t yet told my family about my endeavor and I was afraid I would have to reveal this huge mistake without the successful ending I was hoping for.

I was in a place where I was in danger of losing all momentum that I had built to that point, but I would not give up on my dream — and neither should you.

Because I had developed solid habits and because I had faced similar situations with my back against the wall in sports competitions, I knew I couldn’t give up. My only real option was to scratch and claw, bust my ass, and compete to be the best in the Amazon space, so I could get out of the hole I had dug for myself. I knew if I could do that, I could propel myself into  something better. And that’s exactly what I did.

I stayed focused on the end result. I focused on improving my systems and processes day after day. And now, we sell on Walmart, eBay, Shopify stores, and Facebook Marketplace. Sounds like winning to me.

So the next time you get down on yourself because you see someone you perceive as a competitor beating you, go back to your end result and recommit to competing with yourself.

The entrepreneurial path won’t always be easy — it certainly hasn’t been for me. But if you stay focused on your goal and compete against yourself to better your best from one day to the next, you will eventually get to your destination.

Ecom Automation Gurus, founded by Kirk Cooper, creates a fully automated eCommerce store for its users to assist in making passive income. Cooper has been featured in Success Profile magazine, and is an Entrepreneur.com contributor. To check out their services and book a call, visit their website here.

The idea of Bigtime Daily landed this engineer cum journalist from a multi-national company to the digital avenue. Matthew brought life to this idea and rendered all that was necessary to create an interactive and attractive platform for the readers. Apart from managing the platform, he also contributes his expertise in business niche.

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Business

How Buttonwood Property Management Navigates the Challenges of Property Management in a Thriving Market

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A thriving real estate market is full of new opportunities for investment, but it is also rife with significant challenges. One perfect example of this is Toronto’s real estate market, which is bursting with activity due to Toronto’s status as the fastest-growing city in all of North America. Part of Toronto’s fast growth can be attributed to its status as a highly transient city, as 50% of Toronto residents were not born there, but are more recent immigrants or transfers from other nearby cities. As a result, there is a pressing need for more and more residential properties, as well as commercial properties, for companies seeking to take advantage of increased foot traffic. 

The challenges of investing in real estate in an urban hub such as Toronto include managing a supply of properties that may not be able to keep up with the demand, as well as keeping property values high in an ever-competitive market. Also, real estate investors struggling to keep up with a highly-demanding market may also experience difficulties with the day-to-day operations of physically maintaining a residential or commercial property.

For these reasons, property management companies have sprung up to address the needs of real estate investors who want to save themselves the time, effort, and stress of tending to all of their properties’ needs. A good property management company should also be capable of paying attention to details and addressing the specifics of relevant regulatory requirements and providing clear communication and dialogue with tenants. 

While all of these traits are necessary for property management in Toronto, Buttonwood Property Management has gone above and beyond the call of duty by adding another element to its core ethos. In addition to careful consideration of clients’ needs, Buttonwood Property Management puts people at the heart of everything they do. 

“Clients trust us with their most valuable assets because we never compromise on our ethical standards,” Buttonwood Property Management’s [insert name and role of representative here] says. “We specialize in helping owners enjoy peace of mind while ensuring tenants feel right at home.”

In its 14 years of existence, Buttonwood Property Management has built its reputation on long-term relationships with clients and tenants. By thoroughly screening potential tenants, the company has cultivated a spotless reputation, ensuring that rent is always paid to clients on time. Buttonwood Property Management has also provided residential and commercial property management and rental services in the Greater Toronto Area, such as bookkeeping, paying bills, rent collection, initial property inspections, and major renovations.

To date, Buttonwood Property Management has spread its ethos to neighborhoods in Toronto and other nearby areas such as North York, East York, Scarborough, and Mississauga. Through its continuous service, the company has demonstrated that any organization can navigate the challenges of Toronto residential property management by prioritizing quality over quantity and combining expertise with integrity. This has resulted in the company receiving industry awards from organizations such as Kingsway Real Estate Brokerage and iPro Realty Ltd., including the organization’s Platinum Award in 2020.

In the case of property owners, Buttonwood Property Management provides customized solutions to maximize returns while minimizing stress. The company’s experts and specialists take care of everything from tenant screening to maintenance coordination. In the case of tenants, the company seeks to make them feel at home by maintaining properties to the best standards and addressing their concerns promptly. This dual focus has not only strengthened the company’s reputation but also helped create thriving, harmonious communities. Combining professionalism with that personal touch has made Buttonwood Property Management stand out in the very competitive real estate market in Toronto, proving that it is through trust and relationships that sustainable success is realized.

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