StartupDad: 4 Ways That Entrepreneurship Is Like Hitting a Major League Fastball - Part III

Major league baseball and entrepreneurship.  Two things you don’t usually think of as being comparable. However, working with many first or second time startup founders, and having played baseball in college, I’ve begun to compare entrepreneurial success to hitting a baseball in the major leagues.

In the time it takes a human to blink, .4 seconds, a 95 MPH fastball will travel 60 feet, 6 inches from the pitcher’s mound to home plate.  In the previous post, I wrote about the how batters, and entrepreneurs, learn how to be successful in their next opportunity, even when they strike out.  The third way entrepreneurship is like hitting a major league fastball is:

3. A baseball game lasts nine long innings – Major league games play out incrementally, with many twists, turns, strategy alterations and momentum changes.  Sounds a lot like the saga of a startup company.  Homeruns are great, but most of the time games are won with singles, doubles and clutch plays.  Batters usually get 4-5 turn at bat during a game.  Perseverance, patience, and taking advantages of opportunities are keys for success for both entrepreneurs and major league batters.

THE TAKEAWAY - Young Entrepreneurs – With entrepreneurs there has to be a sense of urgency to get products to the market, capture market share and grow quickly.  Batters only have three strikes.  The reality is that batters get more than one opportunity at the plate during a game, 12-15 strikes not just 3, and 162 games not just 1. The same is true of entrepreneurs.  A sense of urgency is important, but it must be balanced with patience and perseverance.