Take an immediate right when you enter bizperc's 4th floor and you will see three framed pictures. The middle picture, however, may stand out the most. The picture displays the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Team after they defeated the Soviet Union (also known as the Miracle on Ice). Back in the 1980's, many people said that if the Soviets played the United States ten times, they would probably win 9 out of the 10. But that meant that the US had a shot. And they only needed one to win.
Why is the United States Olympic Hockey Team such an inspiration in our bizperc coworking space? Not only has it motivated and driven one of Think Big Partners' co-founders to become the successful entrepreneur that he is today, but it has also lead the TBP team to understand two of the most important ingredients of entrepreneurship: finding the right people and believing in success.
Ingredient #1: Don't find the best people, find the right people
When U.S. head coach Herb Brooks was putting together his Olympic team, he wasn't looking for the best hockey players in the nation. Instead, he was looking for the right hockey players; the players who executed well together, the players who had great communication, the players who had outstanding attitudes and those who were passionate about their every movement on the ice.
There were legendary players on the Soviet Team such as Boris Mikhailov, Vladislav Tretiak and Vlaeri Kharlamov. The US Team, on the other hand, was made up of 20 players and only one (Buzz Schneider) who returned from the 1976 Olympic team. Nine players came from the University of Minnesota and four others were from Boston University (die-hard rivals). But although many of the players were not standout superstars like what the Soviet Team had, they played extremely well together.
The same mentality must go through an entrepreneur's head when he ventures into a new business. When looking for the key players to launch your new business, you must look for the right people, not the best people. The A+ student may not have a passion for startup businesses like the C+ student does. So what do you do? Do you give the A+ student an internship or the C+ student? We believe that the person with more passion, more drive and more charisma will help you take your business to the top--not necessarily the person with the perfect track record.
Ingredient #2: Believe in yourself and your business (and remember: sometimes it's good to "not know")
One of the other reasons that the US Hockey Team of 1980 may have won is because they didn't know that they couldn't. The team did not realize that the odds were stacked against them. The Soviet Team entered the Olympic tournament has heavy favorites, having won the ice hockey gold medal in 1956 and every year since 1964. Many of the Soviet players were active-duty military and all of them played in a well-developed league with world class training facilities. The US Team, on the other hand, didn't have much of a reputation in the hockey world. But the US Team didn't know that the Soviets played on perfect ice, were given amazing treatment and upheld some of the best players in the world. Therefore, the US didn't know that the Soviets were way more likely to win. They just kept their heads up, especially when the tough got going.
Sometimes, not knowing is beneficial for a new business as well. Seasoned entrepreneurs in the business world are often very negative to new business startups because they know the trials and tribulations that the world has against them. But those entrepreneurs who believe in success and "don't know what they don't know" may have a better chance of making it to the top.
Come see what bizperc has to offer you and your new business. You may even get inspired to launch your own business, employ the right people for your venture and succeed beyond your wildest dreams. Take a tour of bizperc today by emailing Sarah Snyder and see for yourself.
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