Business Building Lesson – A Tale of Two Penguins

I took the boys ice skating this week and as someone who grew up skating, let me tell you, it’s not like riding a bike. I can still skate but nowhere near as good as I used to growing up in Canada!

The best part though was seeing the incredible learning curve of the kids. Within a couple of hours they went from barely standing to skating with confidence. They still kind of looked like penguins but they loved it!

The first hour was a little shaky though and my 9 year old son was getting frustrated. He expected to just take off even though he’s only skated a few times in his life. He’s a naturally gifted athlete so I can understand why he thought he would excel even though he was in a completely different setting. Ice isn’t exactly a baseball field.

Why am I telling you this? Because as entrepreneurs we tend to do the same thing.

You might be an extremely successful person in the offline world, but now building your business online, you’ve shifted from the ground to the ice. It’s a whole new setting and you have to learn how to navigate your way through it.

You’ll still use some of the same skills and techniques that you did offline. The same principles definitely apply, but there are new things to learn and new ways of doing things. You can’t expect to just take off immediately (or going back to the skating analogy, without falling on your butt a few times).

So I’ll tell you the same thing I told my boys. Don’t give up. You’ll get the hang of it and you’ll be gliding along before you know it. Don’t be afraid to hold someone’s hand who has more experience than you. They’ll help guide you.

And above all, have fun!

P.S. Here’s an update 3 years later – Noah is now taller than me and one of the top players on his hockey team. You can do it!

Remember this – your value as an entrepreneur isn’t based on when you started your business, but on all the strengths, experiences and passions you bring into your business.