Succeeding in Business and Life

By Meri Mayes, Co-Owner - Iron Physical Therapy

I was recently asked to speak about entrepreneurship at the Edison Foundation Pitch Contest. It’s an exciting competition where students from around the country submit inventions, and the finalists are selected to present their ideas to a panel of judges.

It was such an honor to be among such a talented group of innovators. I felt like I was in the room with my kindred spirits because ever since I was young, I was always been full of ideas.

I remember being in middle school, before fancy computers, and I had my little inventor’s notebook where I recorded my creations. Growing up I loved going to Dairy Queen and getting chocolate soft serve with sprinkles, but I could never have it at home, so one of the first ideas I put in that notebook was a countertop soft serve maker. Imagine my pleasant surprise when 10 years later I walked into Macy’s and they had finally started selling my genius idea.

Even though my inventions haven’t made it out of the notebook…yet, I’ve always loved the process of thinking of new ways to do things or better ways to do things, and that’s what I’ve loved most about starting and running a business. You get to innovate every single day!

So after all of the pitches, I spoke to the room of students, parents and educators about some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from my experience as an entrepreneur over the last 12+ years, growing a small business from a team of 2 to a team of 20, all while starting our own family. The journey has definitely been life’s greatest classroom.

Four things I’ve discovered about Succeeding in Business and Life

1) Get in the Arena

The first one is the most important, because without it, it’s impossible to reach your potential. I’m referring to the courage to get in the game in the first place.

This past winter, my 15-year old did something that completely inspired me. Having never played a day of basketball in her life, she tried out for the freshman team. Before tryouts, she would be out in the dark street practicing shots and then working with her older cousin to learn the basics. And somehow, some way she made that team and even though she was the self-proclaimed ‘worst one’, that small team of 7 girls won the Essex county championship this year.

So if she found the courage to be vulnerable and risk failure as a teenager, then who are we to miss out on our own opportunities to grow? One of my favorite quotes is from Theodore Roosevelt, someone Thomas Edison supported and even recorded on his phonograph. Roosevelt said:

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who…comes up short again and again; who, at the best, knows the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.”

I just love that call to courage. It’s so easy to get discouraged by the critics, especially our worst critic…ourselves. It’s so easy to stay where we feel secure, to say no instead of yes, but outside your comfort zone is really where all the magic happens.

2) Enjoy the process

Once you commit to daring greatly, you’re in for an amazing ride which brings me to my second point. If you only focus on the outcome of your efforts, you’ll completely miss the joy of growing and learning from the process itself.

Most people think of life in terms of big events like graduating high school, getting married or having kids. That’s why they often feel a big let down after each accomplishment because they see it as the end when it's really just a milestone to celebrate along the way.

So at the end of every experience, it’s never a finish line for you, it’s just a moment to reflect and take pride in the things that went well, learn from the challenges and use the experience to get better and be better, which is our motto at Iron PT.

I love the way this concept was illustrated in a recent interview with an NBA star, Giannis, from the Bucks? After losing Game 5 of the NBA finals this year he was asked if he viewed this season as a failure. He passionately responded:

“That’s the wrong question! There is no failure in sports, there are good days and bad days, some days it’s your turn and some days it’s not. Michael Jordan played 15 years in the NBA, he won 6 championships, so you think the other 9 years were a failure? No! Every year you work, you work towards a goal, it’s not a failure, it’s steps towards success.”

Needless to say, his response left that reporter speechless. If you can embrace this concept – that you never lose because you either win or learn, it will set you free to enjoy the whole process, even when things don’t go the way you hoped

3) Take Care of Yourself

In entrepreneurship and life, there are plenty of mountains to climb, so the third thing I’ve discovered is that it’s critical to find activities that restore and energize you. Maybe it’s reading, being in nature, doing a puzzle, or spending time in prayer. All of those things have filled my cup over the years, but as a person in the wellness business I’d like to share the one practice that every person needs to include…

…it’s something that nourishes your body, mind and spirit and gives you the health and energy to chase your dreams...and that’s consistently moving as much as your body allows.

When I was about 14, I built my own step (for those of you old enough to remember step aerobics). Even though I was young, I instinctively knew the power of moving. Of course exercise is amazing for your physical health, but it's also a powerful tool for mental health because it releases happy chemicals that reduce negative feelings and make you feel better about yourself.

Exercise also teaches us about the 40% rule, often referenced during Navy SEAL training. This is the concept that when your mind tells you you’re done and can’t take one more step, you’re only at 40% of your capacity. By pushing through initial resistance, you can tap into the remaining 60% of your potential. This principal can be applied to anything holding you back in work, school relationships or anywhere else in life.

So if someone asks you, “what do you do to take care of yourself?” Do you have something to say?

4) Go Together

The last thing I want to share is the idea that one is too small of a number for greatness. You’ve probably heard the quote, “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together?” and I’ve found that to be 100% true…your team doesn’t get in the way, they truly are the way.

Last month, my 6th grade daughter was working on a group project to create a new business and product to compete with the other teams. Laina was chosen as the CEO of her team…I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! She would come home every week after meetings so frustrated and discouraged. She would tell me about all the people who weren’t doing their part or those who wouldn’t agree on a design. Then a few weeks before the sales bazaar, I noticed she started bringing home supplies and making products herself.

I could recognize what was happening a mile away, and I’ve certainly been guilty of this, the instinct that it will be easier to just do everything myself. As a leader, people will always be your biggest challenge and your biggest blessing. I can say with absolute certainty that I wouldn't be where I am or who I am without the team at Iron Physical Therapy.

To quote leadership expert, John Maxwell, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Genuinely connecting and caring about your team is the very foundation of trust and loyalty.

It’s also important to ensure you have the right people on your bus in the right seats on the bus. This is a concept from the classic business book ‘Good to Great’ that studied corporate turnarounds. They concluded that the road to success starts with surrounding yourself with great people in the right roles, and only then, determining where you want to go.

So the message is to get the best people on your bus. Surround yourself with friends, mentors and colleagues who encourage and inspire you. It will make all the difference.

A great journey awaits…

My hope is for you to dare greatly, enjoy the process, take care of yourself and go together! These pillars have taken me on a wonderful journey at Iron Physical Therapy below.