It is not very often that we post about athletes on the blog, but, with the NBA Playoffs underway, I thought this article touched on some traits seen in both athletes and entrepreneurs. I actually heard and read about Ingram’s story about a week or so ago, and I recall thinking to myself, “His patience and work ethic are probably traits that many successful entrepreneurs had to possess during the difficult start to most of their entrepreneurial careers [dreams].”
Basically, Ingram, 32, was never drafted and had been playing in the NBA’s Developmental League for the past 10 years (with the hopes of one day playing in the NBA). It is important to note that he was only making $30,000 a year, but refused to give up on his goal. Then, after 10 years, the Lakers signed him for the final two games of the season. Not only did he achieve his goal, but he finished with 19 points (11 in the first six minutes) and became the oldest player in the NBA since 1963 to have scored more than 15 points in an NBA debut.
With that being said, I guess my point is that we have to believe and keep developing the ideas that we present throughout these weeks. They are all innovative and have potential, but it is our approach, mindset, and perseverance that will evolve those ideas beyond their initial potential.
Nice, I agree. I think too often we allow ourselves to be affected by society’s definition of careers. Ingram, even though he wasn’t an NBA player yet, was still a professional ball player. And that’s the mentality that kept him going and landed him this spot in the NBA where people now officially recognize him as a professional. But its the same with entrepreneurs. There are so many definitions and conceptions of it that it’s easy to think that an entrepreneur has to be someone who already started a business or is starting one now. Maybe by certain definitions, this is true. But the spirit of the entrepreneur lies in the mentality. Just because we don’t see results that we have grown to identify with “entrepreneur” does not mean that the entrepreneur is not an entrepreneur–they just maybe have not been publicly recognized as one yet.
I think this goes back to the first class. Professor Hollis said that the majority of entrepreneurs start their businesses late in life. This proves that. Whether it’s because they didn’t find their calling until later or they were prepping to find that special opportunity, it still happens. Great story!