Kipchoge’s lessons for business owners - 2

The recent world marathon record-shattering by Eliud Kipchoge offers business owners key lessons if seeking to take their enterprises to the next level. We continue with these lessons.

The Seventh lesson is ‘planning,’ which was evidently at play. Long before D-day, the organizers knew Kipchoge would conquer if he followed their set plan. They simulated the run many times over, putting everything in place that was needed to make it happen. It is rumoured that during one of the simulations, a pace maker made 1.58.08 but obviously this couldn’t count as he was not the subject. As a business owner, do you have a written business/corporate/strategic or do you run it based on the direction on the wind. Failure to plan invites calamity to your business.

Eighth is ‘teamwork.’ The pace makers who kept Kipchoge on track are themselves seasoned athletes in different distances. They gave up their individual ambitions to help him achieve his set goals. Each ran for a set number of kilometers and gave way to the next until the task was achieved. In your business, teamwork between the various teams is necessary to deliver success. This becomes more relevant in a business where one team relies on another to successfully deliver their targets. For overall success, team members work in synch with each other.

Ninth is ‘coaching and mentoring.’ This is a key lesson many businesses miss out. The most successful business owners have mentors and coaches. While a coach helps you see around the corners to avoid costly mistakes, the mentor focuses on the big picture and keeps you inspired to the finish line. Kipchoge’s coach, Patrick Sang is a former marathon world record holder. INEOS owner Sir James Arthur Ratcliffe is an avid runner and mentored Kipchoge to believe that humans have no limit. If you are in business and you have no coach and mentor, you are missing out on great wisdom.

Tenth is ‘technology.’ The car ahead of the runners was the real pace maker. The green laser lights ensured that each pace maker ran at the pace required to break the world record. If you do not embrace technology in your business, you are selling yourself short. Technology needed to run your business needs not be complicated. Simple technology-based improvements will improve how you serve your customers, translating into more revenue.

Eleventh is ‘focus.’ The solid yellow lines around corners on the running route kept Kipchoge from losing even a second through a misstep off a designated trajectory. In business, there are many opportunities that appear at different points. They all look worth the effort, until you start spreading yourself thin and your mother-business suffers. Focus on one business to a point where you have set systems to enable it run by itself, then you can take on new opportunities.

Twelfth is ‘celebration.’ As he crossed the finishing line, Kipchoge had no doubt that he had done the impossible. The last 50 metres saw him unleash his celebratory trademark hand stretches, suggesting he had the strength to do it over again. If you do not celebrate achievements in your business, you fail to unleash the energy needed to keep going for more.

Thirteenth is ‘the copycat nature of humans.’ No sooner had Kipchoge achieved the fete than people on social media started their own challenges, with some men proclaiming their 1.59 challenge to get home that night at 1.59am. In business there will always be copycats, but it is the value proposition that sets your business apart.

Fourteenth and Last is ‘family.’ Kipchoge’s first contact at the finishing line was his wife. His kids and parents were all there. Don’t allow your business to take away your family time. The best way is to build systems that allow it to run on autopilot, releasing you to enjoy family time. A business at this level is easily franchisable - and if Kipchoge’s legs were a brand, he would be a franchise worth investing in.

The writer has ran many local and international full marathons. He is the Project Promoter and Lead Franchise Consultant at Africa Franchising Accelerator Project aimed at achieving faster African socio-economic integration under AfCFTA.

We work with country apex private sector bodies to increase the uptake of franchising by helping indigenous African brands to franchise.

We turn around struggling indigenous franchise brands to franchise cross-border. We settle international franchise brands into Africa to build a well-balanced franchise sector. We create a franchise-friendly business environment with African governments for quicker African economic integration.

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