Podcast

By Luke Melms

The only guaranteed way to avoid blowing a save is to stay in the bullpen. The only guarantee way to avoid striking out is to stay in the dugout. The only guaranteed way to avoid committing an error is to never play in the field.

With the Winter Meetings in Orlando this week, a realization that struck me while driving around Disney World is that it is the fruit of an idea whose origins began in failure.

Before Mickey Mouse or Disney World was ever a reality Walt Disney came up short. He was fired from one of his first animation jobs working for a newspaper because the editor thought he lacked imagination and didn’t have good ideas to bring to the table. This was not the end of his failures as he went on to later acquire an animation studio and led the company into bankruptcy. These failures didn’t define him rather acted as stepping stones to the eventual destination.

Almost everyone is told at some point they are not good enough or have certain limitations placed on them by others. We each have the choice to accept these as truths or use these no’s as the fuel to our fire. The journey to sustained success in baseball is never a straight line. The type of resilience and short memory required to succeed in baseball is one of the greatest skills the sport develops to create a mental capacity for success in business.

By Luke Melms

The phrase overnight success gets tossed around especially in sports. Does it really exist? I would venture to guess that these words likely only come out the mouths of those who’ve never played any type of sport at a high level.

There is no such thing as an overnight success whether it is in baseball or business. A pro baseball player likely started the journey in tee ball. A graduating student-athlete began in preschool. A CEO probably started somewhere as an intern.

The lesson in this is to use what you’ve got where you are. Your capacity will grow as you fully deploy that which you currently carry.

To anyone else besides myself in the midst of their journey that isn’t quite to their destination yet, let’s embrace the process and continue to be willing to put in the work. 

As I was thinking about how this applies to both baseball and business, I was reminded of an old story. It parallels well with that of the different skill sets separating a college baseball player, minor leaguer and big leaguer. 

There was a once a master who called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, “Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.”

The master was full of praise. “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”

The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, “Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.”

The master said, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”

Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.”

But the master replied, “You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.”

Then he ordered, “Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.” 

As we finish the last weeks of the year, let’s treat them with the full value they truly hold. A house is built brick by brick. May we wisely invest each day left in 2017 the same we would in the new year.

By Louis Reyes

Growing up in Miami, I had the cliché dream of one day playing for the Hurricanes. I hoped that my dedication, passion, and hustle for the game as well as my ability to play any position was going to get me on a Division I roster. From my freshman year of high school to my senior year of college I started each year at a new position because of my athleticism as well as my knowledge of knowing the responsibilities of every player out on the field.

My logic in high school was that if I joined summer league teams that went to huge tournaments from Jupiter, FL to Fort Myers, FL to East Cobb, GA to Myrtle Beach, SC year after year that I would begin to turn heads. As my high school years winded down I had no offers going into my last summer of travel baseball. I soon realized that sitting back and waiting for a scout to approach me was no longer realistic. I didn’t know if I was allowed to do it or how to even approach them but took matters into my own hands and began emailing college coaches. I received more responses than I imagined, but all I collected were “sorry our roster is full” or “maybe you can go to a JUCO and transfer.”

To be honest, the two things I told my coaches were I wanted to be at a 4-year school and I did not want to leave Florida. Who would ever want to leave Florida to play baseball? I would have sacrificed my academics to play baseball in college and that’s exactly what I did. Just one month before the first day of classes I was offered a scholarship to play at NAIA Northwood University in West Palm Beach, FL. I later came to find out that it was a solely business school. Personally, I actually listened when people used to tell us baseball players that we needed a Plan B. My Plan B was to become a Civil Engineer and assist in the construction of sport facilities. This is where I sacrificed my academics and exchanged my potential Engineering degree for a future Sport Management bachelor’s degree. I knew I needed some type of education to fall back on if baseball did not work out and did everything I could to give 110% in the classroom and on the field.

To skip forward a little, I played my freshman year on the JV team. At the end of the year I essentially found out that I would be charged a year of eligibility with no official statistics. Once again, I would sacrifice playing baseball over receiving a degree from a great business institution. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I made one call to my former coach who I give the utmost thanks to for putting his players first in making sure they get every opportunity to play in college. It took all but 5 minutes for me to tell him my plan, him to make a call and then call me back. He said “you’re going to get a call from a weird number, just answer it.”

Within seconds, my phone began to ring. “Hi, this is Coach Jamie Shevchik from Keystone College in Pennsylvania.” Knowing absolutely nothing about the school or baseball program we talked about where I can play and what I am looking for. His next words were “How do you feel about coming this spring?” I was speechless because classes were set to be back in session in 2 weeks and I was about to make one of the most important decisions of my life. A decision that I would come to never regret.

After sitting back and visualizing what I wanted to do for myself, I sat my parents down and told them I decided that I was going to play baseball in Northeast PA. I knew that I did not want to leave Florida but am a big believer in receiving signs from above and this was a door that opened a new path for me to take. About 5 days later I was on a plane set to embark on a new journey. With the season just weeks away from starting my sophomore year and a team full of seniors, I made the tough decision of sitting out the year to hit to the gym, take countless cuts in the cages and infinite reps on the field to come back better and stronger. I did not take into account that I would have to wear 3 layers of thermals and Dri-FITs to be able to somewhat function in this constant below 30 degree weather. I had never seen snow nor been in a cold climate environment but made every precaution to avoid injury and push through the bearing pain in my hands from the sting of the bat and ball.

With hard work and commitment I came back and became a starter my sophomore, junior, and senior years. In my last year, we continued the success of the program winning our 12th straight conference championship. We were fortunate enough to win regionals and advance to the Division III World Series for just the second time in school history. After sweeping our first 3 games and advancing to the National Championship we lost the series and finished National Runner-Ups. For most of us seniors, the realization came that we have made it thus far and now our baseball careers are over. How can you cope with coming so far and leaving with nothing but what is now an unforgettable memory and no ring on our finger to show for it. That night felt endless as it brought nothing but tears, a long ride home and a question of “What now?”

A 20-year baseball career suddenly came to an end on the highest stage. With becoming a Major Leaguer still in my mind I traveled to several open tryouts. I will admit, I feel that I performed at the top of my game but unfortunately kept hearing my name on the cut list. I walked out of the stadiums with my head held high got into my car, prayed and said to myself “At least I gave it one last hurrah.”

There comes a time when you have to involuntarily walk away from the game you love. Baseball provides us with many life lessons and the quality that sticks with me is optimism. My favorite quote is “the sky’s the limit.” We are in control in the driver’s seat and we are all given opportunities throughout life. We ourselves must be confident and positive to guarantee our happiness through nature’s course. It now came the time to pull that Plan B card out of my back pocket.

My wife and I made the decision to move to Florida and start our lives. If I wasn’t able to live my life on the field, I wanted to begin one in the office of a professional organization. After several denials in baseball operations, scouting and player development, I was given the opportunity to work as an intern in ticket operations at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, FL which is the Spring Training home of the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals as well as the Minor League home of the Class-A Advanced Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals.

I now humbly learn about other departments in hopes of making my way to the top.  My career has only begun as I have been promoted to Ticket Operations Assistant Manager and obtained a 2017 Florida State League Championship ring.

To connect with Louis on LinkedIn, click here. 

By Luke Melms

How do rain delays have anything beautiful about them? These moments allow for a pause to take place and reframe what is going on in the busyness of the everyday grind.

Last year’s World Series showed how a rain delay can be used to regroup. After the Cubs saw a three run lead disappear only four outs away from finishing off Game 7, a rain delay before starting extra innings led to an infamous team meeting. Jason Heyward went on to deliver these words, “We’re the best team in baseball, and we’re the best team in baseball for a reason. Now we’re going to show it. We play like the score is nothing-nothing. We’ve got to stay positive and fight for your brothers. Stick together and we’re going to win this game.”

The rain delay lasted all of 17 minutes and the rest is history.

Tomorrow we have a chance to to briefly pause and think about the blessings we have. The opportunity to spend time with those closest to us is a great reminder of the why behind our what. While the name on the front of a jersey can change, the name on the back will always remain the same.

Just like that decisive game, we can all come out of this break and finish the year with our best effort creating massive momentum into next year. I want to personally thank you for your involvement in making Baseball and Business what it is. 2017 is just the beginning of what lies ahead. Have a great Thanksgiving!

By Ryan Speier

Playing baseball professionally for 12 seasons was undoubtedly one of my life’s greatest blessings. Not only was I able to live out a personal dream, tour the country and travel to corners of the world I may have not seen otherwise, but I was also able to develop countless meaningful relationships with coaches and teammates with whom I shared the field with. Many of these men impacted my life so strongly I feel compelled to share. Here are 7 signs, using their example as a measure, that you’re a great teammate.

1. You welcome the new guy and mentor the less experienced. My first encounter with Todd Helton didn’t happen quite the way I had it drawn up in my head. It more closely resembled the recurring nightmares from which many people suffer – the one where you have a big presentation to give to your classmates or coworkers. You’re well prepared but for some reason when you’re delivering your speech are completely naked.

I met Todd right after my first Major League Spring Training practice in 2005. I had just exited the showers and was in search of a towel when I first crossed paths with the former batting champion, gold-glove winner, and 5-time all-star. Todd was combing his hair in front of the mirror when I (naked as the day I was born) extended a dripping-wet handshake in his direction.

“Hi, Todd. I’m Ry…”, I said nervously as I began my rehearsed introduction before he cut me off.

“You’re a pitcher, right? From Virginia? You had a good year in double-A last year?”

I nodded in acknowledgment, bewildered.

“I know who you are, Ryan,” Todd announced confidently as he forwent my saturated handshake offer in favor of an “atta boy” spanking on my bare behind. “Welcome to the Big Leagues.” 

When the most established player on the team takes the time to learn about the guy battling for the last spot on the bench, there’s going to be a healthy amount of leadership in the clubhouse.

Todd was, by far, the most highly touted player on our squad in a year that the headlines read, “Todd & The Toddlers.” Although he was in his prime and still putting up ridiculous numbers, our inexperience overpowered Todd’s prowess to the tune of a franchise record 95 losses.

Rather than vying for a trade, Todd embraced his role as a mentor. The sage-like leadership he provided was profound. The more Todd poured into us the more we “Toddlers” came into our own. Todd deservedly earned himself the nickname “Toddfather.”

Two years later, as a direct result of his guidance, we found ourselves winning the National League Pennant. Nobody deserved the 2007 World Series run more than Todd.

2. Not only do you accept your role with the team, you embrace it. Doug Bernier is one of the best teammates with whom I’ve shared a clubhouse. During our years in uniform together, “Dougy” was never “the guy”. While eye-popping speed and/or power earned others “prospect” status, Dougy’s solid-average but steady tools typically earned him a utility role.

Rather than gripe about playing time, Dougy found ways to add value to the team. He started by learning every position and doing all of the “small” things well. While he wasn’t going to steal 50 bags or hit 30 homers in a season, he was going to play ridiculously sharp defense and situational hit for you every chance he had.

One year, we had a top prospect roll into spring training with personalized license plates that read, “Touch ‘em all” (abbreviated). Dougy joked that he should have some plates of his own made up that read, “Get ‘em over”. Although he was making himself the butt of the joke, Doug was realistic with his skill set and never tried to become someone he wasn’t. Instead, Doug became a master of the things he does well, while improving upon the areas where struggled – en route to becoming one of the most rounded players with whom I shared the field.

Nobody practiced harder than Dougy. When an opportunity presented itself, he was ready and he produced – often playing his way into a starting role. That’s why with 16 seasons of pro ball already under his belt, Dougy is still in uniform while others (even the “prospects”) aren’t.

3. You “earn it” every day. Matt Holliday has freakish talent on the baseball diamond but what struck me was how hard he works at his craft. We see too often that success breeds complacency. The more success we have, the more inclined we are to relax and the less we feel the need to work hard. That was never the case with “Matty”.

Before every home game usually around 3 pm for a 7:05 pm game, several other pitchers and I would head out to the field for early conditioning. On our way, we passed the indoor batting cages to find Matty in the cage hitting off of a tee. When we had finished our conditioning, we passed the same batting cage on our way back to the clubhouse to find him still hitting off of a tee.

Immediately following the games that I pitched, I would head to the weight room to work out. When I arrived, Matt was in there already working out. When my workout was finished, Matt was still in there…still working out. I noticed a pattern had developed.

It wasn’t that Matt was only working when I happened to be watching, it was that Matt was ALWAYS working.

I continued to watch as Matty took reads off the bat in the outfield, worked on his base running and launched bombs over the concourse during batting practice. Matt never gave reps away.

Not only was Matty our most physically gifted athlete, he was also our hardest worker. His incredible talent coupled with his tireless work ethic has led to one of the most distinguished careers the game has seen. He poured into our team by setting the standard of what hard work looks like and was a great teammate in the way he always gave his best effort during and outside of game time.

4. You place the team’s goals above your individual goals. Coming up in the Minor Leagues, there’s a dichotomy between wanting to climb the ladder to reach the Majors and wanting to stay with your current Minor League team to achieve excellence with your current set of teammates.

Many Minor Leaguers, whose focus is solely reaching the Majors, are often labeled “Stat Rat” because they’re the guy who knows exactly how many hits they’ll need to get their batting average above .300 or “Johnny Transactions” because they’re the guy who is nose deep in the transaction sheet hoping for somebody ahead of them to go down with an injury in the hopes of a call-up. Needless to say, neither of these guys care too much for their teammates with their “thumbs-in, me-first” mentality.

Several teammates come to mind that displayed the opposite, team-first approach but few surpassed Jeff Winchester. I was a closer for the teams “Winnie” and I played on together while he caught. When I entered the game with a lead in the 9th inning, our team’s batting was typically done for the day. Many catchers I had worked with previously would bring that day’s batting performance into the field with them – either pouting behind the plate because they logged an 0-4 or were relaxing on their high horse because they had hit two doubles and a homer.

Winnie always had a bigger vision, the team’s success. I remember one game vividly where Winnie had achieved the dreaded golden sombrero striking out four times that game. Winnie met me at the mound with sweat pouring off his brow and with fire in his eyes, he slammed the baseball into my glove. “Let’s win a ballgame,” he said positively before he darted to home plate to catch my warm-up pitches.

We won the game and regardless of Winnie’s performance at the plate, he contributed greatly to the team’s victory.

5. You relentlessly pursue excellence. I spent a lot of time in the video room at Coors Field analyzing my pitching mechanics, the action on my pitches and scouting batters I’d be likely to face in the upcoming game.

One day, I entered the video room to find Scott Podsednik at one of the other computer monitors watching a pitcher from the opposing team we’d be facing in our game that night. I sat beside him and looked at the screen he was locked-in on and asked, “Are you going to mash off of that guy tonight?”

“No, I’m trying to see if I can steal a base off of him,” he replied. I looked down and noticed the stopwatch in his hand. My mind was blown at his attention to detail. Never before had I seen a player utilize the video room to get set, hold times and delivery to home plate times on a pitcher.

Scott was in the middle of a down season and had already checked the lineup card to find that he wasn’t in the starting lineup that night. Rather than taking the day off, he found a way to add value to our team. He predicted that his best shot at entering the game would be as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement late in the game.

Guess who entered the game as a pinch-runner, stole a base, and helped us win that night? You guessed it.

Scott’s personal pursuit of excellence is a clear example of how a seemingly small individual contribution can lead to a team achieving their goal for the day.

6. You are consistent with your character. Regardless of whether you’ve gone 0 for your last 20 or 17 for your last 20, your teammates know exactly whom they’re getting when you walk into the clubhouse each day. This is because your character is neither parallel nor perpendicular to your performance the previous night, week or month. Your character is on a whole other axis completely independent of your performance.

I had the good fortune of playing several seasons with Matt Herges. “Hergey” is the guy I described in the previous paragraph, day-in and day-out. Whether he threw 3 scoreless innings of relief the night before or was walked-off with a soul-crushing homerun, he showed up the same way the following day.

You’d never know what type of game he had had the night before because his performance was independent of his character. His character added value to every team he was on, and he improved the culture of every team for which he played.

7. You are quick to “pick-up” a struggling teammate and share in the joy when they succeed. If being a good teammate means having empathy for your fellow teammates, few embodied it better than Jeff Francis. Jeff and I followed a similar path to the Majors climbing the ranks at a similar pace and breaking through at around the same time. I was fortunate to have made several Minor League stops with him not only to witness some marvelously pitched ballgames but also to witness that becoming a “Big Leaguer” doesn’t have to change a person’s identity.

At the lower Minor League levels, Jeff could be found touring the clubhouse after a game. He would congratulate our teammates on great performances and would “pick-up” those who were struggling. Even if Jeff were in a rut himself (which was rare), he’d be the first at your locker to share in the trials and triumphs following a game.

My debut in the Majors was truly a surreal experience. We walked off Trevor Hoffman on Opening Day in front of a sold-out crowd. Although I couldn’t feel my legs while pitching in the 9th inning, I managed to “vulture” the win in relief. Guess who was the first to meet me at my locker and invite me out to celebrate that night? It was Jeff. 

My next three weeks in the Majors were dreadful. I was admittedly in awe of the Majors and felt like I didn’t belong. My performance reflected more of the same. Jeff was there at my locker after each poor performance to offer a kind or encouraging word but ultimately earned myself a demotion to AAA.

When I returned to the Majors later that year nobody seemed happier to see me than Jeff. He truly rode the wave of emotion with his teammates, placed himself in others’ shoes regularly, and did all he could to pour into everyone with whom he shared a uniform. 

Ryan Speier is a professional pitching instructor through Speier Baseball LLC. He played professionally for 12 seasons, was a member of the Colorado Rockies 2007 National League Championship team and has coached at the NCAA Division I level. You can connect with Ryan on LinkedIn here.

By Luke Melms

Last week we talked about the concept of synergy and the power of compounding efforts. Thinking back to the origins of coming up with a name, one of the finalists was Baseball to Business. After realizing how it doesn’t necessarily have to be two separate seasons in life, the name Baseball and Business was picked instead.

There has been a higher influx of athletes in all sports dipping their toes into business while their careers are still going on recognizing that either they will need to continue creating income after playing or simply have a long life ahead and need something to do with their competitive drive.

About a year ago, a group of former baseball players that included Nolan Ryan, Barry Larkin, David Ortiz and Torii Hunter formed a private equity firm. Ortiz stated, “We know baseball. But we plan on finding the best people in the business to help us on what we don’t know.”

The question many players have whether it is before or after their playing career is over is where to start in business. It is a great question because it is completely foreign territory for most.

The beauty of business is that many of the lessons learned in baseball carry over. No one starts from completely from scratch. You use what you have and surround yourself with teammates. That is the starting point. The same winning formula in baseball applies in business.

As I mentioned last week, there are conversations happening which will bring business and career resources to the table for this community. While this is still developing, I am going to make an offer to the first five people who respond via email. The first five people who send an email to luke@baseballandbusiness.com will get up to a one hour coaching session completely free around whatever topic you would like.

Whether it is within baseball or business, high rewards are never achievable without taking risks.

By Luke Melms

This World Series has demonstrated the beauty of baseball well. The heavy load of a 162 game regular season plus a month full of playoff games relies on an entire team to run through the finish line.

The Dodgers and Astros experienced major setbacks during the regular season but saw other individuals step up to keep the train moving towards a division title. Clayton Kershaw spent five weeks on the DL with a back injury along with losing Adrian Gonzalez early in the year. The Astros had no starter make over 30 starts but collectively made it work as they traded time on and off the DL. Just as the body is not defined by any one part, the power of a team comes from all the pieces working together.

The concept of synergy stretches the mind to look at life from a completely different angle. Synergy is defined as “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” Synergy can practically be illustrated through two horses pulling weight.

A draft horse on its own can pull up to 8,000 pounds. However when two draft horses work together they can move up to 24,000 pounds. This is even more amplified when trained together as they can pull 32,000 pounds.

Logically this does not make any sense. We were all taught at an early age that 1 + 1 = 2. The power of synergy lies in the fact that multiplication not addition takes place when working as a team.

As I’ve been having conversations throughout the last couple years with many other baseball guys, it birthed Baseball and Business. Up to this point, it has served as more intangible resource through inspiration, encouragement and an occasional live event.

2017 has been a great starting point for this community but is exactly that…just the beginning.  The 2.0 version will see a transition from more intangible to tangible. The biggest challenge most players face is transitioning and finding a first job after baseball ends. Baseball players face challenges many other athletes don’t. Whether it be summer ball while many others get internship experience or any of the other numerous hurdles, the deck is stacked against former college and pro baseball players.

We are close to introducing ways to level the playing field through offering career development and job placement services to connect players with companies that like what high level athletics develops.

Through these joint efforts, we believe that the gap between the baseball field and business field can be bridged. Our mission statement is more than just words. We look forward to announcing more as these developments behind the scenes get finalized.

By Jake Perkins

No one prepares you for the day your college playing days end. The emptiness that now fills your days. No longer are you adhering to a strict schedule, player meetings, 6 am lifts, long practices or hanging out with the guys.

No one prepares you for the first “no” you receive in your initial job interviews. There’s no guideline, no Google search, no lifeline there to hold your hand and walk you through it.

This is not a pity party. This is life and wow is it difficult.

In your transition you will uncover a lot about yourself, who you really are and hopefully, what you really want to do. That, however, does not come in a day. It takes time, failure and bumps along the rode.

You go from 0-100 as Drake would say.

As an athlete, you typically lack the time to think beyond the present. You go from activity to activity while balancing your studies, getting extra work in and remembering to eat. It is all about the process and you get used to the pattern. You get comfortable.

Then one day it’s all over, it’s May, you are on your couch trying be a “grown up” and you are applying for job after job online. Maybe, you are even savvy enough to build up a LinkedIn profile and try connecting with people who can offer guidance or tips. If you are like me, you made one to see what everyone else is doing and how you compare. You are in uncharted territory where each move you make can lead you down an entirely different path. This is incredibly scary and uncomfortable the first time you experience it. This is called growth.

I am a proactive person rather than reactive. I like structure, schedules and plans – to an extent. So, I got out in front of the job hunt and I applied for a few jobs in December. I went through the interviews, put myself in debt for a suit (paid off for me later) and gave my final presentation to a suite of people who were there to question my true motives and my ability to succeed in the role. This was the first moment where I thought I had found my niche. I was going to be a recruiter and by God, I was going to be great.

Was I in for a treat. If you’re a recruiter, you know this is an absolute grind. Your success completely rests in the “belief” in the person on the other end of that phone. Will they make their interview? Will they show up? Take the job? Pass the background process? Start? Way to many “ifs”.

While I was particularly good at the activity required, I was not the best at judging character, quality and commitment (that comes with time). I assumed if someone said they will do something, then why wouldn’t they?

To sum it up, I left after a few months. This is not a knock on the recruiting world. They are an invaluable asset to anyone in the job market seeking an opportunity and they are an incredible resource to have on your side. The people were great, the culture was awesome, and the job was not impossible. It just was not for me. The input did not match the output if you follow my drift.

Back to square one.

Now you’re back on your couch partially relieved, partially terrified. Wondering now what? What do I want to do? That’s when I stumbled upon my current position – via a recruiter. It is an Outside Sales Position for one of the most recognized payroll processing and HR solution companies in the nation that specializes, specifically, in helping small business owners regain control of what they do best – growing their business.

I love it.

I meet incredible people all day who are struggling, who are scared, bogged down by the regulations and laws that they never anticipated when starting the business and they pay me to do it. That is my company not the business owners. It allows me to utilize my desire to be out of an office, feeds my competitiveness, and allows me to help people along the way.

To sum this long story up – the point is you do not have to know everything. Nor do you need to know what you want to do. Honestly, no one probably does. Instead, find something that allows you to utilize the values/traits/experiences you are passionate about. Forget the money, forget what your friends are doing, forget the titles and the “I should be doing this.”

Slowly, you will find your niche. You will find what you do not want to be doing. Through that, you just might find what you were meant to be doing. There is an athlete in all of us. In sports and life, it’s not about where you are today, it’s about what you do today that paves where you want to be tomorrow. You might even make some great friends along the way.

Keep pushing forward!

Jake graduated in 2017 from Chicago State University. He currently is a Small Business Consultant for Paychex in Chicago. Click here to connect with Jake on LinkedIn. 

By Luke Melms

The playoffs have been filled with comebacks and late inning heroics. No one has done it better than the New York Yankees after coming back from an 0-2 hole in the ALDS and tying up the ALCS after dropping the first two games. When winning is the only option, it can often bring out the best in individuals and teams.

We find ourselves in the late innings of 2017. Maybe you find yourself like the Dodgers in the playoffs and have been rolling through this year. Maybe you are in a spot more like the Yankees after Game 2. No one ever expects to have outcomes go the wrong way especially the worst case scenario. It happens though and when in those spots have one of two choices to make. Fight or stay down.

For me personally, this year has provided quite the unexpected hole to find myself in. After playing baseball through college and never suffering a major injury, I spent three days in the hospital after being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Only a few months later in June, I found myself back in the hospital having surgery due to this Crohn’s diagnosis.

Whether it is baseball or business, nothing is ever as good as it seems nor as bad as it seems. Baseball reflects how life actually goes. It is an everyday grind with stretches of ups and downs. While the first half of the year kicked me down, I was determined to make progress by just not quitting. Instead of focusing on where I wasn’t, I focused on the current day. It is hard to hit a grand slam with no one on base. In the midst of chaos, I was still able to get the new Baseball and Business website launched and transitioned into a new job that I was excited about.

I don’t know all the individual stories of those who are reading this. However, I have no question that everyone is fighting their own resistance. I share my story to provide encouragement and inspiration to keep fighting whatever battle you may be facing. As we keep watching the playoffs, may it serve as a reminder that being down doesn’t mean you are out.

By Luke Melms

Did you know that until this year no team had ever lost 100+ games in a season and made the playoffs the following year? The 2017 Minnesota Twins accomplished the feat after going 59-103 last year.

Obviously the players showed up and played the games but the leadership drives the vision that history doesn’t have to repeat itself. The credibility of what Paul Molitor accomplished in the season of life on the field as a player is now manifesting itself in the dugout.

What does this practically mean in business? Whether you aspire to start your own company or lead within someone else’s, it is hard to give away what you don’t have yourself. As a Hall of Famer, Paul Molitor wasn’t leading based on a book he read or watching a YouTube video.

Last December, I had the chance to chat for a few minutes with him. I walked away thinking about how we all have the responsibility to pass on what we have experienced to help others trying to figure out how to create their own success story.

In business or baseball, we can all pull from our personal success story. We owe it not only to ourselves to become a success in the first place but those behind who need great mentors as they navigate building success themselves. It would be hard to imagine any baseball team hiring an individual to manage whose only ties to baseball are being a big fan that has watched hundreds of games.

Anyone who wants to earn the privilege to lead others must first build the discipline that will someday be required of others. In an era of instantaneous anything, it can be easy to see those who are succeeding in business and think it happened relatively quickly. Becoming an overnight success is only possible from years of effort that seem to suddenly become public. Paul Molitor didn’t magically become a great manager. It is the byproduct of a 21 year career in the big leagues along with years coaching in capacities outside of managing.

Whether it is going from on the field to the dugout, baseball to business, or from associate into a management role, our previous season is part of our story regardless of how well or poorly it ended. How we choose to write the next season is up to each of us.