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Podcast

The Biggest Secret of the Draft

June 13th, 2018

By Luke Melms

With the amateur draft last week, there is an important lesson to take away when looking at business in the context of players hearing their names called.

Unlike baseball, there is no draft in business.

However this isn’t how it always used to be. There used to be barriers to entry that no longer exist. The Industrial Revolution required big dollars and big influence to accomplish something significant. Most looked from the outside in regards to building any type of business or brand.

We are living through the greatest era of change in the history of the world. There’s never been a better time to create business opportunities.

Because everyone has a smart phone though, there is a lot of noise. There is nothing stopping anyone from making a video or creating their own blog. The key to standing out is no different than baseball…talent and work ethic.

Consistency is the key. If you have talent but don’t put out content on a regular basis, you can’t build a true following. If you don’t have and develop existing talent, the same is true.

What does all this have to do with baseball?

On its own, it has nothing to do with it. If you are reading this though, there’s a high likelihood both baseball and business are a part of who you are.

Business and social media are like playing the field and stepping into the box. You have to do both if you want to build a business or brand of any kind.

As a baseball player, you are living out a story that will never have a carbon copy of it. The beauty is that social media is all about storytelling.

However, you have to decide if and how much you want to share of it. If not, at best the media will give a glimmer into who you really are.

For some, this comes more naturally and others may require more work to develop this brand and following. That is not what matters. We are all on our own race and have something of value to share with the world.

Each of us face the battle of people wanting to put labels and limits on us whether it’s in baseball, business or both.

Whether you were drafted last week into pro ball, are grinding it out full time in business or somewhere in between, the same is true for all of us. We all want to slide in safely to home.

We can’t get there though without running the bases in order. Don’t worry if you aren’t playing in front of a crowd size you want to. It is a process. You can’t touch home without running in order.

The biggest enemy is comparison. Some drafted last week will be in the bigs in a year or two and others may have to grind it out for 6 or 7 years before sticking. In a business setting, some will hit a single and have to go station to station while others will hit a tripleĀ and be able to make it quicker all the way around the bases.

Whether it is endorsements while playing or writing a book on the other side, the opportunities are endless. While few get to walk away on their own terms, a brand and following is something no one can take away once you earn it.

We are baseball players. No one knows how to grind like us. Just keep going. We are #MoreThanAthletes.

One Response to “The Biggest Secret of the Draft”

  1. Kate Melms says:

    You know… even though I knew this this article made me experience that baseball is a grind. The winner grinds well.

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