How the athlete mindset can make you a better entrepreneur

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What do David Beckham, Shaquille O’Neal, and Serena Williams have in common—aside from their standout sports careers? They’ve all built thriving businesses.

Sure, having capital and global name recognition helps. But reducing their business success to just fame only tells half the story. The other half is that top athletes spend years honing discipline, resilience, and the ability to think strategically under pressure. Those same qualities happen to make great entrepreneurs.

Sports have been a big part of my life for over a decade, and my favorite workout is the one I haven’t tried before. The more I move, the more I see how it shapes the way I work and think in business.

What entrepreneurs can learn from elite athletes

Here are six things you, as an entrepreneur or business leader, can take from top athletes.

1. Break down goals like a training plan

No Olympic athlete trains at full intensity and on the same goal every single day. Instead, they follow a long-term training cycle—preparation, pre-competition, performance, and recovery.

Applying this structured approach to business helps ramp up to peak performance gradually and sustainably. Try this:

• Break down big goals into smaller, doable milestones.
• Track what works and what doesn’t: The strategy that got your startup off the ground won’t be enough when it’s time to scale.
• Show up every day with small actions.

2. Design a pre-game routine for peak performance

Every athlete follows a routine to get in the right headspace and physical shape before game day. I like to treat each workday like a game day. A morning routine gives me a sense of control and sets the tone for a productive day ahead. Rather than rolling out of bed and headfirst into work mode, I make time for things that fill my energy tank. That might be:

• A glass of water and a nutrient-rich breakfast
• A quick mindfulness practice, like mantra chanting or Pranayama breathwork
• Writing down 1–3 priorities for the day to stay intentional
• 1-hour workout
• A walk outdoors with an audiobook

3. Don’t be afraid to fall

Athletes fall. A lot. And then they get back up.

When I tried skiing for the first time, I quickly realized that falling is part of learning. The more I feared making mistakes, the worse my performance became.

Navigating life as an entrepreneur is not like riding down a well-groomed, Aspen-style slope. It’s more like skiing at your local city park—ice and grass patches, hidden stones, and annoyed pedestrians getting in the way. Falls are inevitable. Instead of hesitating to take risks or avoiding failure, focus on learning to recover quickly.

4. Develop a growth-oriented mindset

This quote often pops up in motivational posts attributed to everyone from the Italian football player and manager Gianluca Vialli to Nelson Mandela: “You win or you learn…you never lose.” Cheesy, but true.

Top athletes treat losses as data. Every game teaches them something new about their strengths and weaknesses. Entrepreneurs can benefit from the same mentality.

• See setbacks as learning experiences—analyze what went wrong, make adjustments, and move forward.
• Compete with yourself first, your rivals second. The point of analyzing your performance is to make sure you’re better than you were in the last game.

5. Stand on the shoulders of your support network

Entrepreneurs often try to do everything solo, inspired by self-made success stories from books and podcasts. But very few things in life are a one-person endeavor. Even in individual Olympic events, there is a team behind every gold medal—coaches, nutritionists, mentors, and teammates.

I started BetterMe in 2017 with a handful of people, and most of them are still with me today in C-level positions. From the very beginning, I focused on surrounding myself with people who guided and challenged me, held me accountable, and pushed me to grow.

The strongest players in the boardroom and on the field are the ones who know how to build—and lean on—a great team.

6. The biggest lesson: prioritize recovery

LeBron James never confirmed the rumor that he spends $1.5 million a year on recovery. But the fact that such numbers even circulate shows that rest goes hand in hand with peak performance.

Yet, in business, we glorify constant hustle. We wear our bloodshot eyes from late nights at the screen like a badge of honor and exhaustion as a testament to success.

Our bodies are excellent communicators and usually find a way to let us know when it’s time to slow down. Instead of dismissing sore muscles or sluggish thoughts as a sign of weakness, listen and integrate sustainable rest into your routine.

• Schedule recovery like work, blocking time in your calendar for exercise, meditation, or simply relaxing with a book.
• Fill the time between high-priority tasks with active breaks like short walks, quick workouts, or any movement to reset your brain.
• Protect your sleep. I stick to a 10 p.m. bedtime and aim for 7–8 hours of sleep because I know a well-rested mind is a high-performing one.

The final thought: Move your body to fuel your mind

If you shoot for big goals, thinking like a pro athlete can help open the right doors. But there’s more to take from their playbook: a love for sports. And unlike athletes, who dedicate their lives to one discipline, we have the luxury of exploring.

In Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, David Epstein talks about how some of the most groundbreaking leaders pulled ideas from different fields, experimented, and innovated because of their broad experiences. Broad exposure makes you more creative, agile, and able to make connections others miss.

So grab a tennis racket or skiing poles. Step onto a Reformer or sign up for a 5K.

Be adventurous. Try new things. The more you explore, the more skills, insights, and connections you’ll gain.

Victoria Repa is the founder and CEO of BetterMe.