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The U.s. Olympic Women’s Gymnastics Team Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs Around the World
By admin | September 1, 2008
On August 15, 2008, much of the world cheered as Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson of the United States won the gold and silver medals in gymnastics at the 2008 Olympic Games. Watching their victory unfold from the unsettling start both women had at the beginning of the Games was awe-inspiring.
The drama began at the qualification round five days earlier when team-favorite Samantha Peszek injured her foot minutes before the competition began. The team was thrown-off by Peszek’s injury, finishing a shaky second, with only Johnson and Liukin advancing to the individual all-around finals.
As a small business coach and consultant to entrepreneurial women starting up a business worldwide, I’ve seen this kind of thing happen to women business owners, too. One moment, everything is going along fine. Then, boom! Something unexpected happens that impacts them and their business.
There is much today’s woman entrepreneur can learn about staying strong and focused when faced with the unexpected from the women of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team.
How to stay strong and focused when the unexpected happens.
1. If you start out a little shaky, re-group and go on.
“With Sam’s injury at the last minute, it gave a tiny bit of disturbance mentally to the girls,” said Martha Karolyi, women’s national team coordinator. “We did all we could in a few moments to bring them together.”
2. Reaffirm your commitment.
“Going into team finals, there are a few things we need to correct, but we have two days of training left,” Liukin said. “I’m confident that we’ll get those out of the way and we’ll be ready to go.”
3. Remind people of why you do what you do.
“We want to focus on the competition and go out there and do our very best,” said Chellsie Memmel, regarding the team finals.
4. Let people know what’s next.
“Even though we did have some mistakes, we’re going to go back into the gym tomorrow and fix those few kinks,” Alicia Sacramone said. “We’ll be ready for team finals.”
5. Unify and support.
“I feel proud of the U.S.A. and our team,” Johnson said. “We are proud of each other no matter what. I think that we represented the U.S. very well.”
6. Recognize your accomplishments.
“Leaving Beijing with a silver medal is such an honor,” Peszek said. “To have a medal hanging around my neck from the Olympics is remarkable.”
7. Keep things in perspective.
“You have good days and bad days, and I just wish that today was a good day for me,” Sacramone said. “My teammates were amazing today, but I just wish that my performance was a little better.”
8. Come back strong.
“We’ve overcome so many obstacles, but we came out here today and showed the world and every team out here that we can come back strong,” Johnson said. “We’re going to come back even stronger in the team finals.”
9. Give it your all.
“It’s been a really long road and I’m just so proud to be here,” Johnson said. “I’m honored to be representing the U.S.A. I had a great meet today and finishing on floor was probably my favorite moment because I knew I’d given it my all.”
10. Have no regrets.
“My goal was to come out and know that at the end of the competition, I’d have no regrets,” Liukin said. “I definitely have no regrets. I’m happy with how everything went and to say that you have an Olympic medal is just amazing.”
No whining over silver for the U.S. Olympic Women’s Gymnastic Team or wasting energy on what might have been, that’s for sure! Instead, the entire team exemplified how to hold up under pressure by coming together as a team and supporting each other, no matter what. By their actions, the U.S. Women’s Gymnastic Team exemplified for women entrepreneurs worldwide how to stay strong and focused when the unexpected happens.
Watch the video related to women entrepreneurs
www.eOneNet.com founder Fione Tan video introduction at the National Women Entrepreneurs Award 2008 on Dec 5, 2008.
Help answer the question about women entrepreneurs
Do you believe women entrepreneurs have rewarding lives?I am writing a research paper entitled, "Small business entrepreneur women have very rewarding employment because they have more time to spend with their families and more time to pursue recreational activities." I am doing a case study on Mary Kay retailers. I have more specific questions if anyone would like to leave their email address, first hand opinions would make my paper fantastic! Thanks!
About Author
Dr. Susan L. Reid helps entrepreneurial women worldwide become successful small business owners. Get a jump on figuring out what business would be perfect for you to live and work anywhere in the world with “Doing What You Love: Multiple Streams of Passion” free PDF at http://www.SuccessfulSmallBizOwners.com
Topics: Networking | 10 Comments »
September 1st, 2008 at 9:35 am
good video
September 1st, 2008 at 9:12 am
They frown on that there. Its a very backwards country. So there arent to many.
September 1st, 2008 at 9:14 am
Aurora International is an international website for women in business, including entrepreneurs.
Rediff has a section profiling 21 top Indian women entrepreneurs.
There is also a Federation of Indian Women Entrepreneurs. They would be an interesting place to start, I would think!
Best wishes
September 1st, 2008 at 5:11 pm
More women are starting new businesses in 1st world nations than are men today. And, 3rd world entrepreneurship hinges on "cottage industries". All cottage industry is dominated by women initially but tend to be plundered or taken away from women by men or local governments when they become profitable.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:50 am
In the best of times, women entrepreneurs are hard-pressed to find start-up capital. The number of venture-backed, women-led companies stands at only 6 percent, and in the third quarter venture capital funding to all start-ups fell by 23 percent.
Some $4 billion was invested in companies led by a woman chief executive officer last year, and in the last three years the percentage of venture-backed, women-led companies has increased from 2 percent to 6 percent, according to VentureOne, a research firm specializing in venture capital research.
The outlook this year is uncertain, given the struggling economy. During the year's third quarter, venture capital investing in all start-up businesses fell 23 percent, according to an October PricewaterhouseCoopers MoneyTree Survey with VentureOne.
Women will need to due their due diligence and pursue other creative financing measures. Doing their research on unconventional ways of funding their companies will lead with hard work to the financing they need.
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:37 pm
profit motive trumps all "isms".
(send me your business plan, and we'll talk).
September 4th, 2008 at 2:30 am
September 4th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Contrary to what you see on late-night television, there are no grants for individuals.
The Grants that are available are, for Rural Community Development, not for personal use.
If you want to open your own business, you're on your own.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:38 am
September 4th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Yes, they definitely have better lives because they are allowed to approach their employment in more non-traditional ways and don't have to worry about the glass ceiling. Depends on the business though. Being a small business owner, especially in retail, can be VERY stressful and you often end up putting in long hours. Every success is YOURS and every failure is YOURS. If it doesn't work out, it is a lot harder to bounce back from but overall can be a very rewarding experience.