Protecting Your Profits: 3 Rules You MUST Follow

Ever wonder what a football draft story could teach you about running a successful business? In this eye-opening episode, I break down how one highly-touted prospect potentially lost $36 million by making three critical mistakes that many entrepreneurs repeat daily in their businesses.

Through the lens of this cautionary tale, we explore the three non-negotiable rules that keep you from leaving money on the table: never skipping exposure opportunities, strategically positioning yourself where your customers already gather, and surrounding yourself with truly wise counsel. The parallels between this draft-day disaster and common business pitfalls are both surprising and enlightening.

"If you're the smartest one in the room, there's a problem with that room," is just one of the powerful takeaways as we dissect why having the right advisors around you can make or break your business growth. I explain why passion and family support, while valuable, need to be balanced with professional expertise when making critical business decisions. You'll learn practical strategies for expanding your visibility, connecting with customers in their natural environment, and building a mastermind network that challenges you to grow.

Whether you're just starting out or scaling an established business, these three principles form the foundation of sustainable success. Don't wait for customers to find you or advice to fall into your lap - be intentional about your business growth. Share this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who needs to hear this message, and subscribe to continue receiving divine insight for your kingdom business journey!

Transcript

Welcome to the Coach Martin Show

Speaker 1 0:02

Welcome to the Coach Martin Show. Where faith meets strategy and purpose fuels profit. This is Coach Martin, and this is the space where bold believers, kingdom-minded entrepreneurs and visionaries like you come to grow, get inspired and build businesses that glorify God. Each week, we'll dive into real conversations, practical wisdom and divine insight to help you steward your calling in the marketplace, whether you're just starting out or scaling up. This is your reminder you're not building alone. Let's align your business with God's blueprint, because kingdom business isn't just what we do, it's who we are. Let's get into it. This podcast will start in 3, 2, 1.

Speaker 2 0:55

Hey everybody, I'm your host, coach Martin, super excited about today's podcast. Today, the topic is going to be three rules to keep you from losing money. So this is a special one, and I kind of want to start with a disclaimer. So, if you are a big college football fan, or if you are a Colorado football fan, or if you are a Shutter Sanders fan listen, this isn't about getting offended. There's a great lesson to be learned. I believe there's lessons to be learned in almost anything that we do, but there's a great lesson to be learned. I believe there's lessons to be learned in almost anything that we do, but there's a great lesson to be learned in this story and, ultimately, if we learn these lessons, it's going to keep us from losing money in three specific areas. Right, so let's just jump into it.

Speaker 2 1:36

So, myself, I'm a huge football fan. I think my sports go like this it's football, then it's hockey, but there's a big gap. I love football. One of the things I look forward to every single day not only, like you know, the preseason and then you know the first game, but I look forward to the draft. I'm a big draft guy. I love to. You know, I do the same routine I order a couple of big pizzas. I don't know. For a couple of days I'm having pizza, I'm sitting on my lazy boy and I'm watching the draft and I'm hoping that we pick some great players for my team.

Speaker 2 2:07

Now, in this particular situation, like you know, everyone that likes football for the most part they pretty much, you know they go on the Internet, you know, weeks before, months before they go in and they start looking at projected picks. So we go and we take a look at what the experts say. Who's going to go in round one, round two, round three? Now, regarding Sanders, it was anywhere from him being number one, number two pick in the draft, all the way to like five, six or seven Roughly. For months it was about right there. Now, right before the draft, there was a couple places where people were saying, well, maybe number 20, 21, maybe to Pittsburgh, but for the most part it was like number two pick, the number five pick. Now what happened was, if you look at how the actual draft works and I did the numbers Normally if you're drafted in those first five picks, you're going to end up making about $40 million guaranteed. Now it could be a little bit more, a little bit less.

Rule #1: Don't Skip Exposure

Speaker 1 3:09

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Speaker 2 3:20

But pretty much you're going to be guaranteed you're going to make $40 million, but pretty much you're going to be guaranteed you're going to make $40 million. We know that in this draft he got drafted in the fifth round where typically you're guaranteed you're going to make about $4 million. So instead of his projection coming true and him making a guaranteed $40 million, he's now going to make $4 million and he's got to make the team. Now maybe you're thinking well, coach, I don't even understand that, because everyone has to make the team. Yes, but there's like five quarterbacks ahead of him. It's going to be a hard road. Now there's some good learning lessons in this and I want you to pay attention because this is going to help us with our business the mistakes that he made. In my opinion, we want to make sure that we don't make these in our business. Now a couple things I want to bring up. I wrote them down. One and he either skipped or was limited in a couple areas, like the All-Star game and the combine, right. So he, he skipped those Right, or he was limited in those. And I'm going to just kind of give you a second piece real quick before I jump into it. You know he refused to visit certain teams, potential customers. So I want, I just want you to kind of like, put those on the shelf right now, as these are very, very important pieces.

Speaker 2 4:30

Now maybe you're thinking well, coach, you said you're going to give me three things. I am going to give you three things. Okay, I'm going to start with number one, right? Number one you cannot skip exposure. So, as a business owner, you can't skip an opportunity to be exposed yourself to a potential client. You can't say well, I don't want to fill in the blank Now. In football, how it works is every team is allowed to have in-person visits with only 30 people. So an owner is going to have to take a look at our needs and who are the 30 people we're going to bring in the interview. In his case, there were some teams where he didn't go visit. That's mistake. Number one you cannot skip exposure.

Rule #2: Visit Places Where Customers Are

Speaker 2 5:15

You got to make sure that your brand, your business, your product, service or idea is getting put out there to the world. There's a lot of ways you can do that, but you got to make sure that you do that. You should be doing that day after day after day after day. Do not skip exposure. Okay, number two you must visit places where your customers are. So wherever your customers are, you need to be there. I would even encourage you to green light a session where you get a board and you just start writing down Don't even overly think it Every place that your customer's at. So let's say, if you have a product, if you have a service, whatever the case is, where are those customers at that would purchase your product or service? And just write it down right? One we know that they're probably on social media. Write it down. One maybe they're on, you know. Maybe they're in specific groups. Maybe they meet here. Maybe they're in specific groups. Maybe they meet here. Maybe they go here every year. Write all those places down and figure out how can you make sure that you're in those spaces as well. So make sure that you're visiting the places where your customers are Very, very, very important.

Rule #3: Surround Yourself With Wise Counsel

Speaker 2 6:21

Now number three. Now, in my opinion, if you don't do three right, one and two ain't going to matter. You have to surround yourself by wise counsel. In my opinion, going back on this side, you know, instead of Sanders hiring an agent, a professional who does this every year for a living, he skipped and bypassed that and he hired his dad or his dad represented him. Now I get it. I get it. I don't want to hear the phone calls and the emails and the complaints. I get it. Our parents love us, it's their job, it's what they're supposed to do, but in this particular case it didn't serve him.

Speaker 2 6:59

So you want to make sure that you always have wise counsel around you, always, especially as a business owner. Right, take advice and listen and ask for advice from people that are business owners, that are doing what you're trying to accomplish, and I would even encourage you to surround yourself with people that know more than you know. So if you're in a room and you're the smartest one in the room, there's a problem with that room. You want to make sure that you have people that are smarter than you in the room so you can learn from Now. There may be people that don't know what you know, or maybe they're not at a level yet business-wise where you are, and that's great, because we should be pouring in the people and helping them.

Speaker 2 7:38

But if you're only pouring in the people and you're not being poured into, you're going to go stagnant. It's kind of like I always think of the visual when you get on an airplane and you're getting ready to take off and the flight attendant goes through the whole deal, what do they say? In case of a decrease in cabin pressure, the mask is going to drop. But first, before you help somebody else, put the mask on yourself. It's the same way in business, right? You've got to make sure that you're helping yourself. It's the same way in business, right? You got to make sure that you're helping yourself. Because if you don't, if you don't, if you're not being poured into and you're not learning, how can you teach somebody else? So, surround yourself with wise counsel.

Speaker 2 8:17

And I'm going to even throw one other thing on this, because I believe in this so much personal development. I want to encourage you If you haven't done this already. Find a mastermind group in your, in your area. Find that you can be part of. So I promise you, wherever you live, there's going to be mastermind groups in your area. So, at the very least, find a mastermind group in your area and become a part of it. Now maybe you're thinking well, coach, I already tried that and it was filled with an air conditioning guy and maybe a coaching guy, and they're not in my sector. Well, maybe they're not in your sector, but if the air conditioning guy has a $40 million a year business, you don't think there's nuggets that you can learn from that person, of course. So find a mastermind group that you can be part of. Secondly, I would even encourage you to find a group, a convention, somewhere you can go to this year Get it up on your calendar where you can go to with like-minded individuals, where you can learn from them.

Speaker 2 9:18

But ultimately, for us to grow right, it's got to be intentional, and you want to make sure that you surround yourself with wise counsel, because if you don't have wise counsel around you giving you sound advice, trust me when I tell you number one and number two, they are not going to matter. So, number one again you can't skip exposure. Number two, make sure you are in your business, your product and your service are in places where your customers are. And number three, we're going to wrap it up with the gold you've got to surround yourself with wise counsel. Hope that helps you. Make sure you visit us on the web, share and until next time. I'm Coach Martin, I'm out.

Speaker 1 10:04

That's a wrap on today's episode of the Coach Martin Show. I hope you're leaving with a fresh insight, renewed faith and a fire to move forward in your calling. If this blessed, you share it with somebody who needs it, and don't forget to subscribe, rate and leave a review. It helps us reach more kingdom-minded leaders just like you. Until next time, keep building with boldness, lead with purpose and remember when God is your CEO. Success looks different and legacy lasts forever. Be blessed and we'll see you in the next episode.