What Being a Sports Mom and a Business Owner Has In Common

I typically like to use this blog to write how-to content to help you grow your business, but this week, I want to switch gears for a minute.

In addition to being a business owner, I’m also the mom of three really great kids. All three of them are heavily involved in sports and competitive dance. 

My husband and I also help run our town’s youth lacrosse league and I work the front desk at my daughters’ dance studio a few nights a week (I have to be there to drop them off anyway and do you know how expensive competitive dance is?!).

So, to say I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of youth sports is a bit of an understatement. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that all of our involvement in sports has a lot of parallels with owning my own business. Today, I wanna talk about it a little bit.

There Is Always a Problem to Solve

When I say there is always a problem, I mean there always is a problem to solve. Whether it’s a logistical or budgetary problem, something always needs your attention.

With my kids' sports, it’s usually figuring out how to get 3 kids to 3 different places when you only have 2 adults who can drive. Or sometimes they come home from practice upset about an issue with a teammate or a coach that they need help navigating. No matter what it is, it’s on me to figure out.

With the business, the problems seem to just line up. Sometimes, a website server crashes or I send out the wrong Google Meet link. Whatever it is, it's on me to solve.

Over the past few years, my problem-solving skills have gotten significantly better. The biggest takeaway here is that the problem usually isn’t as big as it may seem at first. Taking a step back to look at the bigger picture usually helps put it into perspective.

There Are So Many Different Personalities Involved

Since I run my own business and choose the clients and contractors I work with, I’ve been able to limit this one a bit on this side. But anyone who’s had a job for any stretch of time can speak to a time when your personality clashes with someone you’re working with. Learning how to navigate that can change everything.

This comes up even more on the sports side, especially when running the lacrosse league. Running a nonprofit on a slim margin isn't easy. Add in 100+ athletes, other leagues, parents, and working with the school district to secure fields and facilities, and you’ve suddenly got 14198 different personalities and opinions to work with. 

I try to tell myself that the easiest way to deal with this is to separate the issues from my “real life” and not take it so personally, but I have a hard time with that so… I’m not going to give you advice I don’t follow myself…

You Will Never Make Everyone Happy

The majority of my clients love working with me. They’re happy with my work and happily refer me to other people. But no one can be in business for so many years without having an unhappy client or two. That’s unfortunately the name of the game.

The same is true for sports. I try to tell my kids this all the time. Anytime you’re navigating large groups of people, someone will be disappointed. Someone’s suggestion won’t be taken or their idea won’t be followed. They won’t like the spot they’re in or the uniform they got. It literally doesn’t matter. Someone will have something to say.

Especially when you’re in a competitive environment. This is a conversation that comes up specifically with my daughters in dance. “Why didn’t the judges like my routine?” Girl, if I knew, I would tell you. The best I can do is tell you to take their critiques, improve what you can, and try again. These judges didn’t love it, but the next set might. You never know…

My advice here? Yea… I don’t know. Again, I try to say don’t take it so personally, but that can be really hard sometimes. For most business owners, people who volunteer significant chunks of time, or kids who participate in competitive activities, the projects become really personal. You don’t want to disappoint people. You want people to be pleased. But sometimes you have to take it on the chin and realize that, no matter what you do, some people just won't like it.

Someone Will Always Have Something to Say

What’s the saying … the people who do the least will always have the most to say? Something like that…

It’s true. And I’ve never encountered it more than when I opened my own business. For example, I used to love Threads. It was my favorite social media site. But lately, I feel like every single post I see, people are like, “well ACTUALLY…” and it’s just like .. for fucks sake, just let people live. But, unfortunately, that’s something that comes with putting yourself and your business out there for public consumption.

I have to guide my kids through similar situations, too. My teenage son plays travel lacrosse, and while we’ve been pretty lucky to be on some great teams, I’d be lying if I said hearing grown-ass adults talk negatively about my kid is easy. (And no, I’m not talking about coaches. Please, coach my kid. That is what I’m paying for. I’m talking about parents who just can’t stop…)

It’s the same for my daughters in competitive dance. We’ve been at competitions where other teams openly make fun of dances on the stage. The audience hears it. And the thing is… the kids hear it, too. So… that’s made for some interesting conversations. It’s all for the sake of growth, I guess, right?

This is probably the most present in my role as a board member of the lacrosse league. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that the loudest people become the quietest when you start asking for help. You don’t like the way we’re assigning numbers? Please, come help us. We welcome the assistance. Frustrated with the way the scheduling is done? Same! Please email the other leagues to get quicker responses. And then … crickets.

Basically, this world is a loud-ass place. Everyone’s got something to say. Sometimes it's valid criticism you should use to improve your process. But a lot of the time, it’s just noise you gotta block out.

There’s Always Something to Pay For

Listen to me… if you ever feel weird about raising your prices, just channel your inner youth sports league that’s been bought out by a private equity firm. Because those people? They don’t give a fuck about raising prices and running your card. Truly. A lot of youth sports have become pay-to-play, and it’s honestly a soapbox I could stand on for hours, so I won’t…right now anyway.

The same thing is true with business. There will always be something to spend money on. Whether it’s new software or outsourcing help, there’s an invoice hitting my inbox. And sometimes, it is a zillion percent worth paying for. Moxie? Couldn’t live without it. My OBM? Just shut my business down right now without her.

But some things aren’t worth it, and that’s annoying. But either way,you have to figure out how to stretch your dollar and make the financials work.

My tip here? Get someone who really understands money to help you. This is a part of the business that I wish I had outsourced sooner. Having someone look at my books and do my taxes has been a game-changer, honestly.

Also, it’s okay to look at the rising prices of literally everything in this economy and cry sometimes. Ya gotta get it out of your system!

Both Require A Ton of Resilience

One thing I never realized was how hard it was going to be to look at my kid and know that the loss they’ve just been dealt is something I can’t solve for them. I know it’s good for them and I know they need to learn these lessons, but it doesn’t make it any easier when they’re looking at me with little tear-streaked faces.

The same thing happens in business. I’ve been in the position where I didn’t get the contract I really wanted or someone didn’t like the copy I wrote that I thought was really amazing. It happens. It’s part of business, but it doesn’t make me any less upset sometimes.

My advice here is exactly what I tell my kids: let yourself feel this loss, figure out what you can take from it, and then move on. One loss doesn’t define you. How you come back from it does. It’s cliché but true.

Let’s Get Through This Together

If you found yourself nodding at any point in this blog, I’d love to hear your thoughts! And if you really liked this style of writing, I share a lot more stories like this in my newsletter. Sign up to get it delivered right to your inbox twice a month.

Because, whether you’re a sports mom, a business owner, or both, getting through this loud-ass life requires support and sometimes that looks like laughing with another mom who is trying her best to make it through it, too.