Many school systems have squeezed summer vacation down to 8 weeks, which is another great reason to home school but that is a topic for another day. Both Dulce and Joshua spent time in camps most summers – golf camp, tennis camp, Boy Scout camp, cheerleader camp, Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp and track camp.
I learned a valuable negotiating lesson a few years ago while attending my daughter Dulce’s track camp at the University of Tennessee. My wife and I drove to Knoxville from Georgia to pick her up on the final day of the camp and we were able to watch the final session at UT’s track complex. To set the record straight let me say that faded orange is not my favorite color, but Rocky Top is a very cool song.
Track is not the most crowd friendly sport so I was looking for something to do to kill some time. There was only one other guy in the stands so I decided to strike up a conversation just to see what a guy that wears a bright orange UT hat has to say about what is going on in the world. He also had a daughter at the camp and he lived just outside of Knoxville, so I was able to find out a good bit about the local area and he also seemed to be an expert on everything related to the University of Tennessee.
The most amazing thing happened when I asked him what he did for a living. In a calm matter of fact reply he said he played professional poker. I do not know why that is so intriguing to me, but it became one of the most fascinating conversations I have had in a long time.
He said he started playing local tournaments and now he travels to all of the big tournaments that we see on TV. He was leaving the next week to travel to Vegas for the World Series of Poker. He said he always wears a bright orange UT hat.
Funny story – he had a corporate sponsor that was going to pay his $10,000 entry fee and his expenses but they wanted him to wear their logo shirt and NOT wear his UT hat. He said you can have your sponsor money back. They caved in and decided he could wear his hat. You have to stick to your principles!
I also asked what he did before he played poker professionally and if he does anything in between tournaments. His answer was real estate. He builds log cabins in Pigeon Forge and also has a company that builds and manages mini warehouses. I have always been fascinated with the mini warehouse and storage business and we had a great chat about that industry.
We also continued discussing the poker business and he made a statement that made me want to stand up and scream at the top of my lungs. He said that his biggest challenge is when someone is at the poker table playing without any fear of losing everything they have. A person with no fear of losing everything they have will always win. They are willing to bet anything and everything. That statement applies to anyone that negotiates for a living and we all do.
I learned a valuable negotiating lesson a few years ago while attending my daughter Dulce’s track camp at the University of Tennessee. My wife and I drove to Knoxville from Georgia to pick her up on the final day of the camp and we were able to watch the final session at UT’s track complex. To set the record straight let me say that faded orange is not my favorite color, but Rocky Top is a very cool song.
Track is not the most crowd friendly sport so I was looking for something to do to kill some time. There was only one other guy in the stands so I decided to strike up a conversation just to see what a guy that wears a bright orange UT hat has to say about what is going on in the world. He also had a daughter at the camp and he lived just outside of Knoxville, so I was able to find out a good bit about the local area and he also seemed to be an expert on everything related to the University of Tennessee.
The most amazing thing happened when I asked him what he did for a living. In a calm matter of fact reply he said he played professional poker. I do not know why that is so intriguing to me, but it became one of the most fascinating conversations I have had in a long time.
He said he started playing local tournaments and now he travels to all of the big tournaments that we see on TV. He was leaving the next week to travel to Vegas for the World Series of Poker. He said he always wears a bright orange UT hat.
Funny story – he had a corporate sponsor that was going to pay his $10,000 entry fee and his expenses but they wanted him to wear their logo shirt and NOT wear his UT hat. He said you can have your sponsor money back. They caved in and decided he could wear his hat. You have to stick to your principles!
I also asked what he did before he played poker professionally and if he does anything in between tournaments. His answer was real estate. He builds log cabins in Pigeon Forge and also has a company that builds and manages mini warehouses. I have always been fascinated with the mini warehouse and storage business and we had a great chat about that industry.
We also continued discussing the poker business and he made a statement that made me want to stand up and scream at the top of my lungs. He said that his biggest challenge is when someone is at the poker table playing without any fear of losing everything they have. A person with no fear of losing everything they have will always win. They are willing to bet anything and everything. That statement applies to anyone that negotiates for a living and we all do.
A person with no fear of losing everything they have will always win. (ClickToTweet)
Poker is just like working in the business world - a series of negotiations. If you are sitting at the poker table holding your chips tight, a good player will take your money faster than you can say “I’m out.”
Stop being scared. Attack your business with boldness. You will be amazed at how successful you can be if you stop being afraid of losing what little you have. Loosen up, get in the game and throw a few chips on the table.
Stop being scared. Attack your business with boldness. You will be amazed at how successful you can be if you stop being afraid of losing what little you have. Loosen up, get in the game and throw a few chips on the table.
Tim Winders has over 25 years experience as a business owner, entrepreneur, coach and consultant. He founded Accelerate Growth NOW to provide business owners with the training, coaching and resources to double, triple and 10X their business. To learn more and to claim your FREE business growth resources, visit AccelerateGrowthNOW.com.
