To build a successful coaching business, you need to have the determination of Alan Turing.
Turing was the mathematician recruited by the British government during World War II to help crack the code for the German “Enigma” machine, which allowed the Nazis to send encrypted messages before and during the war.
Turing created his own machine, which he called “Christopher”, to crack the code and assist the Allies in defeating the Nazis.
In "The Imitation Game”, the movie based on Turing's life and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, there’s a scene that got me thinking about coaches and their need for fierce determination.
In that scene, Turing’s superior wants to destroy his machine because he sees it as a tremendous waste of money with little chance of success (at this point it had been unsuccessful with what it was built to do).
As he’s standing outside the building where Christopher is housed, Turing sees his boss approaching with a group of men intent on wrecking his machine.
He runs back inside and jams the door to keep the men from entering. He seems like a mad man as he does everything he can do to protect his creation!
Even after they break the door down, he struggles to protect it, because he’s convinced that it’ll eventually be successful.
He fought off any doubts that people threw at him over the years and stuck with it ... and eventually it worked.
But had he listened to the naysayers, he could have quit many times before it finally succeeded.
If you're building a business, you're going to get a lot of naysayers telling you that you can't do it, and if you aren't careful their negativity will weaken your resolve.
Take the same approach that Alan Turing did while protecting his baby, and don't let any of those Negative Nellies create doubt in your mind.
I have something that will build a solid circle of support around you, and you can learn more about it here:
Marc Mawhinney