HORSE OR JOCKEY? [SHARK TANK]

Sitting down this weekend as a family we watched one of our favorite shows, Shark Tank.  It’s an extremely entertaining and authentic show as business owners and Entrepreneurs come in to pitch their business/company/story to the ‘Sharks’ (all seasoned investors and business owners) who decide if they want to invest in the companies that are pitching. 

The Sharks always want to know the numbers of the business and it is a viable investment strategy and does the business align with the vision of the Shark.

It is fun watching these people come in to pitch the Sharks.

The one thing that the Sharks always want to know and ask about is the person’s ‘Story’ – who they are and their ‘Why’.  See to the Sharks that is a larger component on their decision whether to invest in the company than the product they are selling.

If the person has a strong back story, has the motivation to succeed then the sharks know that the person has a drive and perseverance to overcome the hurdles that are inevitable in business.

See, what the Sharks tend to bet on is really the ‘Jockey’, not necessarily the ‘Horse.’

Having grown up on a horse farm and ‘going to the track’ as a young kid I was always fascinated in listening to the adults/those in the know talk about the horses and the racing strategy that they were going to use going into the race.

Horses are important, they have to be fast, have endurance and natural skills but if the horses are fairly even it comes down to the Jockey.  The strategy that the jockey uses, does he break early?  Does he hold back?  When does he push the horse? 

If you watched the triple crown this year you noticed Mike Smith did a magnificent job in all 3 races with his horse ‘Justify’.  All 3 races were run with different lengths, the Preakness was a ‘sloppy track’, yet Mike was able to guide Justify to 3 wins using 3 different strategies for all 3 races.  The skills of a Jockey can not be overlooked in the importance of a horse race.

In life it is important to align yourself with strong Jockey’s… Those who can overcome problems, those who can succeed when the chips are down.  Not always the smartest, not always the ones with the most money, but the one’s with the will to succeed. 

If you can learn anything, learn to bet on the Jockey 😊