George Foreman III’s top “Fighter’s Rules” for starting your own business
“Don’t expect everyone to believe in you if you don’t do that yourself!”
These were the first words of advice shared by George Foreman III, former professional boxer and owner of South Boston gym The Club by George Foreman III, to 150 young entrepreneurs at the Youth Venture Pitch Day on Saturday, November 15.
The stakes were high: the teens were about to pitch their ideas and carefully crafted business plans to panelists made up of volunteers from companies like Hubspot, Mass Challenge, State Street, and more. They would be evaluating the pitches and deciding which of the 35 Youth Venture teams would receive up to $1,000 in “seed funding” to implement their ideas.
But before being grilled by the panelists, the teens were fired up by a pep talk full of advice from the professional boxer and successful entrepreneur, who shared that most of what he learned in fighting also applies to business.
- Most importantly: “Fighters never give up.”
- “Get used to the word no. The best in business hear and say it a lot. I don’t take it personally, and neither should you. Use it to readjust and give it a better shot.”
- “Listen; don’t just talk. Learn how to communicate your ideas and always listen to feedback from your coaches and mentors.”
- “Find something you really want to do – something you want to work so hard at, that people need to tell you to slow down.”
- “Just don’t give up, no matter what. There are moments when everything seems to tell you to stop, but you keep going and each time you get stronger.”
Toward the end of the event, one of the young entrepreneurs asked, “Why did you choose to be an entrepreneur?” His answer: “It’s exciting to get up every day.”
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