First and Ten on the Twenty…Is It Football, Business or Life?

By Todd A. Smith

The concept of First and Ten on the Twenty..Is it Football, Business or Life? was derived from the following universal concept-- one has to go through the thirty- yard line before one gets to the forty, and then the forty- yard line until one gets to the fifty- yard line, reaching the halfway point before progressing through another fifty yards to score a touchdown . The same is true in business and in life. All progress and achievements are built on incrementalism.

While this was not the only comparison between business and life to football, the books concept was born. Football is more than a game; there is a process for accomplishment and success built into it. It is a process that can be replicated in both business and in life, even if one is not a devout football fan.

Watching and observing numerous football games, the process began to clarify and to take shape. In First and Ten on The Twenty is it Football Business or Life? topics are covered such as Attitude, Preparation, The Fumble, The Person in The Skybox, Creating Fans, Crossing the Goal Line, The Defense-Obstacles, The Draft, Preparation and much more.

The book details twenty-five distinct items that will greatly assist in creating a well organized and thought out plan. To quote the book,

A great attitude coupled with a well thought out and executed plan is the path to success. A great attitude without a plan is only a party.

You bring the attitude and First and Ten on the Twenty is it Football, Business or Life? will provide the process to create the plan for your success.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Mar 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9781504983549

Todd A. Smith

Todd A. Smith has been an entrepreneur his entire life. With a degree in Finance and Economics and a business ownership background, Mr. Smith brings a unique and detailed approach in obtaining funds for a businesses growth and expansion. As the owner of Royce Joseph Capital LLC, he has assisted countless businesses in acquiring financing to acquire, grow or expand their companies.

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© 2016 Todd Smith. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 03/17/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5049-8353-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-8354-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016903840

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

1   Introduction

2   Attitude

3   The End Is First

4   The Playbook

5   Preparation

6   The Kickoff

7   Let The Game Begin

8   Halftime

9   The Person In The Skybox

10   The Fumble

11   Live For Today …While Preparing For Tomorrow

12   Play Calling- The Next Step

13   Scouts

14   Crossing The Goal Line

15   Penalties

16   Be Prepared For The Unexpected –The Broken Play

17   The Defense-Obstacles

18   The Draft

19   The Team

20   Small Gains

21   Follow-Up & Follow-Through

22   Drop Back And Punt

23   Relentless Fan Base

24   Seasons

25   The Red Zone

26   Your Next Step- The Beginning

27   Biographies

DEDICATION

First and Ten on The Twenty is dedicated to my loving wife Nanci. Without her never ending support, encouragement, confidence and patience this book would have never been written. A true soul mate and partner in life.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Even though one may cross the goal line alone, one cannot reach the goal line alone.

I would like to thank my daughter Rachelle for her hard work and diligence in creating the Phoenix. We went through numerous configurations, transposing what I envisioned into its final form. Tony Mack for assisting with the overall design. Thanks to Barry Cohen, my editor, who worked countless hours in the editing of this book, once again proving to me I should have paid more attention in grammar class. I couldn’t complete the books without him.

A special thanks to The New Jersey Chapter of the National Speakers Association. As I was running out of energy in completing this book, they provided the necessary encouragement and guidance when I needed it the most. I am also grateful to Tommy Hilcken, who introduced me to the National Speakers Association.

To the countless people, friends and business associates whom I shared the concept of the book with and encouraged me to keep going.

Phoenix n., 1. a mythical bird of great beauty fabled to live 500 or 600 years in the Arabian wilderness, to burn itself on a funeral pyre, and to rise from its ashes in the freshness of youth and live through another cycle of years: often an emblem of immortality or of reborn idealism or hope….4. a person or thing of peerless beauty or excellence; paragon.¹

TEAM PHOENIX

Team Phoenix is your life or your business, or any opportunity you choose to pursue. Joining the team is an invitation to all of those who want to succeed and savor all success has to offer. Team Phoenix is not limited to the size of the team; it is only limited by the level of one’s ambition, drive and determination to climb another mountain, overcome another obstacle, create another goal and accomplish that goal. You get to choose what position you play on this team.

Is the Team Real? Of course it is real. It is as real as everyone who has ever stared adversity down, created and adjusted another game plan, called another play and once again scored another touchdown.

Success attracts success, so please join us, as all are welcome.

INTRODUCTION

If there was ever a sport that is a visual representation of both business and life, it is football. From the talents of the individual players to the sum of the parts (individual talent) being greater than the individual players themselves, to recognizing the competition and its attempt to beat you, as in the kickoff. To the players understanding their assignments, with the relatively seamless movement of players as players move on and off the field. Then there is the well-organized and coordinated management and coaching, including the coaches high up at the press box level.

Football is like life, it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority. Vince Lombardi, NFL Football Hall of Fame coach winner of Super Bowls I and II

I like to refer to them as the eye-in-the-sky.

There are the incremental rewards of achievement from obtaining an additional set of downs each time one achieves ten yards. One develops the mastery of understanding and knowing what play to call. We watch each moment for the next step in one’s march down the field to score a touchdown. Even greater, there is the ability to succeed after a play breaks down—such as a quarterback scrambling when defenders are closing in and somehow he finds a receiver or an opening in the front line and creates a successful play.

The game and all of the nuances that come with the game sound somewhat like business and life, don’t they? One cannot succeed by him or herself; in business and/or life there will be others assisting you with your success. A person or business will have increments of success progressing to one’s final goal, whatever that goal may be. It is far more frequent to have a 10 year, 20 year or, 30 year overnight success than it is to have a 24 hour overnight success. There will be competition in whatever you do, whether it is in business or life. Yes, there is competition in life; one only has to look at the number of applicants for a specific job to realize that. There will be set backs— some as simple as one’s plan breaking down, just as when a play breaks down in football. Success can be achieved even if one’s plans take an unfortunate turn. Then there are the major setbacks in football; they may be injuries. In business and in life there are numerous outside forces that create a major hurdle.

There are many more comparisons, and as in football, they need to be recognized, solved and understood. Are the comparisons an exact science? Nothing is an exact science. The similarities are very close and provide an opportunity to stretch one’s thought process, much in the same manner a football player— or for that matter, all athletes stretch the limits of their bodies. Success is found when one stretches his or her current abilities to their fullest potential and beyond.

Thus, is it Football, Business or life?

Football has become a fall ritual in America. Millions upon millions of people huddled around television screens on a Sunday afternoon to watch the National Football League teams square off. On the West coast of the United States it is football for breakfast, and now with games played in Great Britain, football can be seen for breakfast on the East coast of the United States on several Sundays during the season as well.

For many fans the ritual does not begin on Sundays; the ritual begins on Friday nights under the lights, watching one’s favorite High School team compete. Then, it goes to Saturdays watching the high- powered college teams compete. For those fans that cannot wait for Fridays, there is now Thursday night football. And for those football fans that need a little something on Sunday nights there is football well into Sunday night— and for that final dose, there is Monday night football. Football has a relentless fan base and you can too, as one will see in the chapter "Relentless Fan Base".

Players’ talents have been recognized, reviewed and molded to fit into the team’s long term and short term plans. These are plans that are well thought out, complete with contingency after contingency. Some of the plans are laid out in a play book, some thought of during the game and others decided upon instantaneously, because the defense has outsmarted the offense. When thought out and executed correctly, a football team is a well-oiled machine. Yes, a business and/or an individual can also have success as an organized well-oiled machine as described in the chapter "Preparation".

The games are more than just winning and losing even though that is the ultimate objective of each game, an objective that cannot be forgotten. The games themselves are a very visual representation on how business is run and how one carries on during the game of life. The game is a team sport based on individual talent coming together play after play. The players need each other to succeed. Whether one is in a large company, an entrepreneur or traversing the challenges of life, success is not achieved solely by oneself.

If one executes and formulates his or her business and life much like a football team and a football game, one will have an easier time creating success and understanding failure by rethinking those failures as events that are only challenges needing to be circumvented. Teams or players do not walk off the field, out of the stadium throwing their hands up in disgust when a player is tackled or a pass is deflected. They understand there are obstacles to a team’s success. In football the one big obstacle is the defense. Business and Life have plenty of obstacles, too. We discuss them in the chapter "The Defense-Obstacles".

First and Ten on the Twenty is being written from the viewpoint of the offense. Why? Because the offense is the side of the football game where it all begins; without the snap of the ball nothing happens. The defense is the reactionary side of the game and does not need to call a play until the offense calls and executes a play. Much like those who play a game of pick-up football before a Thanksgiving dinner, does one emulate the defense by waiting around for something to happen, or does one begin by throwing a ball around and making something happen?

It’s like opening a store on Main Street, Anytown, USA. The existing hardware store does not need to play defense or alter their offense until a new store opens. An automobile manufacturer does not need to design a better car until the competition designs and builds a car that is more eye catching and runs more effectively. A builder does not build a better house or a more enjoyable apartment to live in until the competition does. The defense can lie dormant until the offense executes. In the chapter "The Kickoff", is where it all begins.

Football is a game of strategy, brawn, intellect and a team endeavor. Everyone plays by the same rules, the same size field, and the same size team. May the best team win.

Football, as with business, is a series of planning, executing, reactions, adjustments and being opportunistic, over and over again. Football is a game of continual strategy requiring constant evaluation and adjustments. It is a game that ebbs and flows. Very rarely does a team have a straight line to success. A football game is a never ending series of successes after successes, failures after failures— such as a tackle, a deflected pass or, a blocked punt. The never ending questions; is what appears to be a failure a failure at all? Is a tackle a failure or only a pause for the offense to reset? The answer will depend on the next play. As described in the chapter The Next Step- Play Calling.

The same holds true for business or life. A person who opens a business will not see a straight line up to success. It will be series of successes, obstacles, success and obstacles. Life is not any different, as one’s goals will have setbacks, some more severe than others. Some of the setbacks will only require a small amount of time to quickly regroup, much like a team taking time to huddle after a running back was tackled following a three yard gain. Some will take more time to regroup as will be described in the Chapter entitled Halftime.

Football is a game of high controlled emotion within the confines of a very strategic environment. Football is played with confidence— or better yet, a high ego. Business is no different. A high ego is most definitely required to start and build a business. Humility is also required. The two combined will create sustainability.

Life is the same, to achieve one’s goals in life a high ego will be required, as one will need to stretch his or her abilities and competencies beyond anything people around you could possibly imagine. Humility will temper that ego; too high of an ego will repel more than it will attract. A high ego with the correct amount of humility will create an aura of confidence. As with football that intensity will need to be turned up and turned down. There will be many times where humility will be required to keep one moving in a positive direction. See Chapter Attitude

This book is about creating a business and staying on top and creating a life filled with all of the successes one would want for themselves, irrespective of how one defines success and happiness. All of which is structured around the game of football— a game that requires strength, stamina, endurance, strategy and organizational skills. The book goes beyond having a positive forward thinking attitude and includes the actions that are necessary to achieve success.

Let’s digress for a moment from football. The attitude is the fuel and the car is the plan; one needs to have both to get where one wants to go.

A person’s strength or a business owner’s strength is not about physically hitting an opponent head on; it is about the will to succeed with the same emotional intensity and strategy a running back uses when busting through the front line of a defense. The stamina is needed when the going gets difficult— and it will.

Business, just as with the game of football, will also require much preparation, continual execution and the ability to make decisions. Some decisions will be made at the spur of the moment and others will be well laid out in the playbook. Other decisions will be made long before the game begins, such as player budgets and game plans. Some of these decisions will need to be made quickly, as a quarterback does when the defense has broken though the front line, the receivers are surrounded by defenders and he still needs to throw the ball.

Football is also a glaring example of how many different and diverse parts it takes to make a team. Different players with different skill sets and different responsibilities are all necessary to score a touchdown. Whether one is a New England Patriots fan or not, one needs to recognize Tom Brady’s talent. The question is, would the team have the success they have had if all eleven players on the offense were all identical to Tom Brady?

Wouldn’t it be nice if everything went flawlessly? It doesn’t. It all ebbs and flows as does a football game. Football has planning, execution and follow through, and so does business. Football is filled with watching and observing. Observe what the other teams are doing to make them successful. As a business owner, one should observe the competition as well, as described in the chapter Scouts.

Yes, you will need to utilize a little of your imagination and creativity; isn’t this what is necessary in business and in life? Without imagination, creativity and visualizing the future, a business owner would not have a business. As Dr. Steven Covey wrote, one needs to begin with the end in mind. The same is true in life, as it is important to know where one wants to go before one can know where to begin.

Another aspect of your imagination one will need to utilize in this book is to recognize that a business is far more permanent than a football game or the movement of players. This book is designed to make you think— to force one’s thought process much further than one has in the past.

Being in business is about living for today while preparing for tomorrow, as discussed in the chapter of the same name. "Living for today while Preparing for Tomorrow". Each day, every action, is another building block towards the final outcome of a successful business or life, whatever one has defined success to be.

Wouldn’t it be nice if every day and every movement flowed effortlessly? Unfortunately that is not the case. When traversing the roads of life, unexpected hairpin curves come up and one needs to know how quickly to navigate them in order to not crash and burn. The Chapter "The Broken Play" will cover this in detail. The unexpected obstacle is often the frustration that occurs in business or in life. The frustration does not always need to have a negative effect on one’s life or business. As within a football game, sometimes a broken play can create an offense’s most productive play.

The game plan outlined in First and Ten on the Twenty can be utilized to orchestrate an abundant and successful life, to create a proactive life in lieu of a reactionary life. Yes, situations will arise one has no control of, yet once those events or situations happen, you do have the control. You have control over how to proceed, the next play to call.

This is a book of questions. Why questions? Questions will make you think. Think way beyond your usual thought process. It will provide you a means to evaluate the decisions you have made and decisions you will make on a continual basis. The book is not only to answer the questions but to