Are you a student with aspirations of becoming an entrepreneur? Being an entrepreneur requires discipline, focus, and the ability to prioritize the tasks at hand. In the world of Krav Maga, the same principles that apply in a fight can also be applied to life as an entrepreneur. Martijn Bos, Krav Maga expert and the founder of Trojan Power Academy, shares seven Krav Maga disciples that you can use to become a better entrepreneur.
1. PRIORITIZE
The Principle: First of all, you should know that not all attackers are similarly dangerous. So to say differently, not everybody is equally important.
For entrepreneurship: If you believe that every task is just as important, you start with cleaning up your mailbox and not with talking to the clients you need to talk to. If you think that everything is equally important, you do the easy task first. And when you’re tired, you’re not in the mood to do those important things.
2. DO NOT MULTITASK
The Principle: Multitasking is not very smart when you have to fight multiple opponents. So standing in the middle like Bruce Lee did in the old fighting movies, when he kicks one after the other, you know, the punch that you don’t see coming is the one that hits you, and then the fight is finished. So you should prioritize your attackers, there’s a specific tactic for this, which I teach with Krav Maga.
For entrepreneurship: Multitasking doesn’t work you need to focus on one task, and then the next one, and then the next one. And again, you start with the most important thing.
3. AVOID DISTRACTION
The Principle: You want to eliminate distractions as much as possible. Fighting one attacker at a time is a better tactic than trying to absorb all the available information. Focus on one thing.
For entrepreneurship: The more distractions you have, the more brain capacity you have to use when trying to complete tasks. So avoid distractions.
4. STAY DISCIPLINED
The Principle: Discipline is not in the fight, it’s in preparation for the fight. Be disciplined in training, work on your techniques, and make sure that the techniques you’re using are effective. If there are any flaws in the technique, you might not survive a street fight.
For entrepreneurship: Discipline means giving everything you have and not being so-so with performance. Same as techniques for learning to survive in a street fight, it’s the discipline that takes you to the next step. It’s showing up. All the time. Keep refining your techniques.
5. COUNTERBALANCE
The Principle: There is no such thing as balance. When you go to a yoga class, you try to have as much balance as possible. In Krav Maga, self-defense is counterbalancing. You make one thing important, and then something else. It’s always rule number one to maximize your safety. Considering this, you cannot balance everything out. It’s focused on one thing, then on something else.
For entrepreneurship: If you balance your work instead of counterbalance, you do everything just good enough or maybe not well enough. In the end, if you can’t properly counterbalance, it’s possible that you will not be a great entrepreneur or a founder of something special.
6. REJECT A SET MIND
The Principle: Everybody talks about mindset, but this is, in my opinion, the wrong term because the mind is never set, it’s constantly changing. Thinking about mindset and believing that ‘once I set my mind to something I will not be distracted, and I’ll always be successful’ is a mistake. Knowing that your mind is never set is a crucial first step.
For entrepreneurship: Accept that your mind is never set. It’s also healthy to keep changing to different focus points depending on the situation. It’s good to have a flexible mind.
7. DON’T GO FOR THE KNOCKOUT
The Principle: Don’t go for one big move and assume that all the other attackers will leave. You hear stories every day, like ‘yeah, I punched the one with the biggest mouth, and then the other one left.’ And of course, it’s really important that you focus on the main priority and the one who is the most dangerous. And also to ask the question, ‘okay, what’s the one number one thing I can do to increase my safety?’ Or ‘what’s the number one threat I have to deal with before solving with all the others?’ Those are the important questions. But don’t think that if you give the knockout to one then the fight is finished, it doesn’t work like that.
For entrepreneurship: Always follow an action up with another. It can never be just one knockout. Thinking ‘I did my job and I’m finished for today,’ doesn’t work if you want to change the world. If you do want to do something special, it’s not one move, it’s about following up.
CONCLUSION
These principles of Krav Maga can be applied to the world of entrepreneurship to increase your chances of success. Prioritize, focus on one task at a time, eliminate distractions, be disciplined, counterbalance, be adaptable, and don’t go for the knockout. These principles, combined with hard work and dedication, can help you become a successful entrepreneur. At Unknown University of Applied Sciences, our Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship & Innovation program is designed to provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to become a successful entrepreneur. By incorporating these seven Krav Maga disciplines into your entrepreneurial journey, you’ll be better equipped to face the challenges that come your way.
