The program is officially over and I can say that it was a success for everyone who participated. All good things must come to an end.
We spent the final day presenting business plans that we had a chance to develop during the course of the week. It was a chance to receive feedback on our proposals. We thought like potential investors and dissected business plans to see if any of us had an idea that was likely to produce good returns compared to the risk involved.
Being on both sides of the table, the issues we covered during the week started to make more sense. The creativity, clarity, and persuasiveness exhibited in that classroom were quite impressive. I would tell you my idea but first you would have to sign my nondisclosure agreement!
Although we covered a lot of ground, this is just the beginning. Just like I wouldn't want to play a down in the NFL after a 5-day training camp, I realize that success in business takes time and effort that is hard to compress into an intensive classroom experience. No one really sees all the hard work that an NFL player has to put in between Monday through Saturday during the season, not to mention all of the conditioning in the offseason.
Same thing with starting a business — there is a lot of unglamorous work and internal motivation that needs to go into developing an idea and keeping it going through the inevitable setbacks and challenges. What the Kellogg program did for me was to challenge my way of thinking to be more like that of an entrepreneur or a successful business manager. I'm excited to mesh all of this great knowledge with the skills and mindset that I found to be useful in the NFL!
Now it's back to my day job and training full time for the upcoming season. I will be in Southern California for the next two weeks and then I head to Atlanta to join the team for offseason workouts, OTAs, and mini-camp. I am looking forward to seeing my teammates, working with the new coaches, and coming together for the common goal of a championship.
Thanks for checking in with me and taking part in this experience! See you at the Georgia Dome!!!
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