How I Learned Focus (From My Daughter) -

Recently, three-quarters of my family spent 10 hours in the car, transporting my son to summer camp. My daughter, a competitive athlete, started her day much earlier -- at 5:30 a.m. in the pool. She came home from practice with a medicine ball and a dryland workout for ‘when she got home from dropping Micah.’

We rolled into the driveway at 8 p.m.; for me, prime time for a glass of white wine. Within five minutes though, my daughter, with medicine ball, stretch band and yoga mat in arms, was out to the driveway for her second workout of the day. I watched. I even timed the 10-second breaks. By the way, her swim coach is also a personal trainer, and dryland practice is NOT EASY. And so the training began: squats, lunges, Russian twists. I was exhausted just watching. Clearly, Maddie was as well. And she could have easily stopped; she could have easily dropped the last few reps; she could have easily have said “I’ll do dryland in the morning.” But she didn’t. She made a 100% commitment to that driveway workout. She didn’t give up, she didn’t stop when our neighbors came over to talk with her -- the focus that I saw in my daughter gave me a new level of respect for my 14 year old. To truly achieve great things: You have to Work. Hard. All The Time. Some people think starting a business will offer more flexibility; in terms of work hours, vacation time and sheer commitment. They may think that without a boss, manager or coach breathing down their neck it will be easier to accomplish goals. All of us who have been down this road (or are on it) know this is not the case. Success in business is very much the same as success in athletics. Every high level athlete knows what every successful small business owner knows - success doesn't come knocking on your door. It takes intense Focus. Commitment. Hard Work.

To all of you on your journey, we look forward to covering your successes as we all grow our businesses together. And for me, I'll continue to enjoy watching my daughter's journey in the pool.

Amy Katz is a technology entrepreneur who has launched, built and sold a range of IT media platforms. As president and CEO of After Nines Inc., she oversees business development, sales and finance for the overall company and ChannelE2E. Read all of her blogs here.