Baseball legend Bobby Valentine was on hand to give members of the Fairfield/Westchester Entrepreneur”™s Organization (EO) advice on succeeding in business and in life.
EO is peer-to-peer, global community, network membership organization for entrepreneurs.
The event took place Jan. 18 at the Bobby Valentine Sports Academy in Stamford.
The academy, which opened last year, is a sports and fitness instructional facility that counts eight batting cages used for private lessons, camps and clinics, a 1,500-square-foot weight room and meeting rooms among its amenities.
Bobby Valentine is well-known locally, as he starred in baseball, football and track at Rippowam High School (class of 1968) and is the only three-year All-State football player in Connecticut scholastic history.
Valentine went on to play Major League Baseball, but made a name for himself coaching the Texas Rangers and New York Mets, whom he led to a World Series appearance in 2000.
Valentine currently manages the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Pacific League of Japanese baseball.
Valentine said he had long discussed opening up a sports facility with the academy”™s owner, Mitch Hoffman, and was glad to lend his name and expertise to the venture.
“I”™m happy to share my knowledge in my hometown,” he said.
Valentine spoke to the assembled EO members about success and failure in business and in baseball a week before he was scheduled to return to Japan to prepare for the upcoming season.
Valentine noted that he is the only person to manage in the American League, the National League and in the Japanese leagues, and also the only person to be fired in all three leagues.
“You can”™t be afraid to fail; fear is something we all have to deal with,” he said. “I fell and got up again. No one will go through life without falling at least once.”
Valentine said the players who succeed in pressure-packed situations are those who aren”™t thinking about the outcome of the game, but who are enjoying the moment.
“Don”™t be too concerned with the results; love the moment,” he said.
Similarly, in business, Valentine said those who are well prepared and who learn from past failure will be the best equipped to succeed.
Valentine also advised those present that they must truly enjoy what they do for a living to be successful. Consequently, he said they should be sure their employees love what they”™re doing as well.
“If you don”™t love what you”™re doing, get a new job,” he said.
He said nothing breeds success more in business and sports than experience.
“It”™s experience that helps you deal with fear of failure and gain courage,” Valentine said.
