Live Your Dance Episode 8: How a Gun to His Head Changed His Life (and other business and life advice) with Lou Patterson
Episode 008: How a Gun to His Head Changed His Life (and other business and life advice) with Lou Patterson
To be honest, it was extremely difficult to name this episode, as Lou came out with so many good stories, lessons, and nuggets to share, both about business and life in general. It’s no surprise to learn too, that at a young age, he learned how fragile life could be (28:00), and since then he’s one who truly “walks his talk.” Lou had a significant career in footwear before starting his own market research company. And in this episode, he juxtaposes the training he got as a talented athlete with how to grow and run a business and a team.
This is a solid episode, and we’ll cover the following topics:
Worked in one of Nike’s first retail stores
VP of marketing for several brands, including Asics, and later helped resuscitate the soccer brand, Umbro
“A team is more effective, no matter how good an individual is.”
The importance of teamwork in business, and how to get ego out of the way (7:49)
How Umbro was able to scale from 18 employees to several hundred, and maintain their ability to be nimble and flexible
How to transition from doing, to managing, to leading within a company
How to cultivate a culture of trust and openness that allowed the brand to grow effectively (10:57)
“Practicing what you preach may be short-term expensive, but in the long run it builds trust and respect.” - Lou (15:00)
How Lou trained towards beating a 4-minute mile and then how he later used the same training methods to build a sales force and meet their sales goals (16:30)
How Lou has figured out how to make a difference in the world (25:35)
The night that changed Lou’s life forever (28:00)
What contentment sounds like (35:24)
Living life on your terms, begins with understanding yourself first (38:08)
The importance of forming good relationships along the road
Lou’s message for anyone in their 40s (or past their 40s) (49:30)
“The best and hardest thing to do is to spend time looking in the mirror at who you are and who you want to be. And then taking steps to get there.” -Lou (53:00)
Referred to in the ‘cast:
- “You Should be Hiring Athletes” by Brian Hamilton [article]
Where to find Lou on the line:
Lou’s Website: CategoryOneInc.com
Lou on LinkedIn
Twitter @catoneinc