Splendid CEO Susan Kellog knows that surrounding yourself with top talent in the industry and out of it is essential for a brand’s success. So teaming up with Olympic gold medalist speed skater Apolo Ohno was a no-brainer move. The two teamed up to get a better understanding of what the other does and how their passions transform into success.
“I think there’s a lot of commonality between succeeding in sports and succeeding in business,” said Susan. “That idea that you’re focused, disciplined, and when you fall off you dust yourself off and get back in it the next day.”
If you think about running a company is a lot like being an Olympic athlete or coaching an Olympic athlete. You have to be able to push yourself and others and be willing to make sacrifices in striving for a specific goal. Apolo commented that the races after a bad loss often turned out to be some of the best races in his career, because he channeled that inner fire in himself to find out what he did wrong and rectify it. That drive of course translates over to the business world with a can-do spirit and drive to outmatch competitors, even when one stumbles or has a setback.