I recently re-watched the episode of ABC’s Shark Tank featuring Johnny Georges of Florida. In the episode, Georges asks the “sharks” for $150,000 in capital for market expansion of Tree T Pees. He presented his low-cost innovative product. It saves farmers money by effectively irrigating fruit trees with minimal water waste. Good for the farmer, good for the environment. Everybody wins.
The “sharks” seemed to like Georges’ product. They came down hard on him for not getting more margins. Georges stood strong and explained he works for farmers. He felt no reason to jack up the price and make a killing. He’s a decent, down-to-earth, likable fellow. Investor John Paul DeJoria, a special guest “shark” was touched by Georges’ passion and commitment to do the right thing for American farmers. He jumped on board the Tree T Pee train. I have never watched it without shedding a few tears. So sweet.
Capitalism is a good thing. I love competition – both in business and my personal life. I’ve learned it is possible make money without raking your customers over the coals. I had a great example of this watching my parents run their business. My husband is also a fierce competitor. Nobody LIKES losing. Not a bid for a project or a game of monopoly. Losing isn’t fun, but it doesn’t make you a loser.
Two of our children joined a wrestling program in recent months. We’ve watched them learn a new sport and compete like ladies and gentlemen. The wrestling matches are an absolute hoot! Our kids are built like Mighty Mouse not Hulk Hogan. I had no idea what to expect at their first tournament.
The matches began with a handshake between opponents. The referee blew the whistle and yelled, wrestle! Off they went. Our 7-year-old son concentrated and practiced the moves he’d learned in practice. He won some matches and lost some too. Throughout the season, I am always proud of him for walking off the mat with his head up.
Our 9-year-old daughter was a completely different story. Being the product of competitive parents, the desire to win and succeed runs wildly through this child’s veins. We realized at her most recent tournament, we had failed to teach her an important lesson.
She lost a hard-fought match and thundered off the mat like a raging bull. Tearful and red-faced, this child was MAD and unsportsmanlike! I was mortified. So was my husband. We had to take her behind the bleachers to get her to calm down. This child loves sports, competition and ultimately – the thrill of a game. She hates to lose. The biggest losers that day were us. We quickly realized we hadn’t honed in on the importance of winning humbly and losing gracefully.
After a calming discussion with my husband, she settled down and listened to us. Not everyone wins every time. Not everybody gets a trophy or a medal. You have to be at peace with that. We praised her effort. Somehow she was able to pull it together that day and shake off the loss. She worked hard at her next practice. She kept head up and had a humble attitude. We still have more work to do.
I hope we raise our little competitors to be decent, hardworking people like Johnny Georges. He didn’t care about winning if it was on the back of a hardworking farmer. We could all learn something here. Lose AND win like a winner, neighbor.
