There is no such thing as a standard entrepreneur. The stories of business owners are as diverse and unique as the businesses they start. Syed Balkhi is one who not only has multiple successful ventures but a unique story.
His journey started at the age of 7 when he began selling holiday greeting cards for the Muslim holiday Eid in his hometown of Karachi, Pakistan. Today, his software is found on more than 17 million websites. His journey is one of persistence, patience, and family values that is an object lesson in finding opportunity in adversity.
Even if you’ve never heard of him, you’ve likely used his products while managing or navigating a website. Balkhi is the creator of WPBeginner, the largest free WordPress resource site, OptinMonster, a service that helps brands manage their email campaigns, and WPForms, a tool that helps WordPress developers create form templates.
Balkhi has also acquired significant players in the WordPress field, including the analytics tool MonsterInsights and the contest platform, RafflePress. If you’ve filled out an online form or subscribed to an email newsletter, you have likely encountered one of his tools.
These successes have earned Balkhi recognition from the United Nations as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs under the age of 30. However, Balkhi doesn’t highlight his programming skills or business acumen when he talks about his success. Instead, he talks about the hard work that helped him overcome obstacles.
Balkhi moved to the United States when he was 12 with a thick accent and poor English skills. His family wasn’t well off and his father’s mechanical engineering job didn’t translate in the United States. As a result, he watched his father work 16 hours each day and take on a part-time job on the weekends. Balkhi saw how hard his father worked and instead of focusing on what they lacked, he took matters into his own hands:
My family was financially struggling, so I knew I had to figure out a way to help wherever I can. I learned that kids can make money by doing chores for neighbors like washing cars, cleaning the backyard, etc. I did all of that to earn extra cash so my younger brother and I could buy snacks.
Balkhi found that, as he grows in his career, he sees this lesson as a key one in the business world. “Now as I’ve read a lot more business books, I think Napoleon Hill’s quote sums up my greatest career lesson: ‘Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success,’” he says.
Life experience can be your best tool
Balkhi’s life experience has become a critical business tool. He explains:
My experience growing up in Pakistan, immigrating to the U.S., and growing up in the circumstances that I did helped give me a unique perspective on how I address problems. I don’t get extremely stressed about anything because I remember where I started and how things were. This gives me courage and motivation to keep moving forward.
In other words, you don’t have to be experienced to succeed. You can grow a business just by trying new things and building on your own experiences. An advanced college degree and unlimited funding are nice, but someone who works hard, perseveres, and is willing to take risks can go just as far.
Finding opportunity in the gaps
While Balkhi learned to find opportunity in adversity while growing up, he developed two of his best-known tools, WPBeginner and OptinMonster, because he saw the opportunity in the gaps.
WPBeginner was formed when Balkhi was trying to move away from small, website management clients that kept him on retainer. He wanted to set up self-sufficient websites but found a lack of resources on the web. This made troubleshooting issues difficult. With WPBeginner, webmasters without large site management budgets can find answers to common problems so their sites run at their best.
Similarly, Balkhi developed OptinMonster because he wasn’t happy with any of the other email enrollment tools. Instead of sticking with the least-worst option, he built something of value. He addressed problems with his own creative solutions and now offers several products that millions of webmasters use.
The ability to find and address these gaps has led to his continued ability to create or acquire products that people need.
Don’t ignore the opportunity in any experience
Balkhi’s parents’ experience in the United States and his own as a child have taught him to look for opportunities when faced with adversity. Instead of getting stuck in a problem or accepting a setback as fate, he continually pushes through and finds solutions. Looking at all he’s accomplished, we are reminded to look for the opportunity because it’s always there if we’re willing to work hard, persist, and take risks.
Jessica Thiefels is the author of 10 Questions That Answer Life’s Biggest Questions, podcast host of Mindset Reset Radio, and founder and CEO of Jessica Thiefels Consulting, an organic content marketing agency. Follow her on Twitter @JThiefels and connect on LinkedIn.
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If you’re planning on watching the show, proceed with caution—there are spoilers ahead.
One of the occupational hazards of writing about leadership for more than a decade is that you start to see lessons all around you and ascribe meaning to the actions of others. Sometimes those “others” include the main characters of eponymous television shows. Apple TV’s Ted Lasso is like a cheat sheet for being a good leader.
Good buzz about the show, starring Jason Sudeikis as an American football coach in London, resulted in the streaming service’s biggest premiere viewership to date, and a six-fold audience increase, according to a report in Variety. While the streaming service isn’t releasing hard audience data, it’s clear that the series is gaining traction. The show also racked up 20 Emmy nominations, including four in the Best Supporting Actor category.
Ask fans why they (we) love the show, and you’ll hear a familiar refrain: It’s a bright spot in a painful world. The writing is sharp and manages to be optimistic, wise, and hilarious without being cloying. Each of the characters has flaws and weaknesses that keep them from becoming caricatures. In a recent episode that paid homage to romantic comedies (funnier and cleverer than it sounds), the Lasso declared, “I believe in ‘rom-communism’”—the philosophy that everything will work out in the end, even if it’s not the way you think it would. These days, that can be hard to believe. Therein lies some of the show’s appeal.
And if you’re looking for examples of how leaders behave—or should—Ted Lasso is fertile ground. Here are five times Lasso and his cohorts reminded us of the way leaders should act:
Be curious, not judgmental
In a high-stakes game of darts, Lasso faces off against his boss’s ex-husband, billionaire Rupert Mannion (Anthony Head). Mannion lost ownership of his beloved soccer club, Richmond AFC, in a divorce settlement with his ex-wife, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddington). The billionaire challenges Lasso to a game of darts, and the two decide to make a wager. If Mannion wins, he can pick the player lineups for the last two games of the season. If Lasso wins, Mannion is banned from the owner’s box, giving Welton relief from his harassment.
During the game, Lasso uses the famous Walt Whitman quote, “Be curious, not judgmental,” to explain why curiosity is more effective than closed-minded judgment and hubris. Had Mannion simply asked a few questions, such as, “Have you played a lot of darts?” he would have learned that Lasso was an ace. The coach then punctuates his point with a game-winning bull’s-eye.
Bench the bad actors
Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) is Richmond AFC’s star striker, who’s on loan to Richmond AFC from another club. On the field, Tartt is a ball hog, refusing to pass to other players, even when they have a better shot. Off the field, he appears to be a relentless narcissist, bullying and taunting other players and Nathan Shelley (Nick Mohammed), the kit-man-turned-coach. Because of his drag on the team’s morale and continued bad behavior, Lasso decides to bench Tartt during the first half of an important game, risking a loss. With their coach’s encouragement, the team adapts and pulls out a win.
When team members become abusive and detrimental, even if they’re rock-star performers, it’s time for a change. Of course, such moves may not be without consequences. In the series, Tartt is called back to play for his original team. But the team learns that no one is irreplaceable.
Admit when you’re wrong—and apologize
The entire premise of the show is based on deception. Welton hired Lasso, who had no experience coaching professionally or understanding of the game of soccer, to fail. She wanted the club to implode to hurt her ex-husband. But Lasso’s wisdom, optimism, and commitment change virtually everyone he meets, softening hearts and winning over many of his critics. Over the course of the season, Welton realizes how she, too, has been changed by being in Lasso’s universe. Under pressure from her new friend, Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), she confesses to Lasso that she set him up to fail and apologizes. Lasso forgives her, forging a deeper friendship and commitment to make the team better.
Believe
A single word emblazoned on a yellow sign hung with duct tape over the coaches’ office—Believe—reminds everyone in the locker room of the power of belief: belief in oneself; belief in the team; belief in ideals and goals (in each definition of the word).
Lasso hangs the well-worn yellow sign in the locker room in the pilot episode. Jones points out that it’s crooked and directs him as he tries to fix it. They agree that it’s “perfect,” but when the camera pans back, we see that it’s just as askew as it was at the start. The belief doesn’t have to be perfect—it just matters that it’s there.
Kindness matters
If there’s one constant theme throughout the show it’s that kindness is a powerful force. Good things happen when the characters are decent, respectful, and do the right things. Gruff, tough soccer legend Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) has a nurturing and caring side that endears him to Jones, niece Phoebe, and a circle of wine-drinking yoga moms with whom he occasionally watches reality television. Devoted family man and team communications manager Lesley Higgins (Jeremy Swift) has a moment of redemption when he stands up for himself and ends up in a better place. And the mysterious Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), Lasso’s assistant coach, shows us the value of wise and steadfast friends.
Of course, there are other messages if you look hard enough. Promoting Shelley to a coaching-staff position because of his passion and knowledge is a great example of developing and rewarding talent. Dr. Sharon Fieldstone’s (Sarah Niles) borderline miraculous healing abilities are a nod to the importance of self-care, especially with regard to mental health. And Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernandez) reminds us that the world is filled with “mucho, mucho” joy if you look for it.
The lessons in Ted Lasso don’t come with footnotes to scientific studies or expert opinions to back them up. But look for them in weekly half-hour doses—or a lengthy binge, if you’re so inclined—and it’s hard not to believe in the power of doing the right thing.
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