1. 7 Business Lessons an Entrepreneur Can
Learn from Super Heroes
Idowu Hitop Temitayo
C.E.O HITOP groups international

2. INTRODUCTION
The adventure of running your own business is
just as challenging as it is exciting. From time to
time, many entrepreneurs might wish they had
some kind of a super power to help them make
instant (and correct) decisions, constantly
generate fresh ideas to stay ahead of the
competitors, deal with multitasking, and more.
Well, we can’t promise you a spare neutron
laser, but there are a few real lessons you can
learn from the super heroes to gain new powers
on the business battlefield.

3. 1. Superman – Know your weaknesses.

4. Clark Kent knew perfectly well that his “Achilles heel”
was vulnerability to Kryptonite. For a successful
entrepreneur, it’s important to be aware of your own
and your business’ weak points, too. And, going
further, to be able to turn the weaknesses into an
advantage in certain situations. In the 1960s, Hertz
was the evident leader in the car rental business, and
Avis was just one of the brands in the following
pack. Instead of trying to compete for 1st place, Avis
launched an ad campaign with the slogan “We are
No.2. So we try harder.” Within the next 4 years, they
had tripled their market share.

5. 2. Batman – Establish your network.

6. Networking generally requires a lot of time and
energy. However, the effort Bruce Wayne made in this
direction and the new connections he established
helped the Dark Knight in his main mission of
protecting Gotham City. In the business space,
networking can connect you with new partners and,
therefore, help you find potential new paths to the
market.

7. 3. Flash – Be lightning fast in your
reactions.

8. Maybe you don’t need to move with super speed in
everyday life, but in the business space, an instant
reaction to any arising issue is vital. Facing an
unexpected sickness of the team’s key player, a
controversial comment in social media or a
competitor’s product launch, an entrepreneur can
benefit from reacting as competently and as fast as
possible. Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE, advised
businesses “not to sit on decisions.” His quote, which
is often cited, states, “Don’t set something aside,
instead of making a decision on the spot. In order to
get speed, decisions at virtually every level have to be
made in minutes, not days or weeks.”

9. 4. Iron Man – Leverage the newest
technology.

10. Most of the time, superheroes are not born, but
made. For example, what always helped Tony Stark
get ahead of his opponents was having the best
“gadgets” in his arsenal. From his example, an
entrepreneur can learn that being open to the latest
tech trends (say, top-notch planning software) and
ready to mix & match them is not an option, but a
necessity in the modern business world.

11. 5. Captain America – Become an
inspiration.

12. Both soldiers and Avengers followed Captain America.
Why? Because he knew that a man is made by his
team, and he pushed himself to be better, which in
turn inspired those around him to be better, too. A
successful entrepreneur believes in what he or she
does and understands that working with your own
team is as important as working with the market or
your business partners. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh
strongly believes that the staff’s happiness is key to
the company’s success. One of the methods he uses
in his “happiness framework” is sending motivational
open letters to encourage his employees. As a result,
Zappos is known not only for its customer service, but
also for its exceptional organizational culture.

13. 6. Incredible Hulk – Be adaptive.

14. Just like Professor Banner, transforming from the
genius scientist into the mighty Hulk, in the business
world, an entrepreneur can vary the tactics and be
flexible in his or her decisions. In 1984, Frederick W.
Smith, the founder and CEO of FedEx, introduced an
electronic delivery service, Zapmail, that was so
unsuccessful that it cost the company nearly $350
million over two years. Realizing his own mistake,
Smith abandoned Zapmail. Instead, he refocused the
company’s energy on its core delivery business. And
today, it’s a prosperous, multimillion-dollar
corporation.

15. 7. Wolverine – Stand up, even if you fall.

16. There is no business road without bumps and risks.
Learning from the front X-man, who regenerates and
comes back to fight even after the most serious
injuries, a successful entrepreneur understands that
it’s okay to fall, as long as you stand up to face the
new challenges. Moreover, a failure can be an
important lesson that will contribute to nurturing
business success. Randy Komisar, a successful venture
capitalist, names “the culture of constructive failure”
as the main reason that Silicon Valley became the
world’s innovation center.

17. CONCLUSION
Having a fantastic superpower would solve a lot of
entrepreneurs’ challenges. However, if you are ready
to learn both from your mistakes and your
achievements, are open to communication, and have
a quick eye for tech and business trends, becoming a
super-hero entrepreneur in the real business world is
just a matter of time.