At First, I Couldn't Even Run a Mile. Eventually, I Ran the NYC Marathon. That Showed Me How to Start Business. You have to start somewhere.

I am not athletic. In high school, for example, I joined the soccer team for a year — and even when my team was losing 9-0, the coach still kept me on the bench.

But in 2010, I entered the lottery to run the New York City Marathon.

I'd never run a marathon. I'd never even run a 5K. So why did I do this? Because I needed a big goal. I was in a difficult stage of life, with young children and a failing marriage, and I wanted something to strive for. So on a whim, I submitted my information into the lottery — the process by which a small number of people are randomly selected to enter the marathon. Most people work for years to qualify. Me? Somehow, my name was drawn. I was in.

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I figured the only way to finish 26.2 miles was to start by running just one. But even one mile proved too hard, so I scaled back. I ran a few minutes at a time, and then walked to catch my breath. I repeated that for months. I read books, listened to podcasts, talked to friends, found mentors. I learned about training programs, nutrition, hydration, recovery, and on and on. Step by step, I became a runner.

Then, one cold November morning, I showed up at the starting line with more than 45,000 other people and ran the marathon. Did I win? Of course not. Was my time something that "real" runners would consider ridiculously slow? You bet. Did I run the same 26.2 miles as everyone else, cross the finish line with joy, and receive my medal with pride? Absolutely.

A few years after that, I decided to open my own business: It's a performing arts training facility for kids. I've always loved kids and the arts, but I knew nothing about business. I didn't know an income statement from a balance sheet. But because of the marathon, I had a model for how to approach it — step by step.

So, again: I read books. Listened to podcasts. Talked to friends. Found mentors. Through it all, I became an entrepreneur. My business started with just 35 kids; now it sees more than 500 students every week for classes in our building. My team is nearly 20 people strong. And I keep my New York City Marathon medal above my desk — not because it's a conversation piece, or because I want to brag about an accomplishment, but because it reminds me that every big goal can always be broken down into individual steps. And when you combine enough steps, you'll make it to the finish line.

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