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12 Business Lessons You Can Learn
from Fantasy Football
Take these priceless lessons from your fantasy football team
and apply them to your business- today!
By John Rampton
Entrepreneur and investor - from Inc.com
 If you're like the more than 56 million participants of fantasy football, you're probably finalizing your draft board. But as you're getting ready for your draft party, you should also take a page out of fantasy football and apply it your business. Here are 12 priceless business lessons you can learn from your fantasy team.
Do Your Research Prior to a fantasy football draft, enthusiasts check out the rankings created by experts, keep up-to-date on player injuries or progress, and even participate in a mock draft so that they can draft the best players possible. Even when the season starts, it's not uncommon to seek the advice from online forums or personally seek advice from other fantasy players when you want to improve your team.
For businesses, they also need to do their research from defining their audience, knowing their competitors, and how to market their products or services. When all else fails, never hesitate to seek out the advice of a mentor or an industry expert.
Don't Let Your All-Stars Ride the Pine Let's say that you have Aaron Rodgers and Nick Foles on your team. Rodgers may have one or two games that aren't his best. But you wouldn't bench him in favor of Foles - even if Foles had a couple of excellent games. When push comes to shove, you always have to start your stud players and let them carry your team.
The same can be said in the business world. You have to not only recognize your top talent, you also need to give them the freedom and encouragement to keep them motivated and passionate. Passionate and motivated talent will take your company to the next level.
Keep An Eye Out For Rising Stars Throughout the season there will be players who have a remarkable season. That's why it's important to keep a close eye on the waiver wire for future superstars. Even if you have an All-Star, you could find a potential running back or wide receiver that could help take your team to the playoffs.
Always keep a lookout for top talent in your company, or even in your industry by checking out job boards or professional networks like LinkedIn. If you're able to acquire this rising star, you should be able to see your productivity and profits take off.
Know When To Hold'em,' Know When to Fold'em' A lot can happen between a draft and the football season. For example, your top wide receiver could get injured in the third week of the season. Depending on the severity of the injury, you may have to drop him because he could be out for the rest of the season. A running back that you drafted may have a couple of bad starts, but you may want to hold on to him because he bounces back and is one of the leading RBs in the game.
While the stakes are obviously higher when it comes to your business (maybe!) the idea between knowing when to drop a player in fantasy football or hold onto them is relatively the same. Do you keep a team member if they're underperforming? Or, do you stick with them because you realize that the potential is there? You need to have a process in place to help you make these difficult decisions.
Read the remaining eight here. | 
