Lukas Politis

As COVID-19 has spread around the globe in recent months, tournaments, games and other sporting events have been canceled. For sports enthusiasts everywhere, this is just another devastating blow delivered by the pandemic. For Lukas Politis; however, the pandemic might just be the opportunity the sports industry needed to innovate.

As a New York resident, Lukas Politis majors in Media and Strategic Communications with a Digital Media and Production Concentration at Iona College. With extensive knowledge around sports communications, Lukas Politis is optimistic about the future of innovation in sports.

Where did the idea for y0ur career come from?

I am currently in the developmental stages of my business venture and I am optimistic that my hard work and dedication will pay off in the next few years. I think that seeking an experienced mentor is vital to long-term professional success. I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by individuals that can provide me with valuable insight in respect to the challenges they have encountered while navigating the business landscape.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I start my day by waking up and working out. I have found that by working out in the morning I give myself a kick-start to the day that gives me more energy and mental clarity throughout. I will also make myself breakfast and plan out my day.

I start my work by reviewing emails and the tasks to be completed that day. I then get to work. In the evening I review notes from the day and plan out main objectives for the following morning. This practice helps me to avoid racing thoughts that prevent me from falling asleep when it is time for bed, and I am able to remain focused and relaxed.

How do you bring ideas to life?

The most important aspect of bringing ideas to life begins with the notebook. Having a blank book that you carry around to fill with notes, ideas, and inspiration is the foundation to bringing ideas to life. If you do not have a way to record your thoughts on hand, the odds of your ideas being forgotten increases exponentially.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Watching the emergence of new alternative sports recently has been fascinating. Take something like Chase Tag for example. A classic playground game was taken, modified, and turned into a completely new sport that has slowly been gaining in popularity by having platforms such as YouTube and social media to help grow and engage its fan base. I am hoping others follow their example and we start to see new and innovating ideas in sports start to occur more often.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I think that getting a full eight hours of sleep in a night is the most important thing for my productivity as a professional. It gives me the energy to get through the day while maintaining a high level of mental focus. The odds of a late-day burnout occurring increase dramatically when I am not well-rested, and the potential impact on productivity is not worth the risk.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would remind myself to stay patient, and that every failure and setback will only bring you closer to your goals.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

That patience is the key to success. In the fast-paced world we live in, so many people believe in hustling eighteen hours a day, racing towards some perceived ‘finish line’. For me, personally, it is all about the journey, taking the time to appreciate this moment—you miss out on a lot when you buy into hustle culture.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Ask for as many opinions as possible. No matter what I am working on, I always take the time to ask others about their opinions, because they may have a perspective, insight, or idea that I had not considered. Always relying on yourself to have all of the answers is a mistake that too many people make.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Focusing on direct customer communication. With the various social media platforms out there, it has never been easier to connect directly with your customer. One of the most beneficial aspects of connecting with clients this way is in being able to be responsive to their needs, concerns, and comments.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Early on I used to try to exert too much control over every aspect of a project. I have since learned to ease up a bit and put more faith and trust in the ability of the people I work with to complete high quality work. It has taught me to ease away from micromanagement, and has built stronger relationships with my colleagues.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I would love to develop an app that allows people to easily stream sports or check for sports news anywhere in the world. I think that a mobile application that does this, allowing the user to create a profile, follow certain teams and message with friends would be a great way to tie on all of the services currently available in sports technology at the moment.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I recently purchased an annual subscription to Skillshare. In addition to offering business and entrepreneurship information to supplement my own knowledge, It also provides me with a knowledge base for a number of hobbies that I am interested in pursuing as well. It seemed like a nice mixture of business and pleasure, and so far I am quite happy with my purchase.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

One web service that I have found useful for my productivity is Trello. It acts as kind of a digital whiteboard with sticky notes that you can organize any way you want to help you track different projects and their components. Everything you create on it can be archived and is searchable, and can be viewed on day/week/month timelines. It also integrates nicely with a lot of other web services. I think the most useful thing about it is that it allows you to organize things as simply or with as much complexity as you want.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is over 80 years old now, but it contains some of the best general advice for interacting with people in life and business that you can find anywhere. It may be old, but it is still extremely relevant today, and it’s an excellent read for anyone that has an interest in improving themselves and their relationships with others.

What is your favorite quote?

“Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

Key Learnings:

• Be patient, as long as you work hard, everything will come to you when it is ready
• Put trust in others; whether it is in the work they produce or their opinions, do not be afraid to ask others for their input
• Keep an open mind to stay perceptive to innovation