Recently, Leo and I discovered a Japanese game show called “Ninja Warrior.” In this show, athletes from around the world (but primarily Japan) test their skill and strength at a seemingly unbeatable obstacle course, in the hopes of becoming a champion worthy of the title, “Ninja Warrior.” The other day, as Leo and I watched yet one more round of warrior athletes performing what seemed like impossible stunts, I reflected on the business and life lessons one might take away from this extraordinary show.

Do something you think you can’t.
Ninja Warrior tests are incredibly challenging and often seem impossible. But the competitors are rarely daunted. They always try whatever seems impossible…and even if they can’t defeat the obstacle course, they almost always go home and train for a full six months before returning for the next Ninja Warrior competition and conquering the obstacle that tripped them up last time. Likewise, if you see a challenge and think you can’t do it, try it anyway. Then, if you don’t succeed, train harder until you can do it.

Always compete against yourself, not against others.
One of the characteristics that drew us to Ninja Warrior in the first place was that it’s not a competition where participants compete against each other. It’s every man (or woman) against the obstacle course. So rather than worrying about what anyone else is doing, each competitor is focused on doing his or her best. Similarly, in business, we’re often focused on the “old school” concept of watching the competition and worrying about what they’re up to. Instead, focus on you and what you can do to improve and grow, and cheer on your peers. Their success has little to nothing to do with you.

If you fail, keep trying.
There’s a group of Ninja Warrior “All Stars” who have participated in many of the Ninja Warrior competitions. If you watched the show from the beginning (as we have) you’d see these competitors go from young upstarts to family men with successful careers. And they just keep coming back to try to conquer the Ninja Warrior obstacle course again and again and again, hoping to succeed where they have failed before (of course, a couple of these All Stars have actually completed the course, but they continue to return to try to conquer the course as it has evolved). In business, if you don’t succeed at something, that doesn’t mean you should give up. In a recent The Experts Series interview with a bestselling author, I learned that this author’s book was rejected two hundred times before he got his book deal that shot him into bestselling status. If you fail, go back and try again and again and again.

Never give up in the middle.
Something that keeps us in awe of this show is that none of the competitors ever gives up. Even if a competitor knows the clock is running out and he may not complete the course, he never stops giving his full effort- not until that last second when the buzzer sounds. Likewise, in business, give it everything you’ve got until that buzzer sounds- until you know for sure that what you’re doing isn’t going to work.

Always be gracious and find the fun.
Leo and I are constantly impressed with the graciousness of the Ninja Warrior athletes. They cheer each other on, seem genuinely sorry when their comrades fail, and vitually all of the contestants maintain a friendly, lighthearted spirit and focus on the fun of the game. Your business may seem very serious to you, but if you’re too serious or too desperate to succeed, your attitude might be standing in the way of your success. Instead, try to look for the fun in what you’re doing and be as gracious as you can- to your clients, to your competitors, to everyone you encounter.

“Ninja Warrior” isn’t business- it’s a game. But it’s a game with some really powerful lessons that can be applied to business. Ultimately, what Ninja Warrior teaches us is to be as strong as you can, test your limits, never give up, and remember to find the fun in everything you do.

There’s one question I’m asked over and over again from people who seek out my help: “Why isn’t this small business thing working?” It almost always comes as a desperate plea, a cry for help from someone who’s been trying to make things work for a long time, from someone who’s tried everything they can think of to grow their small business and just hasn’t seen results.

So what’s the answer? Why isn’t your small business working the way you want it to? Obviously, the answers are different for everyone. Each business has its own things that need troubleshooting. But here are the things I see that are the most common reasons why small businesses haven’t yet achieved success:

1. Lack of clarity of purpose and lack of clear branding.
This isn’t just about having a clever name. Branding encompasses creating a clear mission for your company and getting clear about what you offer. If you offer too much or you’re too general or broad, your prospects won’t have a good sense of what you bring to the table or know if you can help them. You have to speak to them in their language, and you do that by a) making sure you make it clear what you do and who you do it for, b) reaching them with a corporate identity that resonates with them, and c) making sure you give them what they want with impeccable service.

2. Lack of a professional presence.
It’s okay to start out with a homemade web site or free Vistaprint business cards, but if you’ve been in business for awhile, it’s time to upgrade. Your web site should serve three purposes: 1) showing your potential customers and clients how you can serve their needs, 2) giving them an opportunity to interact with you (either via contacting you or directly buying from you), and 3) acting as a credibility check for your business. Say you’re at a networking function and you give someone your business card. If that person’s interested in doing business with you, they’ll inevitably check your web site when they get back to the office. If you’ve presented yourself in person as a professional, but your web site presents as amateur, you’ve got a credibility problem.

3. Lack of authenticity.
This is something I’ve been talking a lot about lately, because I see more and more people out there offering to teach you things they haven’t yet achieved for themselves: social media experts who don’t have followers on major social media sites, business experts who promise great riches, but haven’t achieved them for themselves…you have to have the goods to back up what you’re offering! And if you don’t, your prospects will see through you. From miles and miles away.

4. Lack of a clear marketing strategy.
Imagine if you were going to take a roadtrip. You know where you want to go, but not how to get there, and you don’t have a map. Would you just get in the car and drive around aimlessly, hoping you hit the right street and end up where you meant to go? No. Likewise, you can’t just start driving around hoping to pick up clients here and there without a clear marketing strategy that’s designed with your target market in mind.

You might be great at what you do, but if you don’t have at least these four pieces in place, you’re going to be missing loads of business and wondering why your business isn’t working. And if you don’t know how to get these four pieces figured out, you need help. It’s good to have a system, it’s great to have a plan mapped out. And even better if you can get an outside perspective, giving you ideas and solutions you might not have thought of on your own.