Indulge me with this blog posting. The 2014 World Series has just concluded and was one of the most exciting I’ve ever seen. It truly kept us on the edge of our seats until the last out in the bottom of the ninth inning with a Kansas City runner on third base who could have tied the game. Even though my Kansas City Royals did not prevail there are some excellent baseball metaphors that translate into some wonderful entrepreneurial lessons.

The MVP of the World Series was the Giants ace pitcher, Madison Bumgarner. Even though I’m a Royals fan I marveled at this cool, calm and collected 25-year old phenom. He pitched in three games during the Series and limited the Royals to nine hits, one run and one walk in 21 innings. Folks, this is called differentiation. There is no doubt that Bumgarner was the difference maker in the World Series for San Francisco. As entrepreneurs we increase our odds for success the more significantly we can differentiate our products or services.

The 2014 Kansas City Royals are a young team. There are no superstars in this bunch. The Royals didn’t even win their division, making the playoffs instead as a Wild Card entrant. They beat the Oakland Athletics in the Wild Card game; then swept the Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles to win the American League pennant. A lack of superstars also meant a lack of big egos and prima donnas. The result was a group of young men bonding together as a real team. This was most evident when one of the top hitters took it upon himself to lay down a sacrifice bunt to advance a runner when the Giants least expected it, rather than trying to hit it out of the park. Entrepreneurs succeed more often when we function in a true team fashion rather than as lone wolves.

While I’m gushing about my Royals, let me add another dimension about this team. It was evident that these guys were having fun. Game after game we saw scenes of players laughing, joking and genuinely enjoying themselves. Some of the players Tweeted where they were going to party after the games and bought thousands of dollars of drinks for their fans. What is the point of being an entrepreneur if we can’t have fun doing what we do? I’ve talked to a number of entrepreneurs who appear to be successful but are miserable. This is a dangerous “crash-and-burn” formula.

Finally, it was fascinating to observe the focus displayed by Giants and Royals players alike. When the focus was lost there were strikeouts, errors and walks. When the focus was maintained it was a thing of beauty. There were spectacular catches all over the field. Tough pitches were turned into base hits. Base running was exquisite. In the entrepreneurial world we know the importance of focus. If we “scatter our fire” we strike out more often than not. But when we focus, we create a special energy that serves to deliver the results we want.

Baseball is a sport. Entrepreneurs play for keeps. At the intersection of the two is differentiation, functioning as a true team, having fun and maintaining focus. Play ball!

This blog is being written in tandem with my book, “An Entrepreneur’s Words to Live By,” available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle (My Book), as well as being available in all of the other major eBook formats.