Being a good athlete is only part of what he did.

He also created a brand around himself becoming far and away the most marketed sports figure in history that generated billions of dollars and boosted sales of many brands he was affiliated with. That doesn't happen by just optimizing your ability to play a game.

The Michael Jordan approach, however, is one that is as aptly applied to entrepreneurship as it is to optimizing your abilities and success in any realm. He's created a product called Michael Jordan, and that product has proved unarguably to be a game-changer, if not an entirely new game itself.

True, but his suggestions on competing at the highest level definitely apply to startups.