Some Entrepreneurs Put In Olympic Effort

"For Olympic athletes who double as small-business owners, the more challenging feat sometimes takes place off the slopes. Trying to juggle Olympic training with the demands of running a small business can be grueling. For some of the athletes, training during the peak winter months is so intense and time-consuming that the business often gets pushed to the sidelines. Bengt Walden, a member of the U.S. luge team, also leans heavily on his staff to keep daily operations going at his gym in Stockholm. That's why, even when he is in Sweden, Mr. Walden tries to stay out of the employees' way. ‘You have to train people to not call you when they need to change a light bulb,’ he says. Still, Mr. Walden recalls instances where he has had to fly back to Stockholm to handle housekeeping activities. ‘That can get expensive so I've learned to think ahead,’ he says. ‘You have to set up the business so that deadlines for paying bills and renewing contracts and signing leases are all when you're home.’"

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