In business, in education, in non-profit community service, and in sports there are many noted examples of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. There are even more examples of less well-known people quietly, but confidently achieving their own impressive goals.

Think about baseball player Jim Abbott. Beyond playing for several major league teams, one could say his unmatched achievement was pitching with only one hand. Though I never met him, I imagine he was teased as a youngster. I imagine his family tried to protect him from disappointment. I imagine he met more than his share of raised eyebrows and expressions of doubt. I imagine he had to perform better than other pitchers just to get scouts to pay attention. Afterall, how can someone play baseball with only one hand?

Jim Abbott was a joy to watch. In fact he was amazing. A memorable day was September 4, 1993 at Yankee Stadium when Jim Abbott became the seventh New York Yankee to pitch a no-hitter -- a tremendous accomplishment for any professional ball player. Clearly Jim Abbott paved his own road to success.

Similarly, entrepreneurial business building is not just about taking a different road; it's about taking an unpaved rocky road to an undiscovered place. Business builders have a vision for a different kind of product, service or business model. They believe in it, even though it may be well beyond other people's imaginations.

Unfortunately there are too many influences surrounding business builders that can easily undermine confidence and lead them to operate in the shadow of the black dog of doubt. Despite a confident public persona, we are painfully aware of our perceived inadequacies. We'd like to think we're never haunted by doubt or the potential for embarrassing failure, but all business builders are.

Actually, successful business builders don't have to have high IQ's, they don't have to have the best equipment, they don't have to have the most money, they don't have to have the most resources, they don't have to have an MBA or a college education from an elite school, they don't have to have fancy offices and they don't have to have all the contacts or come from the right side of town.

Yes, there will be times when business problems seem so complicated, so overwhelming, and so beyond your company's reach that it might seem like a complete joke to fight back. However, as much as you'd like to wish the problem away, the answer will always be in your own magic -- your own potent determination to find a way to beat the problem.

Within every young company is another David and Goliath story. We all know the tale of how a fearless, seemingly meager challenger out-smarts a powerful giant. On the battlefield, David takes his sling and selects a pebble that will penetrate the one place where the giant is vulnerable. The pebble reaches its target and Goliath crashes to the ground in defeat.

The next time you feel over-matched by the industry brute, remember every competitor has one or more weaknesses. You can find them! There is no single handicap that your own reservoir of grit and innovative thinking can't overcome. Consider the combination of your capabilities as your own pebbles of power. Let them give you hope and confidence. Value them, nurture them, improve them, share them, and like an ol' Jim Abbott fastball, hurl them at your naysayers with pleasing satisfaction.