You are, let's say, a coding jock. You love creating clever software in equally clever ways. So you naturally decide to make a business of it. Before you step into the exciting world of strategies, deals and venture capital, may I suggest that you take some time off to think what two great minds have to say about work and enterprise.

“If you enjoy what you do,” the Chinese sage Lao Tzu advised, “you never work a day in your life.” A few years ago, many executives took his words to heart and went off to start dotcoms related to golf.

The sage of Omaha , Warren Buffett, who is worth $32 billion and has been voted by Forbes magazine as the second richest man on earth, has now added a new layer to Lao Tzu's aphorism. 15 days ago, in a special one-hour feature on Buffett on CNBC (I believe it is supposed to be aired in India later this month), he was asked, “What is Warren Buffett's secret to success?” And he replied: "I would say success is really doing what you love and doing it well. It's simple as that."

Two professors, Mike Goldsby and Donald F. Kuratko, studied 336 entrepreneurs in the United States and found that companies led by those who regularly run, report better sales results than firms led by non-runners.

The study also found that the runners reported better personal satisfaction, independence and autonomy than their non-running or weight-training counterparts. In other words, these runner-entrepreneurs liked what they did, and they were also making more money while doing it.

But does this mean that running regularly leads to entrepreneurial success? Both are related, but this relationship does not signify that one causes the other.

It is not the act of running that gives these entrepreneurs the edge, but what they learn from it.

Much as anyone may enjoy running, there are days when the first thought in the morning is, “let me skip it for today because…(I am not feeling welI, had a late night, or you can add your favourite excuse here).” And you can close this thought with a clincher: “One day will not make a difference.”

All runners go through this. Many of us perhaps started on an exercise regimen only to discontinue it a few days later.