The Lie Entrepreneurs Are Taught: “There’s No I in Team”
You’ve heard it your whole life - “There’s no I in team.”
In sports, in school, in business, it’s treated like a moral rule: If you want to succeed, you should shrink your individuality for the group. If you stand out, you’re ego-driven. If you want to win, you should blend in.
But what if that advice is exactly what makes teams weak?
In this conversation, Joey Crum (author of There Is an I in Win) challenges the idea that individual excellence and teamwork are opposing forces. His core belief is simple:
Strong individuals make great teams. Weak individuals make fragile teams.
And for entrepreneurs, that message hits hard, because the reality is: your business can only grow as far as you do.
“There Is an I in Win” Doesn’t Mean Going Alone
When people hear the phrase “There is an I in win,” they assume it’s about ego. About being a lone wolf.But that’ s not the point.
The point is responsibility. Joey’s argument is that being on a team doesn’t mean you subvert yourself. It means you show up with:
Accountability
Integrity
Authenticity
High standards
Ownership of your performance
Because when you do that, your “I” elevates the whole group.
He uses a powerful frame:
Winning isn’t one good season
It’s building something lasting
The best teams are full of people who bring their A-game
Even monumental achievements (like going to the moon) weren’t done by “C players.” They were done by strong individuals working together.
Redefining What “Winning” Actually Means
A lot of entrepreneurs chase a pre-built definition of success:
Money
Status
Titles
Recognition
Revenue milestones
None of those are “bad.” But Joey points out something most founders feel at least once: You hit the goal… and still feel empty.
That’s when the real work begins. Because real winning isn’t only external. It’s internal.
Winning looks like:
Quality of life
Peace
Alignment with purpose
Serving the people you truly want to serve
Integrity you don’t compromise
And when those internal drivers are right, the external results tend to follow.
Leadership Starts With Self-Leadership
One of the sharpest parts of this conversation is the distinction between having a title and being a leader.
People with titles can be in leadership positions. but real leaders are the ones who attract followers, the ones people trust enough to join. And that trust starts with one trait:
Genuine Accountability (The Unsexy Superpower)
Joey defines accountability in a way that’s brutally practical: Don’t lie to yourself. If you make a promise to you, keep it. That’s individual accountability.
It explains why New Year’s resolutions fail. People commit… then break trust with themselves… then wonder why their confidence collapses.
But when you keep your commitments, something changes:
You build momentum
You learn your strengths and weaknesses
You become more honest and authentic
People gravitate toward you
Because others can feel when someone is consistent. Also, one of the strongest leadership signals:
Admitting when you’re wrong. Not defensiveness. Not excuses. Ownership. That gives the people around you permission to be human, and still grow.
For solopreneurs especially, this matters more than motivation ever will, because:
The buck stops with you
The mission starts with you
If you don’t hit targets, you have to analyze why and move
Fear, Failure, and Faith: The Entrepreneur’s Reality Loop
Every entrepreneur faces uncertainty. Even the confident ones. Joey frames fear and failure as universal and not just unavoidable, but necessary:
Necessary for growth
Necessary for innovation
Necessary for becoming better
He describes “faith” not strictly in a religious sense, but as belief in:
Yourself
Your purpose
The process
Your ability to pivot
And the way that belief is built is surprising: Through micro-failures. Small rejections. Small misses. Small setbacks.
Each one becomes a training ground. You wake up the next day, realize you’re still standing, and build resilience.
The goal isn’t to eliminate fear. The goal is to face obstacles anyway, because that’s where faith is strengthened.
A key takeaway here is also avoiding catastrophic failure:
Take reasonable bets
Try new ideas
Learn what doesn’t work
Improve your weaknesses or supplement them with the right people
That’s how you keep moving forward without blowing up the entire system.
Innovation Isn’t “Big Breakthroughs”, It’s Daily Improvements
One of the best ideas in this discussion is how Joey reframes innovation. Innovation is not only tech. Not only “breakthroughs.”
It’s the mindset of asking:
How can I make this better?
For entrepreneurs who wear every hat, it’s easy to slip into survival mode. And Joey argues that’s exactly when innovation matters most.
Because small improvements create:
Momentum
Confidence
Reduced uncertainty
Better processes
Better customer experiences
Better habits
He also links innovation to humility + curiosity:
Humility to admit you don’t know everything
Curiosity to keep learning and improving
And the most important line: Progress doesn’t require perfection. It’s a process. A journey. A stack of small wins.
Final Takeaway: Winning Starts Before You Hit the Goal
Joey’s closing message is simple and strong: Winning doesn’t start when you achieve the outcome. Winning starts way before that, with internal habits and ownership.
The “I” isn’t ego. It’s intentionality.
Show up
Stay consistent
Be accountable
Be authentic
Believe in yourself and the people around you
And if you don’t have 100% today? Give your 70%. Fully.
Where to Get the Book
Joey Crum’s book There Is an I in Win is available in:
eBook
Paperback
Hardback
Audiobook on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and also on his website.
