Winning Against the Odds: What Small Businesses Can Learn from the Indiana Hoosiers
Coach Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers have been a topic of discussion.
The Hoosiers enjoyed success in their 2024 season, with only two losses to highly reputable programs, but still seemed to be overlooked heading into the 2025/2026 season.
When something unbelievable is happening, people either cast doubt or ask a lot of questions...
Q: “Will they be good again this year?”
A: They were. They went 11–2 in 2024 and 16-0 in the 2025/2026 season
Q: “Did they bring in a pile of 5-star players?”
A: Described as a “3-star-laden roster,” they didn’t meet the “blue-chip” ratio…
Q: “We’ll see how they stack up against Ohio State or SEC teams…”
A: They made it look easy. IU won the Big Ten Championship and flexed a 38–3 win over Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
So… how did Curt Cignetti take the most losing program in college football and win the CFP in under two years? And why should that matter to businesses, especially in the SMB space?
Family-owned and privately held businesses are often positioned as the “underdog,” competing with large national public companies that have bigger budgets, lower costs, deeper talent pools, more advanced technology, stronger brand recognition, and built-in competitive advantages.
Cignetti and the Hoosiers’ success has been attributed to the dedication and maniacal focus he brings to executing as a team.
The coach’s famous quote, “It’s pretty simple, I win. Google me,” has made its way onto fan apparel and social media posts across the U.S. Whether you dislike his confident (sometimes borderline arrogant) posture with the media or you love it—he won. They won. And chances are, you don’t need to “Google it” to know.
So why? Is discipline enough to be the best? From Cosgrove Partners’ (CP) position…
it’s a vital piece…but not the whole story.
The Art of Execution
We attribute their success to the same pillars that help businesses in the SMB market stand out and win against “impossible odds.”
Winning requires a combination of strategy and execution. It’s not one call, one play (or one Heisman-level player), or one motivating halftime speech.
It requires a Vision that is both aspirational and achievable, along with clearly defined measures, metrics, and milestones to reach it.
It requires Values that resonate with your people and act as a guiding force, influencing decisions at every level.
It requires a combination of Strong Marketing, thoughtful branding, intentional competitive analysis, and account strategies that help build true “fans” of your brand.
It requires the People and HR disciplines to attract top talent, to know how to win with the team you have today and motivating individual contributors to value team success over personal accolades. That means building a culture that is attractive to new recruits while prioritizing teamwork, driving engagement, and fostering loyalty.
Your people must know you believe in them just as much as you ask them to believe in your leadership.
Brand. Culture. Strategy.
Cignetti built a brand and culture that prioritize winning and team unity. During Big Ten Media Day, he was quoted saying, “Sometimes you have to be bold and arrogant to show your team you have confidence in them.”
The reality is that Cignetti and the Hoosiers decided who they were, how they would position themselves, and how they would measure success.
They stuck to it and they achieved their vision.
The plan doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be liked or accepted by everyone, it just has to work for you, your business, and your culture.It will require revision. It will require adjustments. And it will require practice, over and over and over.
At CP, we call this the “art of execution.” Many businesses can sit in a room and create a great strategy—it’s the discipline to execute against it that yields results.
The Hoosiers built a strategy and plan with winning as the goal, and Cignetti implemented the culture and operating rhythm required to execute it.
