Misfit Entrepreneur June 2025 - 451: The 1% Better Mindset, Marc Nudelberg on High-Performance Habits and Leadership

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Dave Lukas Chats with Marc Nudelberg

451: The 1% Better Mindset, Marc Nudelberg on High-Performance Habits and Leadership

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Marc Nudelberg. Marc is a TEDx speaker, bestselling author, award-winning leadership and sales coach, and the president of On the Ball, a family-owned coaching agency that’s been helping businesses grow for over 25 years.

Marc’s journey began on the sidelines—as an NCAA Division I football coach—where he learned the power of discipline, culture, and performance under pressure. But he didn’t stop there. Recognizing that leadership fundamentals transcend the game, he transitioned from coaching athletes to coaching entrepreneurs, executives, and high-performing teams across industries.

Under Marc’s leadership, On the Ball has become a nationally recognized brand, working with organizations like Aflac, City Furniture, Amerant Bank, and UKG. His unique blend of sports discipline and business savvy has fueled explosive growth, earning the firm a spot as a Seminole 100 honoree for the fastest-growing companies led by FSU alumni.

On thing that caught my attention with Marc is his belief in getting 1% better every day—and little successes added up to huge wins. I totally agree with this philosophy and had to have him on to discuss this and more.

Website: https://ontheball.co
LinkedIn: Marc Nudelberg
Instagram: @coachnoodle

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Show Notes

Marc's journey is rooted in a blend of athletic success and an entrepreneurial upbringing. Growing up in a family business gave Marc early exposure to entrepreneurship. While many of his peers came from traditional career-oriented families, Marc was inspired by his father’s freedom to create his own path. That mindset pushed him to seize opportunities—starting as an equipment manager on scholarship at Florida State University, he turned that role into a student coaching position and eventually a 10-year career coaching NCAA Division I football. He climbed the ranks, moving through respected programs like the University of Cincinnati and University of Florida, before ultimately deciding he wanted more control over his destiny. That led him to reboot his family’s business, On the Ball, pivoting it into a performance and leadership coaching firm. Under his leadership, the company has become a nationally recognized brand serving companies like Aflac, City Furniture, Amerant Bank, and UKG.

What lessons from the locker room have helped shape your business mindset?

Discipline to process is paramount—success in sports and business comes from executing tiny details consistently.
Most companies lack defined frameworks for success; athletes often struggle in corporate life without them.
Marc learned that disciplined repetition (363 out of 365 days) beats flashy tactics or hype.
High performance doesn’t split “work life” and “personal life”—it’s all one integrated whole.
Success means feeding your business, family, and self with consistent habits.

Let’s talk about the “1% better” mindset. What does that look like in a team or company setting?

Inspired by Atomic Habits, but Marc had preached the concept long before the phrase was coined.
It’s not about literally improving every day, but about committing to the process—even when results don’t show up immediately.
Resilience comes from trying despite setbacks; it’s about long-term gains, not daily perfection.
Success stems from doing the right things today to earn macro-level growth over time.

Why are time management and mindset foundational to performance?

Comes from the sports concept of “controlling the controllables”—your focus and your actions.
NCAA football time limits forced Marc to plan practice down to the minute—this now informs his business time blocking.
“Clear mind, fast feet” comes from cutting down thinking and maximizing execution.
Proper time blocking reduces anxiety, improves results, and leads to peak productivity without burnout.

How do you coach someone to structure their time and build that system?

First, define your personal priorities: self, family, business.
Then define the roles you play in each category (e.g., father, CEO, spouse).
From roles, define behaviors that support them—then schedule those behaviors.
If it’s not on the calendar, it won’t get done.
Without a system, people take on others’ priorities instead of their own.

What does your modern sales coaching process look like, and how does it drive results?

Fundamentals haven’t changed: people still buy from those they know, like, and trust.
The mistake? Using outdated tactics from the ’80s (think Glengarry Glen Ross).
Use modern tools—especially video and social media—to build relationships at scale.
Focus is on relationship-building, not selling tactics up front.
Sales should feel more like natural conversations than cold outreach.

What are the steps to start implementing your sales process?

Start with defining your Ideal Client Profile (ICP)—not everyone is a fit.
Use research tools (even AI like ChatGPT) to personalize outreach.
Choose the right platform (LinkedIn, email, SMS) based on where your audience is active.
Use video to create a personalized “virtual coffee” invite.
Target 5 quality conversations per day (1,200/year) using a consistent, repeatable process.

What are the key elements of high-performing cultures?

Culture = behavior + decision-making based on values—not just feel-good posters on the wall.
Values are worthless unless known, lived, and enforced through accountability.
Most companies fail by setting values and never revisiting them.
“Disciplined people make decisions based on what they have to do, not how they feel.” – Nick Saban

What are some of the failures that helped shape your growth?

At 26, Marc became the youngest special teams coordinator in Division I football—but lost his job when the head coach replaced him with a friend.
That failure taught him control is an illusion—but response is everything.
Created a 24-hour process for processing emotion → learning → acting.
That setback ultimately led him to an even better role at the University of Florida.
“Failure is your friend if you know how to learn from it.”

If you could teach only one principle to the next generation of entrepreneurs, what would it be?

Everything revolves around relationships—clients, team, mentors, partners.
Strong relationships drive revenue, growth, and fulfillment.
Focus on connection first—results follow.

Best Quote

It might not be your fault, but it's your responsibility.

Chase your passion and know that it’s OK for it to change.

Make failure your friend.

Don’t be afraid to change.

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