Running with My Head Down

An Entrepreneur’s Story of Passion, Perseverance, and Purpose

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Pub Date 01 Oct 2019 | Archive Date 11 Oct 2019
Greenleaf Book Group | Greenleaf Book Group Press

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Description

A no-holds-barred rags-to-riches story of finding your purpose and living a life of no regrets.

Running with My Head Down is the inspirational story of one man’s search for purpose and meaning, a quest without limitation that ultimately leads to unique business success and personal fulfillment.

A native of Queens, New York, Frank was born into a working-class family, surrounded by the unified love of his parents. But in the mid-1970s, the nine-year-old was deeply impacted by his parents’ divorce. Emotional and financial turmoil follow, fueling Frank’s burning passion to discover his direction in life, and with it, certainty and security.

During his difficult school years when Frank was underestimated by teachers, he discovered his love of baseball—not just playing it, but becoming a fanatical student of the game. It became an all-out obsession that he would later turn into a multi-million-dollar franchise sports business by creating his own leagues.

Follow Frank’s journey from his early days after college unhappily working in medical sales to the brilliant stroke of starting an adult softball league—and then to strategically expanding his dream by creating i9 Sports, which becomes the nation’s largest youth sports franchise. After much inner struggle about defining his true purpose in life, Frank ultimately sell his company, having had a startling epiphany.

Through it all, we see how Frank’s purpose finds him again and again. A series of unique people come into his life, including peak performance coach Tony Robbins, who has a profound effect on Frank’s personal development. No matter what obstacles arise, Frank remains laser-focused, always purposely running with his head down.

This guide to personal and professional growth is filled with valuable strategies relevant to entrepreneurs and anyone who wants to lead a happier life. Transformative lessons and business insights include—

The Passion Priority: How to transform the needs of your soul into reality, channeling the power of your vision.

The Live Your Life With No Regrets Motto: Learn when to take a risk and go all in—banking on passion, not on security.

The Entrepreneur Identity Crisis: How to overcome the self-limiting belief that your identity is your business.

The Lonely at the Top Syndrome: How to build a solid relationship with your employees without losing your authority and the secret to overcoming CEO isolation. 

The Executive Burnout Phase: Identifying the signs of mental and physical overload and utilizing powerful techniques for restoring life balance.

The Affluenza Affair: How to recreate the spark in your business in order to feel the same ambition and hunger as you once did.

The Critics and Crises: How to handle internal company crises and external criticism.

The Influence of Family and Friends: How to deal with a skeptical support network—and what to do when their advice, values, and judgments don’t match yours.

The Spiritual Awakening: How to expand your self-awareness through a passionate commitment to personal growth and self-care.

And More!

Frank graduated from St. John’s University and began a career as a medical equipment sales rep, though he was determined to pursue his life’s true purpose. So in l995, he created his own adult men’s softball league, ABA Sports. The start-up company quickly grew to over 900 teams in just six years, making it the largest adult sports organization on Long Island.

In 2003, Frank sold ABA Sports in order to create i9 Sports, a business that catapulted him to national recognition and that Entrepreneur magazine ranked as the #1 children’s fitness franchise. Frank has been featured on Fox Business News, HBO Real Sports, and in dozens of publications and national news media outlets, including USA Today, Sports Illustrated, and The Wall Street Journal. Frank sold i9 Sports in 2017 to a private equity firm, but remains a minority shareholder and member of the board of directors.

He resides in the Tampa Bay area with his wife, Nadine, their children, Taylor-Marie and Frankie, and their Chocolate Lab, Dillon.

A no-holds-barred rags-to-riches story of finding your purpose and living a life of no regrets.

Running with My Head Down is the inspirational story of one man’s search for purpose and meaning, a...


Advance Praise

"In his first book, Frank hits a home run, offering invaluable business lessons for entrepreneurs who want to create financial independence and a happy life." 

—Kevin Harrington, original shark investor from the hit TV show Shark Tank, inventor of the infomercial, and best-selling author.


“Frank is a smart entrepreneur! I love when entrepreneurs become aware of their limitations and figure out how to leapfrog over them. Read Running with My Head Down and I’m certain you’ll learn a ton from Frank’s story of passion and perseverance!”

—Brian Scudamore Founder & CEO 1-800-GOT-JUNK? and O2E Brands


“Frank’s new book transports you from Yankee Stadium into the ‘stadium’ of life! You won’t soon forget this story about the quest for purpose and what it takes to make it a reality.”

—Glenn Plaskin, New York Times best-selling author


“I am so impressed with Frank Fiume’s incredible and inspiring story. He found and followed several ‘secrets for success’ to overcome obstacles and find fulfillment. I highly recommend it for anyone who dreams big!”

—Dr. Alan Shelton, Author, Transforming Burnout and Life Beyond Burnout


“Frank's inspiring story demonstrates what's possible when you live by the motto ‘A life of no regrets.’ I'm so proud of what he’s achieved and, more importantly, how he's contributed to helping the lives of others. This book is a must-read!"

—Ajay K. Gupta, Chief Investment Strategist, Creative Planning “


To start and succeed in business is no easy task. However, to not only franchise your idea, but to also be the first in your industry to do so is nothing short of spectacular. Frank’s book is a must-read for any entrepreneur aspiring to franchise their business!”

—Mark Siebert, CEO, The iFranchise Group


“Love this book immensely as true success is defined by one’s purpose in life and the perseverance to get there. Frank is as transparent as it gets where any leader can relate too.”

—Christopher Salem, CEO of CRS Group Holdings and EFA Movement


“Frank is an “everyman” entrepreneurial success story. While he is very smart, he didn’t make it because he is the smartest guy in the room. Frank isn’t fearless. He just doesn’t let fear get in the way of taking action. Frank isn’t flawless. He slams into guardrails, but he doesn’t go over them. Frank wins because he is passionate about his product, cares about people, and he hustles. One day my dad criticized me as a kid because my baseball uniform was too clean. He said, “If you aren’t dirty, you didn’t try hard enough.” Frank wins because Frank goes home dirty. Read this book, because you can learn from his success formula.”

—Joe Mathews, CEO, Franchise Performance Group


"I really liked this book because so many, many times, we hear only of the raging success stories. We so rarely hear about the deep, significant, potentially soul-crushing setbacks and struggles that are such a part of so many successful entrepreneurs’ stories."

–Tiffany Wright, The Resourceful CEO

"In his first book, Frank hits a home run, offering invaluable business lessons for entrepreneurs who want to create financial independence and a happy life." 

—Kevin Harrington, original shark...


Marketing Plan

National Trade Marketing and Sales Campaign

National broadcast and print publicity campaign

Advance distribution of Digital ARC via NetGalley to reviewers, bloggers, journalists, librarians, booksellers, and media

Online marketing including targeted advertising, advance giveaways, and trade advertising

Watch for author and book updates at www.frankfiume.com

National Trade Marketing and Sales Campaign

National broadcast and print publicity campaign

Advance distribution of Digital ARC via NetGalley to reviewers, bloggers, journalists, librarians...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781626346413
PRICE $20.95 (USD)

Average rating from 2 members


Featured Reviews

A saturday well spent..

Sometimes I feel so fortunate to be in such touch with books.

Recently I saw a father wearing the i9 coach shirt.

Golden handcuffs of his daily job reminded me of the The Golden Goose story, where you will be rewarded well each day, but only that much.



While running with your head down is one metaphor from baseball, going from one base to the other, after hitting the ball, another one I heard at Toastmasters is "live by the pitch" which is similar to the "follow th puck" or "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be." by Wayne Gretzky.


Fiume refers to the transformational influence of Tony Robbins's power of a minute.



The book struck a nice balance between the memoir and the business part of it. Fiume knew eaxctly what the league market/customers needed - personalised customer service, full 26 game schedule at the outset, updated statistics - scores and standings.


The author showed his mindscape, during the different stages of the growth of the business as well as how he seeked help and support through his mentor, attending conferences.


You get a little peak at the franchise business.


Fiume shows great candor in accepting and showing off his failures and flops louder than his success.



Frank Fiume's quotes.

"Finding your purpose is about making your own breaks and creating your own luck"


"We are not participating in the recession"


"There are always two businesses to manage - the one you are in and the one you are becoming"

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