Harvard Business School Insights: Career, Training & Personal Growth Tips

Being back in South Africa, I am constantly reminded of the humble beginnings of starting out. It was simple, you tried to listen and learn to what the pioneers of the sport were doing. An open mind where I think lots of information helps, asking as many questions refines what works for you as a rule of thumb for training and life I think. In my burgeoning years as an aspiring professional, my Dad lent me his bike to train and race on, until bit by bit I saved enough money to buy my own. That was until I sold it (my Dad also sold his own bike) so I could have enough money to buy a plane ticket and 'try make it’ over in Europe.

In the early 2000’s, the top of the sponsorship pyramid had a relatively simple blue print that would pay a monthly retainer, naturally the bigger the better to make ends meet. Endemic brands from within the sport held the ‘Trisuit’ space tightly. Athlete innovation was not really a high consideration as R&D departments did the ground work. Though as my career progressed my appetite for improvement became more obsessive as I felt heavily invested in every aspect of my performance, equipment and apparel. It wasn’t until 2016 that another option appeared on my horizon. It meant taking a bet on a small company to grow it into something bigger down the line, however it meant taking equity instead of a salary. That company was RYZON - a small German company that grew from being 5 to 55 employees, more on that next week.

This was a completely new way of thinking to me. Sacrificing a monthly income and hoping that one day, a participation in a company may actually be worth something, hopefully more than what you could have safely banked in the first place. That’s one side of the coin. The other is that you become partners and the influence as an athlete you can have on the brand changes. Building the fastest suit for you, the look and feel becomes yours… It’s a chance to get involved on a much deeper level.

I learned it’s what’s called having ‘skin in the game’ and at the point in my career I felt ready. With so many brands appearing in a relatively small market it can be hard to get an edge, visibility and expose uniqueness. The balance naturally needs to occur, firstly as an athlete! Your priority is to win races and honestly speaking, sometimes responsibilities towards sponsors take a back seat over getting the performance right. The two essentially need to go hand in hand; winning certainly gets the attention, though it doesn’t always go to plan 100% of the time as much as we put the effort in to make it happen on race day.

Anita Elberse from Harvard Business School started a program back in 2103 called ‘Transition to Business. An invite only course for athletes looks to up skill in business, while making the most of their time as athletes, but more importantly beyond their active career. I guess a few too many of us went broke over the years. It’s a basic financial course, though where it gets interesting is the case studies of various athletes and clubs that play in the really big league of professional sports. Our introduction was the Lebron James case and it was eye opening to me. He and his best friend were doing the ‘same thing’ that my best friend Felix and I had been doing - granted the sums they were talking of had a few more zeroes. Though the principle was a very similar one. Taking a risk for financial reward is obviously nothing new, but I found it helps if you can help steer the ship in the right direction. In that same vein, athletes look to find a creative output and in turn build their own brand.

It’s not everyone’s cup of tea and there are plenty other cases, such as the one of Maria Sharapova. But getting an in depth look at how some of the worlds best athletes structure the commercial side of their career was both interesting and reassuring. Finding your own way and building a brand is not nearly as analog as the performance side of sport since you never really know if another call may have worked out better. Surrounding yourself with a completely random mix of really good athletes around a topic that is out of most of our depths was a great way to learn. We may not have agreed on which strategy Lebron should choose or how the Laver Cup should be built, though the sense of competition was palpable - all in good spirits and a great motivator to keep learning.

Run workout of the week

I’ve finally found a bit of rhythm on my running again. Nothing crazy but I find doing some intervals helps break the phase of feeling outright average quicker. My go to are short hill reps. 30 seconds up, easy down. Start with 6 or 8 and then build into 2 sets of 6 with 5min easy, 2 by 8 and for general use I don’t think you ever need more than 2 by 10 by 30 seconds. Intensity with less impact, great for efficiency and a great start (or finish) to the day.

Travel accessory that’s changed my world…

Not sponsored, just a really useful tool as a cyclist that my wife found for me. Mini compressors have become way more popular lately and it’s basically goodbye to CO2 canisters. Just as well, since I can’t recall how many I’ve had to hand in at airport security. After a few years mine is held together by tape but reliably fills 2 tires and simply recharges. Less waste, less hassle and no more looking for a bike shop before your first ride after a plane trip. There are plenty out on the market these days, this one is by Fumpa.

Saturday afternoon playlist

A little list I put together for a late weekend lunch.

See you next week…

One more in South Africa for me, even a little Safari on the cards. Some great news coming - I have a feeling it’s going to be a week to remember. Have a great weekend,

Jan.

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