Founding a business is incredibly hard, much harder than I originally thought. I didn't go into starting a business thinking it was easy, but the challenges that you face aren't for the faint hearted.
Over 90% of startups fail and only 1% ever get to more than £1m in annual revenue. Your chances of succeeding are extremely small, looking at it logically you wouldn't start a business. If you're looking to make your fortune by starting a business, there's certainly easier ways to do it. You have to be passionate about it, believe in the product and your team, put in the 60+ hours a week, and keep pushing when everything is against you.
They say it takes a village to raise a child, well it takes a town to grow a business. The level of emotion you go through is incredible, the fantastic highs and the stomach churning lows. Every day presents a new challenge to overcome, that's one of the main reasons I enjoy building companies, each day is different. But you need ways to get away from the stress, you need something and someone to lean on.
My 'role' is Chief Technology Officer, this would usually mean looking after product, infrastructure, security and maybe some IT. But in a startup it means all of that plus customer support, finance, HR, marketing, growth, and compliance to name a few. I'm not an expert in all of that and this presents a lot of challenges.
Most of what I have experienced will ring bells with pretty much all founders, my challenges aren't anything new or unique, but they can be overwhelming. They tend to not come in a nice orderly fashion, they'll sneak up on you and pounce all at the same time, out of the blue. It's a case of working out which fire to put out first and which others you have to let burn.
I needed an outlet
I'm terrible at expressing emotion, I compartmentalise everything. It means I handle emergencies well, staying focused on what needs to happen next instead of getting caught up in the moment. But the downside? I never actually process what's happened. I just shove it into a corner of my brain and leave it there, never to be dealt with. And that's not healthy, it builds up, whether you realise it or not.
I needed an outlet, somewhere to let go of that stress and anxiety.
For nearly 15 years I played volleyball 4/5 times a week. I played at a high level, even representing England internationally. Sport was everything to me in my teenage years. But that all ended when an injury forced me to stop playing. Just like that, it was over. I didn't transition into something else, I just stopped and drifted for a few years.
In my late 20s, I gave running a go. I was awful. As a teenager, I'd been a 100m and 200m sprinter, middle and long distance running had never been my thing. I just couldn't get into it. But what I did like was how simple it was. Just put on a pair of shoes and go.
At first, the going was slow. I could barely manage 3km, and even then, it was at a snail's pace. Progress was tough, and I wasn't enjoying it.
Running with a purpose
For years, I had an on again, off again relationship with running. I did just enough to keep my weight in check, but every run felt like a slog. I wasn't improving, and honestly, I wasn't enjoying it. It wasn't until my late 30s that something changed. Running finally clicked. I figured out why I was doing it—I had a purpose, one that actually motivated me.
Over time, I realised that running gave me the headspace to process everything going on in my mind. It was my time to unplug, to switch off from the world, and just go wherever my feet took me. And with that, I actually started to enjoy it.
Now, running serves two purposes for me:
- To clear my head — It helps me process what's happened in the day.
- To reduce my body fat % — Not just lose weight, but feel stronger and healthier.
The second one really stuck. I'd tried diets for years, and while I'd lose weight in the short term, it was always a chore and never sustainable. Shifting my focus to body fat percentage instead of the number on the scale changed everything. It meant I could actually gain weight but be fitter and leaner, and that made all the difference.
Once I had these two clear reasons, I started looking forward to running. I wasn't putting pressure on myself to hit a certain pace or distance—I was just running because I wanted to. And the funny thing? That's when I actually started getting better. My times dropped, my endurance improved, and suddenly, the 3km runs I used to struggle with felt easy.
Being part of a community
Every Sunday at 8 AM, I run with a group of friends known as the Old Man Running Group. We're a mixed bunch—some are seasoned Ironman competitors, while others are just starting out. But speed isn't the goal. It's about showing up, running together, and supporting each other. Running is one of the most accessible sports, you don't need fancy gear, just a basic pair of shoes, a T-shirt, and shorts. We cruise along, chatting about anything and everything, no pressure, no agenda. It's the perfect way to start the day.
Running has allowed me to process what's going on in my head but also get better at communicating with others. Don't get me wrong, I'm still shocking at talking about my emotions but I'm better than I was.
Men don't talk
It's no secret that men don't talk about their emotions, we bottle it up and keep it to ourselves. I'm a text book example of this, I'm not one of those people who can sit down and talk about their feelings. My body physically stops me from doing it, it's difficult thing to describe.
I've lost friends to suicide, people who you thought were doing really well, they seemed happy and successful. But secretly they were struggling, it's hard to know what to do, but just asking how they are doing is a good start.
It's a buffer to the worlds problems.
Running has got me out of some dark holes over the years. When things are tough with the business I'll go for a run and come back and attack the issue with a clear head. It's a buffer to the worlds problems. In a society where we are constantly overloaded with information, and a lot of it negative, to have the freedom to disconnect and just have peace is worth more than it's weight in gold.
What started as a way to clear my head has become an essential part of my weekly routine. Running gives me space to think, process challenges, and reset. It's not about chasing times or distances—it's about moving forward, one step at a time. If you're feeling overwhelmed, I can't recommend it enough. Start small, enjoy the process, and see where it takes you. You might be surprised at just how much it helps.