Nobody would ever use the term “fitness buff” to describe me. Let’s get that much straight.
But I do go through my fits and spurts.
I‘m a decade into my midlife crisis. Running (slowly) a half marathon in Stavanger on Saturday.
Øyvind Bauge is a personal trainer whom I’ve trained with over the years, from interval training at Fana Stadium to weight training at local gyms... and he’s become one of my closest friends in the process, despite the nearly 22 years between us.
I am one of those types who, yes, is all or nothing. I’m a morning person. I like to wake up early and do hours of work before the kids get up and start to make demands. I‘ve now traded that morning work time for morning workout time. At first I felt hugely guilty about it, the idea that I was sacrificing that uber quality work time (the time when I can think most clearly, do “real work”) for going for a run, but now I see the dividends from training far far outweigh whatever benefits I gained (perceived or actual) from morning “work focus” time.
When I was younger I thought the business success formula =
how intense, i.e. “on” I was
+
amount of hours spent working
+
no small amount of luck.
But in fact taking good care of yourself is the the #1 factor that leads to all sorts of “luck” and positive ripple effects.
I am perfectly aware, btw, that what I am saying here is nothing miraculous or Buddha like insightful. We all know this, somewhere inside. It’s about putting it to practice, consistently - there’s the rub.
For longer than I care to remember I’ve been a consultant. I have my own little company and I go from project to project. Most of my work involves helping risky companies get out of risk and finding a path to growth. I live with an enormous amount of stress, and most of my clients (friends) are dealing with enormous amounts of stress as well (which I imbibe and inherit too). Stress meaning: running out of cash in less than 6 months (sometimes 6 weeks).
I‘ve been in board rooms and meetings where you simply would not believe the level of toxic behaviour that results from this stress. I’ve been on the receiving end of withering (childish) insults and criticism from people I count as good friends, and I have behaved in ways myself that I truly regret. I’ve lashed out at people in a nearly unhinged way, and when I look back at it (ashamed), I say to myself - stress. Too. Much. Stress.
I know entrepreneurs who have mortgaged all they own for their businesses (unwisely) and lost it all, the house, everything. I know entrepreneurs who have been completely fucked over by investors, left with nothing. And I know entrepreneurs who have completely fucked over their investors, leaving them with nothing. I know entrepreneurs who no longer speak to their cofounders - or in fact, hate their former cofounders. I know entrepreneurs who say to me over beers, if I had known then what I know now, I would never ever have started this business. I know entrepreneurs who have been at it for 10+ years and not cracked €3m in annual reliable revenue yet. I know entrepreneurs who are now divorced and see their kids every other week.
So in working out together, Øvyind and I have had a long ongoing conversation about applying what he knows - how to coach people into feeling better about themselves, physically and mentally, step by step, with what I know, helping entrepreneurs find ways to grow their businesses.
We will start with the people. For the people are the business. With a project called Be Better.
Let me say it again: It’s not the tech that makes the difference, it’s the people. Time and time again, I meet investors and entrepreneurs who might say these words (“we focus on the team”) but their actions speak otherwise. Unfortunately I find it the rule that people (investors, management) think it’s actually the tech (their “invention”) that creates the moat, the edge, the competitive difference, not necessarily the people.
At Be Better, we believe the opposite. People Lead. Tech Follows.
We believe
Better People = Better Business
Stronger Team = Stronger Business
Better Culture = Better Business
Better is Better.
We intend to profoundly impact these 3 key areas:
better retention rates
better recruitment rates
better financial results
We actually hatched this project in the 6 months leading up to Corona. And of course the idea of bringing fitness training to the workplace was a non starter in Spring 2020.
However, we did conduct a monthlong pilot with a friend who was the MD of a marketing agency here in Bergen. One day per week where Øyvind trained a team of 5 individually and then in a group setting - outdoors. We sat down for sushi at the end of June 2020 to discuss the results. And even after just one month the positive effect was clear if not a bit astounding. People were already feeling better about themselves and were bonding as a team about the experience. And the range of fitness levels spanned the gamut from “haven’t been to the gym in years” to “I train 3 - 4x per week.”
The elephant in the room is that sponsoring gym memberships does not work. Those who are already training say “great, thanks” and those who do not train either do not use it or show up for a few trainings, feel deeply uncomfortable and quit. This is data speaking from our trainers who have spent quite a bit of time in gym environments.
Gyms are deeply intimidating places for the newbie or for somebody who is just getting back at it. I was in my 40s, married with 3 kids, when I started trying to workout again. I did not care about impressing the ladies or keeping up with the meatheads - and still I felt deeply self conscious going in there again. Pasta arms, bird legs, balding hair and shiny new shoes. I invested in a starter series of training sessions with Øyvind, but otherwise, it would have been a disaster. Absolutely everybody in that gym seemed super fit already. Not another person looked like me - or so I felt. Now that I am in the gym and running a fair bit I feel nothing but love, support and “Get on ya mate!” inside when I see a nervous newbie come into the training center. But as a newbie yourself, you feel only horror and anxiety.
If you’re running a business, just sponsoring gym memberships does not work as a team building or culture building mechanism for the company - it’s a “checkbox benefit.”
We integrate training + diet advice + coaching into the company culture and intend to prove beyond doubt our program has a mega impact on retention + recruitment + revenue. With before and after case studies. With data.
Already the data shows that for companies who have pioneered human performance, like Exos, a company we deeply admire and intend to learn from, the benefits are clear, enormous and across the board. I sample below from various case studies Exos has published:
“80% reporting less stress and improved energy”
“70% felt increased loyalty to the company”
“93% employee retention”
“lowered fat mass and cholesterol + increased muscle mass”
These are the stories Øyvind and I want to tell too.
We are currently looking for anchor customers to partner with us in 2023 - primarily in Bergen area to start. We need to stay local, stay focused, i.e. “do things that don’t scale first” and grow it from there.
No fancy website yet. We’re just reaching out to our network to see about a few pilot projects in the new year and then focus on them and the results.
We welcome inquiries.
Kind of you buddy. I wish I had stuck with rock climbing. Amazing practice. But running has become my therapy now. As important for mental shape as it is for physical ... miss our talks my friend.
Kelly may not remember this but he espoused the benefits of rock climbing to me many years ago because it forced him to focus on what he was doing in the moment. I have thought of that many times as I run on the trails near my home. Trail running forces that same level of focus. Each step matters.
I hope your new Be Better gets legs and transforms a lot of businesses. Good luck Mr. Moulton.