Open for Business

Summary

Open For Business: business advice from a fresh [water] perspective.

A new business book based on the business lessons I have learned while open water swimming, providing:

- Motivation and inspiration for business people
- A new perspective from which to view your challenges
- Case studies from both business and open water swimming

This book will encourage, enthuse and stimulate anyone running their own business, a department or starting a new project. It will take the lessons from open water swimming - a world that also requires hard work, mental strength and the ability to overcome obstacles to reach success - and apply them to business in an easy to digest way. It will contain lots of examples, stories and case studies from both business people and open water swimmers.

Intended to offer a different perspective from the traditional business books, Open for Business will appeal to business people, swimmers and any lover of endurance sports.

About the Book

The book draws on the analogies between open water swimming and business and offers business advice and motivation through the stories and struggles of open water swimmers.

- Goal setting - whether it’s to swim across the lake, or to win new business
- The loneliness - open water swimming is an individual sport and many of your peers will think you’re mad at first, if you’re starting your own business the same is true
- Overcoming obstacles - the currents in the English Channel and an unexpected tax bill don’t appear to have a lot in common, but they can both blow you off course and both require you to refocus and dig in to achieve your goal
- Hard work - getting up early, long hours and always having water in your ears are all needed to be successful at both swimming and business (ok, maybe not the last one)
- Fun - having said all of that they are both meant to be fun, so we’ll highlight this as well

What Next?

The book is currently in the planning stage and is based on what I have learnt from open water swimming about myself, about how to judge and value success, and how to achieve that success. Many of these lessons I have already applied to my own business.

However, to make this a truly universal book - with advice that can apply to everyone - I want to robustly test these lessons.

I will swim more. I will test and re-test and expose myself to potentially new swimming situations that may require new theories or solutions and may result in lessons that I thought could be universally applied being amended, updated or dropped altogether.

I will meet, chat to and discuss these theories with more people - both swimmers and business people. I will test my theories against real-life examples and to listen to and record other stories and anecdotes. Business case studies will be used to provide illustrations of the lessons being made.

To do this I have targeted five swims for 2015. As well as swimming, I will meet and talk to as many local swimmers and business people before, during and after each swim. The swims are:

Gibraltar Straits - swimming from Spain to the African coast and the longest swim on the list (c. 20km)

Hellespont - a crossing from Europe to Asia as part of Turkey’s annual 'Victory Day' race, and a great way to meet hundreds of international swimmers

Alcatraz - from the iconic prison island to the bay of San Francisco, a very hard tidal swim and a chance to chat to US business people and swimmers

English Channel (relay) - a tough, tough swim that will test many of the theories (especially the fun one)

Coniston - a beautiful 5.25 mile swim in the English Lake District I will swim each of these events, but also meet people, chat and learn.

Why Crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is an excellent way to connect with a large group of people who may each want to help out a project with a small investment each. Not only that, but it gives you the chance to pre-order the book (or choose one of the other rewards on offer).

The money raised through this platform will go to cover the costs of traveling to and entering the events listed above. For each event I will stay for at least a day longer than needed purely to swim it, so that I can meet and chat to local business people and swimmers.

The money will also be used to pay for the print costs of the book and to ensure the first print run.

If I fail to hit my target amount, then I will reduce the number of swims I enter in 2015 and reduce the distances I travel (the Alcatraz swim will be the first one to be knocked off the list).

However, if I go over my target, then I will use the additional money to speed up the writing of the book - I will be able to take some time off from my day job and complete the book sooner

About the Author

I have been running my own business for eleven years. My current business (Joshua PR) is over six years old and going strong, but there have also a few not so successful businesses along the way too.

I have been open water swimming for three years, although my links to open water swimming are much deeper as I’m the grandson of one of the founder members of the British Long Distance Swimming Association (BLDSA).

So far, my swimming CV includes:

- Windermere (twice)
- Coniston (twice)
- English Channel (relay)
- Two-way Bala

I have been talking and blogging about the link between the two activities since the start of 2014 and as well as speaking at events, you can see some of my published articles here and here.

You can view my personal blog here. You can view the Open for Business blog here.