Oh shit, we’ve just had another baby
No don’t be daft, my family is plenty big enough (and by far and away my number 1 love), but I have always thought a startup is a bit like a new baby. It creates extreme feelings of wonder and fear in equal amounts. It’s a lot harder to conceive than you can imagine. Oh, you feel so good as it takes its first steps. Almost daily something appalling happens which makes you wonder why you’re stupid enough to be doing it. But forming a team and the prospect of shaping something together, it’s like nothing else.
It all started somewhere in Italy after sitting on a bike cycling 3,000 odd kilometres with Cat Forrest, my co founder. This was 2016 and we were doing an amazing charity adventure with Virgin Strive. Cat was always at the front of the pack and I was always nearer the back but it gave us time to think.
And after picking the brains of our two other co founders (David McCreary and Matt Harrison), we’ve kicked off something new and we’ve called it Eastnine.
Like nothing else I’ve done before, Eastnine is on a serious mission to do something truly useful and good for people. When we look back in many years time we want to have solved the problem that we’ve all felt at times — we want to help people banish that ‘not today’ feeling from everyday exercise. What we’ll have created, in time, is a very new sort of global athletic club, built by athletes for athletes of all abilities. And in the next month our beta will be available to try out — it’s our unique way into delivering an on demand running club with audio group coaching sessions.
Over the next weeks we’ll share more on the detail of the service we are building and anyone who’s curious should jump on the beta. But here I want to remind ourselves what will enable Eastnine to fulfil its unique potential. To do some real good will take some amazing technology, but what will stand us apart is how we do business together.
Here are the 5 simple rules for how we do stuff at Eastnine
1. There isn’t a script. Be yourself. The more diverse we are the better.
I went out the other night with two of our team Nuno and Jerome. They are both talented Portuguese engineers but what struck me the most about them as we sat having some dinner in a small cafe in Lisbon, was how lucky I was to be learning new things from them. Learning about product development, learning about ultra running and the best local jazz clubs, laughing about how hard it is to be a good dad. What makes Eastnine so rewarding is forming these new relationships and learning from the most diverse talented group.
2. We don’t know anything. We believe in openness and partnership.
In my first job I worked for a guy called Suj Summer. I’d just graduated from Cambridge University and I thought I was a bit special. Suj gave me one particularly good piece of advice soon after meeting me and after a not very productive meeting. He said ‘Jason…the one thing I want you to remember is that you don’t know anything….NOTHING…..and the longer you hold onto that thought you may just stand a small chance of doing something worthwhile.’ At the time I didn’t immediately like what I was hearing. In fact in the first instance I thought Suj was an ass. But not long after I realised he was probably one of the best at what he did in the building and his advice has proved invaluable.
If we are going to achieve something incredible at Eastnine we’ll need to learn from, partner with, and build support from so many people, organisations and businesses, so let’s remember how little we know.
3. We value the team above all, supporting each other to be better / go faster.
I’m 48 years old and finally have realised that everything good that has happened in my life has come as a result of great teamwork. The bad stuff that happened was when I was acting alone and not listening carefully. We know that’s true of training too. You are much better off going out for a cycle or a run in a group. I think humans are meant to hunt in packs and carry each other along. So above all we’ll treat each other like family. And as a result we’ll all go faster.
4. Demand & deliver real results not fluff.
We’ll succeed because we create momentum. Blah blah and hype can’t belie real numbers. We need to make the time we have count. Our performance is ultimately measured in results. Data that shows us that our members love using what we’ve created. The data tells a story and if your teammates aren’t helping you deliver the right results then you have to say something LOUDLY and fast.
5. Creativity like running makes our hearts beat. Sweat those details every day.
What I love about working in our two bases in Lisbon or E9, London is the vast creative energy that we tap into and I hope contribute to. It comes from the mad combination of people, the unruly environment and the special little details. For me I need this creativity like I need oxygen, food cooked with love or a long run with good friends.
In truth if you want to know why I wanted to start Eastnine, it’s because I’ve missed this creative process, owning the tiny details and together with my Partners I’m loving every minute of creating and nurturing our new baby.
If this way of doing business sounds like it rings true to you and you want to get involved at the outset. Today we are building a running club of like minded people. You don’t have to be a future Olympic star. Just someone who wants to learn from others who really knows how to train and how to go faster.
Curious and want to get involved please sign up for the beta at www.eastnine.fit
We’ll be grateful for your feedback on what we are doing and will welcome you with open arms.
