The life (and business) lessons I’ve learned following Formula One

During the past 12 months I’ve been lucky enough – some would say crazy enough – to get out on the road as an accredited F1 photographer. While the racetrack might be a world away from my home and business life back in Perth, I’ve been astonished at what I’ve learnt that can be applied back into commercial life. I wanted to share some of these thoughts while they are fresh in my mind. They might sound simplistic but as I’ve learned in my travels, most of the important things are quite simple. We just need reminding of them every now and then.

 Take risks but do your preparation

My favourite race track on the F1 circuit is also the shortest, Monaco. Nelson Piquet, who was three times world champion, described driving this crazy, twisting circuit, which is surrounded by some of the most stunning scenery in the world, as being like ‘riding a bicycle around your living room’. After photographing the race at this particular track I can see what he means. The 3.337km Circuit de Monaco is a street circuit with the tightest corner of the F1 season and more than a few challenges besides. But the drivers, not to mention the spectators, love it! Yes, they have nerves of steel but spinning the world’s fastest racing machines around the winding roads of Monaco requires a combination of two things from the guys behind the wheel. They are number one, a willingness to take risks, and two, meticulous preparation. It’s the same with starting (and growing) a business. When I set up Messages On Hold in the spare bedroom of my apartment back in 1988, I had what I thought was a great idea along with my Disc Jockey skills (and so a good voice and an ability to write) and a perceived gap in the market, ie. no-one was really filling the ‘dead air’ customers faced while waiting on hold for businesses. That was pretty much it. I did my homework, gave it a go and here we are today. From re-using old cassette tapes in my first year of business to the most sophisticated audio technology available today and an operation servicing more than 13,000 sites in 20 countries.

Look for the angles

At the Monaco Grand Prix I was one of the only photographers to get up onto the roof of the iconic Fairmont Hotel on the Avenue des Spelugues, overlooking what has become known as the most famous hairpin in F1. I mounted a camera to the stand and set it to shoot wide while I remotely fired with a trigger on top of my second camera (which I planned to use to shoot tight in the event of an accident). I was one of the only photographers to get up onto the roof and could see the whole field as the cars came snaking around the corner in a blaze of colour and noise. I was reminded that going the extra mile and finding a new angle is sometimes the difference between ‘getting the money shot’ and not. If you’re banging your head against the wall in business, try a different way of looking at things. In my experience, getting a new perspective usually helps. It may even lead to a new business idea. One of my more recent ventures Canity evolved out of a realisation we had built up such a depth of customer knowledge running Messages on Hold that we should be sharing it with other customer service orientated businesses. We created online training course with modules made up of short animated video lessons and they’re doing fantastically well, particularly in the US.

Listen to advice and be grateful

I shot around 120 images (at 14 frames a second on a 1DXMk2 for any camera buffs) from the roof of the Fairmont Hotel as the field passed the first time in Monaco (and the resident guests lounged around the pool)! After a couple of laps I had packed up my gear when a photographer I knew from the circuit suggested there were some great shots to be had from the other side of the rooftop. It was an area I didn’t know about and he was right. I ended up getting some great perspectives from a spot I never would have known about. I’ve been most grateful to the range of photographers who have helped me over the first six F1 races this year – they’ve generously shared their knowledge and many tips. I’ve learnt that Formula 1 photography is about finding the right angle so as to show the cars in their best light but also the location. While you’re never short of a great background or foreground in Monaco, a little bit of help and advice helped me get even better photographs than I thought possible. I took a glorious shot of racing great Niki Lauda coming out of the hospitality tent at Montreal in June and I was lucky enough to have him look at me and hold his gaze so that I could record every line on his face and almost what he was thinking. When I was looking at it later I was thinking of everything he’s been through and the sorts of life lessons he would have to share. You can’t discount experience. I’ve learnt I should always listen to those around me and I’ve learnt to always, always, say thank you. The advice I received from people from all walks of life – young, old, experienced, inexperienced – has been invaluable.

Build a good team around you

The way this whole F1 thing started for me was in Abu Dhabi last year when I paid for a Red Bull package and got to go into the pits for the first time. I had the head phones on and I listened to Daniel Ricardo talking to his engineer and I thought then that so much of it is about the team. Make sure you find and recruit good people. Have individuals around you that you can trust and who will go the extra mile. I’ve got people with me who have been with me from the start. For my wife Tonya and I they are like family. I know when I’m off following F1 that the business is in capable hands and with modern technology there are all sorts of ways to stay in touch. I pretty much get a sense of people straight away, and if they’re smart and switched on and want to get involved and learn and develop, then I’m happy. In F1 it can be life and death. If someone doesn’t do their job properly there’s a driver out there on the track putting it all on the line. It might not be quite the same in business but it’s still important to have people behind you who have your back, who’ve thought of every last thing, who care about the business like it was their own. And of course you’ve got to look after them. A team of people who feel valued and who are invested in what you’re doing are an almost surefire guarantee of success.