What Rugby Taught Me About Building a Business

A few years back, I was offered the privilege of captaining the 2nd XV team for Hampstead Rugby Club.

Taking on the captaincy was a challenge I couldn't resist, even with a lot of chaos going on in my personal life. I was stepping into something that wasn't just about rugby; it was about leadership, resilience, and building something from the ground up. And, interestingly enough, what I learned during that season shaped the way I approach running a business today.

Lesson 1: Copying the Best Works I remember one particular training session, our coach, who always had a way of simplifying the most complex things, shared some advice that stuck with me: "I watched the best players, thought about how they played, and just decided to do the same. It wasn’t that hard." It was almost laughable in its simplicity, but it worked. He improved his game, not by doing something extraordinary, but by observing and imitating those who were already excelling. Afterall, we're all just people.

In business, this approach has been invaluable. We often get caught up in the idea that we need to be original, to do everything differently to stand out. But the truth is, there's incredible power in looking at what the best are doing—understanding it, adapting it to your context, and then doing it well. Imitation isn’t just flattery; it’s a strategy.

I’ve found that studying successful businesses, seeing how they operate, how they communicate, and how they overcome challenges can provide a roadmap. It doesn’t mean blindly copying everything, but it does mean recognising that we don’t always need to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes the best route to success is following in the footsteps of those who’ve already paved the way.

Lesson 2: Be Scrappy and Relentless One of the biggest challenges of leading the 2nd XV was managing the inevitable chaos that comes with it. The 1st XV always needed players, and that meant that often the best and most consistent guys from our team were pulled up at the last minute. Add to that the usual injuries, people being unavailable, or simply going AWOL, and every week became an exercise in sheer determination.

Every Tuesday, I’d start the ritual of chasing down players - relentless texting, calling and pleading - to put together a decent squad for the upcoming match. By Friday, it often still felt like we were only halfway there, and it wasn’t until Saturday morning that we’d finally have a team ready to take the field. It was, in its purest form, grassroots-level marketing: creating something out of nothing with a mix of hustle and persuasion to get people on board.

This experience taught me a lot about persistence and creativity in business. You can have the grandest vision, the best strategy, but without the right people - or without enough people showing up - none of it matters. Sometimes, you have to scrap the perfect plan and just get scrappy. You make do with what you have, you get people excited to be part of something, and you never stop pushing until you’ve got what you need. It's not always glamorous, but it’s the foundation of growth, especially in the early stages.

Lesson 3: Grit is Everything That season didn’t get off to the easiest start for me, either. After a punishing pre-season on Hampstead Heath - affectionately known as "Muscle Heath" - I had packed on a lot of weight (good), but started developing a painful Achilles just as we were heading into the season (bad). Every stride felt like it was coming with a price, and there were moments when I genuinely questioned whether I’d be able to keep going. I lost a lot of pace and agility, and ended up moving into the forwards from my usual spot at 15. But quitting wasn’t an option. I had a team to lead, and we had a season to play.

Those early weeks were some of the toughest I can remember. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about giving up at times. But what got me through was the sense of responsibility - not just to myself, but to the boys and to our coach. I had agreed to take on the role of captain, and that meant being there, every training session, every match, every week, in whatever condition I could manage. I also refrained from talking bollocks about the pain I was experiencing, time and energy was much better spent moving forward.

This experience taught me that in both rugby and in business, setbacks are inevitable. The easy path would have been to step down, to let someone else take over while I sorted myself out. But I felt that leadership is about showing up, even when it’s hard, in fact especially when it’s hard. The strength of any team or business isn’t in how well things run when everything is perfect; it’s in how you respond when things go wrong. Grit - pure, stubborn determination - is often the deciding factor between success and failure.

Lesson 4: Success is Built on the Shoulders of Others Leading the 2nd XV was never about me; it was always about the team and our coach. We were a group of players who, for various reasons, weren’t in the 1st XV - but that didn’t mean we lacked talent, or heart, or ambition. The camaraderie we built, the bond that came from grinding through the challenges together, was something truly special.

In business, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that success comes from individual brilliance. But the truth is, it’s always a collective effort. Whether it’s colleagues, mentors, your network, or even competitors pushing you to be better - no one succeeds in isolation. Building a great team, fostering a culture of trust, and ensuring that everyone feels valued - those are the real drivers of success.

Reflecting on that time, I realise how much of what I do today is rooted in those rugby days. The lessons I learned on that muddy pitch - being scrappy, imitating the best, showing grit, and relying on the strength of others - are the same principles that guide me in business.

A huge thank you to the boys down at Hampstead Rugby Club . It was an absolute privilege, and those experiences have stayed with me far beyond the rugby field. If anyone reading this is looking for a club to be a part of, I couldn’t recommend them highly enough.