ENTREPRENEUR People don’t buy grills anymore – they buy ‘Foremans’. So, is there a secret ingredient that equips sportspeople, top level or otherwise, with an edge in the commercial world? Probably not. But what sport does give them is a foundation in basic life skills that are applicable to most endeavours – be that business, study or even everyday hobbies and tasks like DIY. Simple yet essential traits, such as understanding the need for preparation, determination and most of all, hard work to see a job through; communication and leadership skills; and of course, a belief that the task, no matter how challenging, can be achieved. Here, BQ takes a look at three Scots sports stars who have done just that, and created emerging businesses off the back of their athletic careers.
>> Keith Cook – British champion fencer Growing up in the disadvantaged Pilton area of Edinburgh, Keith Cook was smitten by swordsmanship at a young age – owing to hours spent watching the Zorro television series and Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. He used to enjoy mock sword-fights with his Grandmother using rolled up newspapers. But the idea of Keith ever becoming a champion in the regal sport of fencing was fanciful to say the least. An upper-class activity, it was generally only practiced in the most prestigious of fee-paying schools. However it was through a friend who attended such an establishment that Keith got involved in fencing, and he soon began training at an Edinburgh club. “It was a great way to get away from the pressure of everyday life as youngster. “I used to ride my bike to training three times a week. “I couldn’t afford the bus fare, but as a result it made me fitter than the other children, and more driven for success. Nobody else had the will to win that I had. “Before long I was excelling, and that grit helped me produce some amazing results over the years,” Cook remembers. Within a few years he was in the British Junior squad, travelling all over the world, and in
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I couldn’t afford the bus fare, but as a result it made me fitter than the other children, and more driven for success 1998, aged 17, he claimed a senior bronze medal in the team event for Scotland at the Commonwealth Championships in Malaysia. He spent the next decade competing around the world as one of Britain’s best. 2012 was expected to be Keith’s biggest year yet – as the UK Champion he was widely expected to represent Team GB at the London Olympics, but his dream was shattered due to a discrepancy in the selection process, the legal battle against which he is still fighting today. That selection debate, Keith believes, was borne out of a decision by him to step out of the British Fencing ‘pathway’ system – designed to support the UK’s elite fencers – and instead self-fund his career to enable more time with his young family. “I was away from home more than 160 days a year, and I didn’t want to be away from my kids so much,” says Cook. “So I had to think of a way to support my fencing aspirations while staying at home as much as I could. It was an issue, because even though I had been a Leisure Centre Manager in the past, there were big gaps in my CV from when I had been a supported athlete. So in 2010 I created Fencing Fun. It meant I could continue fencing but keep the money coming in.” Fencing Fun mirrors and builds upon the positive experience of Keith’s own childhood – it is a company devoted to introducing the sport of fencing to primary school children, developing their skills in a safe and enjoyable environment, using plastic masks and foam and plastic swords that are ideal for younger children to learn the skills of the sport. “I created my own syllabus – something that would capture the kids’ imaginations. Sword fighting is everywhere on TV – Peter Pan, Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean – but there was nowhere for any primary aged child to fence in Scotland. I thought that was crazy, because it is the perfect time to capture their enthusiasm. So the Fencing Fun programme
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develops skill, speed, agility, timing and fitness – but at the same time it remains fun. “What makes Fencing Fun unique in Britain is that we have our own grading system, due to launch at Easter. “It’s just like karate belts – but instead of belts we use gloves. It means that when the kids go on to clubs when they are older, they can show their coaches their grading and the moves they have learned, so the coach knows they are already quite advanced.” The business model works well – it’s a true niche, captive market that an expert like Cook has the skills to exploit. Children want to try fencing, and they enjoy it. The Olympics have helped – but the retention levels of Cook’s classes speak for themselves. Davidson Main’s Primary School in Edinburgh has run two classes every week for more than two years, with 95% of pupils who started coming back week after week. One child, having taken up fencing less than two years ago, is already British under-10s champion, defeating pupils from the exclusive, fencing focused Sussex House School in London. “We’ve grown so much,” Cook remarks proudly. “Now we coach 520 children a week. I have employed eight coaches, including one in Shetland. We are also beginning to branch out into the corporate market, offering ‘Fencing Experience’ days to staff and management.” Cook’s own status has certainly helped this growth. Last year, he was signed up by technology giant Samsung as one of their sponsored athletes, alongside the likes of Victoria Pendleton and David Beckham. The world-renowned Leon Paul fencing-wear brand has agreed to produce the ‘Grading Gloves’ for Cook’s syllabus. In many ways, for Cook, sport is his business. He opts not to divulge his profit margins, but, he says, “It keeps me fencing.” www.fencingfun.co.uk >>