Dubai - Will Dean, the founder of the multi-million dollar obstacle challenge company, Tough Mudder, which debuts in Dubai this weekend, shares his mantra for success
Published: Thu 8 Dec 2016, 12:14 PM
Last updated: Sat 10 Dec 2016, 6:23 PM
Not many can lay claim to coming up with a million dollar business plan that involves getting grown men and women to pay to wade through mud and make their way up vertical obstacles, all in the name of fun. When Will Dean first submitted the idea for Tough Mudder, popularly dubbed as "probably the toughest event on the planet", as part of the annual Business Plan Competition at Harvard Business School, "it admittedly was not received well by professors. But we move forward anyway."
Tough Mudder makes its Dubai debut this weekend at Hamdan Sports Complex - the endurance event sees participants attempt to finish either an 8 or 16 km obstacle course.
Will Dean
With his unassuming demeanour Will Dean might not seem the type to abseil down a vertical surface or embark on an adreneline inducing adventure. But we are mistaken.
As he tells us: "I've personally taken part in dozens of Tough Mudders, with friends, family and colleagues. It's alway a different experience and always a challenge, but it's important for me to experience our products and obstacles first-hand." Spoken like a true business man.
'Always work with resilient people'Having started off in 2010, today Tough Mudder has grown into a multi million dollar company. No doubt Dean's story is an inspiration that many have tried to replicate with not as much success. Ask him to what he attributes it all and he says, "Resiliency and self awareness. I make a habit of taking time to reflect on these things from time to time. Being the leader of such large and fast-growing organization can be incredibly challenging at times. The pressure can wear on you, but resiliency and being able to move forward is crucial. You need to practice resiliency and work with resilient people, not someone who might be willing to quit when the going gets tough."
"I also try to be self-aware of my own strengths and weaknesses. It's important to have your own system of checks and balances to keep yourself and your team moving forward."
Will Dean"s advice to entrepreneursSurround yourself with people smarter than yourself and hire people who complement your weaknesses. I can't say enough how important culture is to Tough Mudder, and I truly believe the people who work here are the reason we are who we are today.
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Teamspirit seems to be the pivot around which the entitre event revolves. "Many of the obstacles are purposefully designed to be impossible to complete alone; that's the beauty of it. It's not just physically challenging but it's about forging genuine connections and working with other people in a way you never imagined."
A sentiment Dean seems to carry forward in his team as well. "I look for people who can work as a team, obviously, but also people with a ton of pride and accountability, " he tells us. "Culture for us has nothing to do with paid vacations or hops in the fridge for the weekly happy hour. It's about how people choose to behave when their boss isn't looking. Making the right judgement calls when the times are tough, or getting the job done to the highest standards, no matter what."
And to what does he attribute the success of Tough Mudder? "We are able to get people off the couch, away from their screens, phones or TVs and come together to do something truly unique and extraordinary," says Dean. "Tough Mudder gives people an escape from their everyday life and allows them to be part of a community. We're more than an events company or a bucket list item; we're creating lasting memories and building a lifestyle brand. Our events allow people to forge genuine connections and overcome personal or physical challenges, and there's a lot of value in that."
Sentiments that many of us can, no doubt, relate to.
'Toughness means getting out of your comfort zone'
For me, 'toughness' means trying new things, escaping the ordinary, getting out of your comfort zone and being part of an epic global community. There's a quote we say at Tough Mudder, "when was the last time you did something for the first time?". To me, that really embodies toughness; it's about trying new things despite overcoming obstacles. Many of our Mudders are some of the toughest people I've met because they take risks, overcome hardships, come together despite our differences, and they're not afraid of a little mud or pain.
How it all began
I always knew I wanted to own my own business someday, which is why I ultimately decided to pursue my MBA at Harvard Business School. I frankly never imagined I'd be at the helm of a company quite like this, but I couldn't have asked for a better dream to pursue. The idea for Tough Mudder was conceived while studying at HBS, and I originally submitted the plan to our annual Business Plan Competition; it admittedly was not received well by professors but we move forward anyway. I don't think anyone ever plans to own a company based on mud, but we're in the business of creating life-changing experiences; it's more than mud and events.
'Experiences are the new luxury good'
It takes great physical stamina and mental grit not to mention a high sense of camaraderie to want to take part in Tough Mudder. But in a non competitive sporting event such as this where you are not even bound by time, what do participants truly take away at the end of the day? "I think for most, it's the incredible sense of accomplishment and camaraderie you feel by completing a Tough Mudder. Not only have you completed 10-12 difficult miles on the course and epic obstacles, but you also did so with a team and helped your friends or complete strangers to achieve that with you. There's this incredible feeling of overcoming a milestone you may have doubted and having this incredible experience you can share with your team. We often say that experiences are the new luxury good; I think getting to walk away from an event with the Tough Mudder experience can be truly life-changing for some people."
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