Gavin Eivers - Noughty Moments Episode 9
This week Amanda is joined by Gavin Eivers for another episode of Noughty Moments. We discuss the out of the box decisions that went against the grain for success with a glass of our Organic Vegan Alcohol-Free Sparkling Chardonnay. Our aim is to show how much fun you can have without Alcohol.
Join the conversation, be Noughty!
Gavin has been working as a personal trainer, online personal trainer, nutritionist, Pilates instructor, corrective exercise specialist and corporate wellbeing consultant since graduating in 2004. He's been fortunate enough to work in some of the best gyms, studios and clinics around the world and train a variety of clients from A-list celebs to patients just out of surgery
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO GO INTO YOUR LINE OF BUSINESS?
Around 4 years ago I was asked to do some consultancy work for a large corporate wellbeing company. I loved the work I was doing but felt like it was unnecessarily clinical, stuffy and corporate.
Also, I noticed that many businesses simply paid lip service to wellbeing, they would offer an annual health check, followed by generic advice on how to lose weight, reduce blood pressure, etc and send the employee on their way until next years health check. They might pay for office yoga once a week and substitute the communal biscuits for fruit, but not much else.
Matt and I always knew we wanted to do something together, our skills compliment each other and our values and purpose really aligned.
Anyway, after a few beers at Matt’s brother's wedding in Devon, we agreed that not only could we do things better and get better results and ROI for the businesses we work with. We could do it in a nicer way, with great purpose and use our business to really help people and the planet.
We feel like we have an amazing business now, we just need to help employers and HR understand the power of a healthy and happy workforce. The reduction in absenteeism due to physical and mental health, increase in productivity and improved employee loyalty and retention are just a few benefits to the employer.
WHAT NOUGHTY MOMENT SHAPED YOU AS A PERSON?
The obvious answer would be having kids but the eldest is only 3 years, so I’m not sure if I would say it has shaped me as a person.
I think what really shaped me was travelling on my own, I was always a pretty self-conscious and shy person and found it difficult to socialise (unless I was pissed).
When I was 19 years old I went to America for what was supposed to be a 6-week working holiday. At the end of the trip I went to NYC a few days before I was due to fly home, after 2 days, I loved it so much that I stayed for 2 years.
I worked in the ‘hottest’ nightclub in town and hung out with the A-List celebs of the time (Britney, Paris, Justin Timberlake, J Lo, etc). I had my own 1 bedroom apartment in Brooklyn and had a lot of fun.
I came back to the UK when I was 21 to finish Uni and felt like nothing really phased me. I never really spoke about my time in NYC because I assumed people wouldn’t believe half the stories but I felt self-assured that I could pretty much do anything and I’ve just got on and done stuff without much worry (or thought in many cases).
WHAT THREE LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNED ALONG THE WAY?
- Things generally work out so just crack on, what’s the worst that can happen?
- Be nice
- Don’t take things or yourself too seriously, enjoy the process.
WHAT NOUGHTY MOMENT OF A WELL KNOWN BUSINESS OWNER, STANDS OUT THE MOST FOR YOU?
I recently read Business for Punks by James Watt (one of the BrewDog guys). He talks about the time they entered 4 of their beers into a tasting competition and came 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th and were subsequently invited into Tesco HQ for a meeting.
Tesco asked them if they could supply 400 stores with their product which worked out at around 2000 cases a week. At the time it was just the two guys producing, canning and packing the beer from basically a shed and selling only a couple of cases a day if they were lucky.
Of course they lied about their capacity capabilities and signed the contract. They then had to figure out how they would do it, I think they approached around 7 banks before they were able to get a loan.
I love this ‘just do it, we’ll figure it out’ attitude.
Contact Gavin:
https://www.instagram.com/outlierswellbeing/
facebook.com/outlierswellbeing