Liam Whittaker

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From aspiring veterinarian to a key leader in a billion-dollar global business where he met Novak Djokovic and worked with Khloe Kardashian, Liam Whittaker, former Chief Operating Office at Zuru Edge shares his pivotal moments, leadership lessons, personal growth, and advice for young professionals navigating their own paths.

Q: When you were younger, what did you want to be when you were growing up?

A: From the age of about 5 to 17, I wanted to be a vet, as I loved animals and science. However, in year 13, physics and chemistry humbled me badly, making vet school seem difficult. I went to a career advisor in Hamilton who conducted psychometric testing, reviewed my grades, and asked behavioural questions. Based on this, they provided a list of the top five professions aligned with my skillset and personality. Four out of the five were in the legal profession, and one was in HR. The number one suggestion was to become a patent attorney, as they noted I had an interesting brain capable of thinking both micro and macro, and I was persuasive yet technical – qualities not often found together.

Q: You studied law and business and got a job at Chapman Tripp. What happened there?

A: I studied law and business at the University of Waikato and secured a summer job at Chapman Tripp, which was the firm and the partner I wanted to work for. However, after just three days, I realised it wasn't what I expected. This led to a bit of an existential crisis because I had achieved what I wanted, but it didn't feel right.

Q: How did you then get involved with Zuru?

A: I went back to university not knowing what to do for my last year. A guest lecture by a guy called Nick Mowbray, which only seven people attended, sparked my interest. I had no interest in toys or nappies, but I fundamentally believed in what Nick was talking about, and that's how the whole Zuru story started.

Q: Given your role in the business world, did you ever want to pursue the law side of your studies, or did you naturally believe in Nick and run with Zuru?

A: Nothing I've ever done has been premeditated. I think people, especially those leaving university, can become very rigid about their career paths.

In this day and age, you need to be much more open to dynamic opportunities. If an opportunity arises and it feels right, you should back yourself and take chances, even if it's not part of your five-year plan.

As long as I'm proud of how I show up and apply myself, opportunities inherently arise. I did my business degree as a conjoint because getting a law job was hard, so I wanted complementary skills. My business degree made me appreciate the value of teamwork more and taught me how to work with diverse people and towards a common goal. My legal degree taught me that nothing is ever black and white and improved my writing and advocacy skills.

Q: Let's unpack Zuru. You were Zuru Edge employee number four, is that right?

A: That's correct.

Q: So, you met Nick at a guest lecture. Did you immediately reach out to him, and what happened from there?

A: Yes, this guy flew in on a helicopter and landed at the university oval, which seemed very James Bond-like. It turned out to be Nick Mowbray, who not many people knew. A close friend of mine had been talking to him about a grad job and asked if I would come along because he seemed quite intense. We were both bright-eyed and bushy-tailed university students. He gave a guest lecture that only seven people attended. He spoke about his thesis; he had a toy business that was already around $400 million US in size, owned a fancy mansion, and a helicopter. He had also recently launched a nappy brand called Rascal & Friends, which quickly became the second biggest brand in supermarkets. I was drawn to his ambition and the way he viewed innovation and disruption.

Most people in New Zealand aim for local success or maybe expand to Australia or China, but he had a global perspective.

I emailed him afterwards, saying I had no idea what I could offer but would work with a great attitude for free if anything came up. He replied within 20 minutes and invited me to meet him and his brother. I went for a 2.5-hour interview, which was mostly table tennis and only 15 minutes of questions. I got badly beaten. It all started there, and two weeks later, I was working for them. I finished my last year of university remotely. Two weeks after starting, I was in Europe on a big sales tour.

Q: From employee number four to Chief Operating Officer in six or seven years, with Zuru Edge growing to over a thousand employees and doing over a billion dollars last year, how did you get there? What enabled your success and the significant responsibility at a young age?

A: I think a couple of things played into that, including external and internal factors. A really good TED Talk analysed top businesses outperforming the S&P 500, and the common denominator was luck. Being employee number four during massive growth and the role I was initially hired for played a role. I was meant to move to London to lead business development and sales for our nappy business with Tesco as our only customer. About six weeks before shipping, we found out their supply chain couldn't do direct import, and we didn't have a UK warehouse, so the launch was delayed by nine months. My visa and plane ticket were ready, but the whole thing was called off. Nick suggested I stay in New Zealand, and if that hadn't happened, my career path would have been different. Nick had me work closer with him on special projects. His brother then asked Nick to give him one person to invest in to teach manufacturing and product development, and that ended up being me. From a macro perspective, the Mowbrays, now the richest family in New Zealand history, started young without degrees. For them, age was irrelevant; it was about the person's willingness to learn, adapt, and treat the business like their own. They were willing to give young people opportunity and pressure, and if they delivered, they were supported. This contrasted with the corporate world I saw at law firms, where promotions seemed based on time served. I think the new workforce is more demanding, forcing corporates to change. From a personal standpoint, the value of personal brand is crucial. When leading teams, reliability is incredibly important. As Barack Obama said, he'd prioritise one doer over ten talkers. I tried to make everyone else's life easy, and with my interns and grads, I rewarded those who worked hard and asked smart questions with more exposure.

I was always very curious, worked insanely hard, and no task was beneath me. I focused on supporting the business as much as possible, which built positive momentum.

Q: So, you really just kept your eyes wide open, trying to see where to add value and help?

A: Totally. I'd be the last to leave in a crisis and the first to arrive. My leadership style was very hands-on. Zuru valued being on the "dance floor" because being in the "balcony" makes you out of touch. I love to problem-solve and treated the business like my own. I worked incredibly hard, applied myself, and backed myself to learn. Having a curious mind helped, especially with the rise of AI, to think about how to integrate it to do things better, smarter, and faster.

Q: When you say you worked hard, what was a typical day in the life? Did your day in the life change as you progressed in the business?

A: It's hard to say, as part of my career unfolded during COVID, which was a very strange and the hardest period I ever worked. During that time, I was part of the team sourcing PPE for the New Zealand government, which we turned into a brand with Walmart. I worked for about two and a half weeks straight, probably around 20 hours a day. There was a strong sense of purpose, especially with my mum being a nurse on the front line. As my career evolved, the hours never really changed. I don't believe in work-life balance at Zuru.

For me, burnout is a sum of input to output. If you enjoy and get satisfaction from your work, the hours become less relevant. I would have burnt out faster at a law firm because I wouldn't have had the same satisfaction and ownership.

At Zuru, I was encouraged to "just run at it" and treat it like my own; mistakes were seen as learning opportunities. I routinely worked 80-hour weeks or more, but it didn't matter because I loved my job. As I became more senior, my day changed shape. I would be in meetings, and my job became serving others, helping them unblock problems and pointing them in the right direction. Evenings and mornings became my time to do my own "day job".

Q: Did you believe in working weekends, or only if you had to?

A: I wasn't really fixated on hours. In a private business, it's about getting the job done, not rounded billable hours like in corporates. I tried my best not to work weekends because I worked so hard during the week. However, my philosophy was that if a job needed to be done, it needed to be done, regardless of the day. So, I worked some weekends, but the majority I didn't.

Q: Some people talk about work-life balance, while others talk about work and life harmonising. Where do you stand?

A: Ultimately, it comes down to who you are. My mum, a career nurse, has no interest in my lifestyle; her success is working 8 to 4, Monday to Friday, and leaving work behind. For me, I never really left my job; my phone was always on. For people like my mum, that separation works. I probably "live to work" more than I “work to live”. For those on my side of the camp, the biggest focus should be finding something you're passionate about. Again, it's about inputs and outputs; if you're working hard but not fulfilled or challenged, especially for our age group, the ownership piece is crucial. If you don't feel like you own something, it's hard to be passionate and motivated.

I challenge people to be curious, listen to podcasts, and find things that interest them, and let that dictate where they go.

Q: Back to your time at Zuru Edge, what's your most successful time and your worst time that you can recall?

Funny enough, it's easy to think of the most successful times and hard to pinpoint one worst time because there were so many! There were two cool wins and one personal win. The personal win was meeting Novak Djokovic, which was a life highlight. He met the owner of Zuru in Monte Carlo and was looking to develop an electrolyte range, so Nick wanted to go into business together. Knowing I was a big tennis and Novak fan, I spent a month in Melbourne before COVID with his brother, even being in his box for the semi-final against Federer. That showed me the scale at which we operated and the people we could interact with. In the same month, some colleagues and I met Khloe Kardashian because we went into business with her for Dose and Co, a supplement brand we had. Ironically, I'd say that was one of the biggest mistakes we ever made – going into an equity partnership with her. To be honest, Khloe was amazing and treated the brand like her own, exceeding all deliverables. However, we learned that when an influencer reaches that level of pure celebrity, there needs to be an insane level of authenticity and alignment with what they represent in regards to the brand. I don't think she properly did that. We thought her sheer reach (200 million followers) meant even 1% engagement would pay off, but it was a complete failure. The lack of authenticity probably rubbed people the wrong way. The original owner of the business, a New Zealand naturopath, and her brother's content resonated much more across all social and digital metrics. Other wins included the PPE project during COVID. Over 21 days, we sourced, negotiated, got regulatory approval, developed artwork, manufactured, and shipped 120 million units of PPE for the New Zealand government. We had factories competing for stock against the US military, and we played a part in helping New Zealanders staying safe. Most recently, last year, we entered a joint business partnership with Walmart, the largest retailer in the world. This aims to build our consumer goods business with them to around a billion US dollars of revenue over the next three years.

Q: With your significant responsibility and role, working big hours and managing a large team, how did you deal with stress and pressure?

A: Well, my behaviors might say one thing. I'm a pretty unflappable person and don't really get stressed, although my base level is relatively highly strung, and many things annoy me. One of my biggest learnings is how to problem-solve. I'm fortunate that it comes easily to me, and I try to teach others. When faced with a problem, I subconsciously (but it can be consciously trained) delineate between things I can and can't control. I forget about what I can't control and focus on what I can, identifying my levers and problem-solving from there. Understanding the actual issue is key. Then, I think about the skill sets and subject matter experts needed to address the problem. I always loved a crisis, it was my “big thing”; recalls, retailers threatening to delist us, massive manufacturing problems, even a factory blowing up. I learned that to have a role like mine at Zuru,

I needed to be okay with being uncomfortable.

That was one of my biggest strengths. There were probably biological signs of stress, and I didn't always have the best relationship with food. Everyone deals with it differently. For me, it was about controlling my controllables, forgetting what I couldn't, and importantly, doing postmortems to evaluate what went wrong and how to evolve. The culture we were building at Zuru was unique. As a leader, my job was to: 1) find the right people for the bus, 2) put them in the right seat, and 3) support them to get the most value from their work. I focused on getting experts in a room, trusting their intelligence, and letting them make smart decisions, with my role being a facilitator and backing my gut feeling. If a risky decision didn't work out but had disproportionate upside, that was a good mistake, as long as we didn't repeat it. It's a volume game; I wanted to "fast fail". If we nailed everything, we weren't doing enough. This mindset is very different from traditional businesses like Fonterra. I acknowledge it doesn't work everywhere, but I think there's merit to that philosophy personally.

Q: So, you'd say you have quite a high risk appetite, or the company does?

A: Huge risk appetite. This is important to consider in career choices; a high-risk individual might find a law firm frustrating, and vice versa.

Q: Would you say you've always loved the crisis and being comfortable in the uncomfortable, or is that something you learned?

A: You have to learn.

I used to be super organised and methodical. Now, I'm a "controlled cluster f***," which is seven years of working in the chaos of Zuru, a business that operates on the verge of chaos but still manages to function.

I had to evolve and adapt because my traditional planned self wouldn't have worked. I learned to love the chaos and find joy in it. I remember doing a lot of analysis on a potential acquisition for Nick, creating a 25-page report. At university, they taught us to put an executive summary at the start. I wrote a two-paragraph summary with my recommendation, and Nick read the first paragraph, said "agree," put it down, and walked off. I was gutted at the time, but I learned that time is money and to embrace the chaos. I definitely wasn't that way to start with, but it evolved over time, and I now really enjoy the flexibility and being dynamic.

Q: And does that translate to your personal life as well?

A: Totally. My all-or-nothing personality is pretty strong. I went from knowing nothing about property to buying five in six months. My friends joke about it. Taking a nine-month travel break is another example. I love solving problems. I've also done well at knowing my strengths and weaknesses and surrounding myself with a panel of experts. I backed myself to ask smart questions and learn from them. For property, I sought out the best mortgage broker, property lawyer, and financial advisor. Surrounding yourself with smart people is the fastest way to grow.

Q: It's an interesting point because some people might feel guilty about just asking instead of learning everything themselves. But really, you have to value your time, right?

A: Yes. I have a view on this. In a professional world, especially early on at Zuru, I reported to Nick Mowbray, who was very wealthy but also unwell. I was learning everything from a basic level; I didn't even know what CBM (cubic meters) stood for. If I had a problem, I either had to ask the CEO or figure it out, so I tried to figure it out first. Now, I see juniors asking questions they clearly haven't thought about. I believe it's not helpful for me to just answer without them putting in the effort. If someone comes to me with a problem having thought about it and has an opinion, I'm more than happy to help. I did my base-level research and got a basic understanding before seeking expert advice. Often, I'll test my knowledge by explaining my understanding and asking if it holds true across different scenarios. It's not about being blanketly ignorant but about testing specific complex scenarios. With today's resources like ChatGPT, it's never been easier to gain a base-level understanding of a subject.

Q: Would you say that not thinking about problems before coming to you, or not coming with a problem without a solution, are some of the most frustrating things you see from people reporting to you?

A: The latter for sure. I've always said I'd hire one problem solver for ten problem finders; problems always arise, but you need solutions. The biggest thing for me is people who talk versus do. Building a reputation for consistently delivering things to a high level is more valuable than anything else.

Someone with six out of ten intellect but ten out of ten reliability is preferable to someone with nine out of ten intellect but five out of ten reliability.

Critical thinking is also crucial; some people just "get it," and others don't. I was very protective of the culture at Zuru, ensuring we had the right people, even if it meant difficult conversations.

Q: Do you find it hard to have those hard conversations?

A: To start with, yes. But like anything you want to be good at, you need practice. We also overhauled our annual performance reviews to quarterly, then monthly one-on-ones. The conversation shifted to "Hey direct report, tell me three reasons I sucked for the past month and how I can serve you better". When the focus becomes about growth rather than critique, it becomes a powerful tool.

Q: You probably didn't do an OE (Overseas Experience) until now. Would you say this year is your OE, and what are your thoughts on OEs? Have your thoughts changed?

A: Okay, I have a very strong opinion on this. My sister and I are 18 months apart and polar opposites. I've always been professionally driven, while she wanted to enjoy work but also explore life outside of it. She took a gap year in the UK after high school. At the time, I saw gap years as a bit of a copout. Growing up, I was more extroverted, and she was more introverted. Over that 12-month period, she was pushed out of her comfort zone, became more independent and mature, and came back a completely different person. She then enrolled in university, but after a while, she realised her friends who stayed behind hadn't changed as much as she had. She decided to drop out and take another year off. When she returned to university, she had a different perspective, was more passionate about her subjects, had more worldly experience, and now has a successful career in Australia doing what she loves. I think without that time off, she might have gone through university without direction and potentially dropped out, incurring unnecessary debt. Instead, she pursued education aligned with her passions. So, for the right people, seeing the world and gaining worldly experience is super valuable. I'm a massive believer in OEs for sure. While traditionally gap years are taken straight after school or a few years after university, my timing is later, but I'm not even 30 yet, so there's plenty of time. It wasn't a planned "30th-year travel" thing; my body was ready for a break, and I can now do these things without financial worry and enjoy it. I'm sure this travel will inform my future perspectives and opportunities.

Q: There are probably many people reading this who are in limbo about whether or when to go on an OE. What's your advice?

A: There's no perfect time. I've mentored people going into university who ask what majors they should choose to work at a company like Zuru, and my answer is, "who cares?". There's no perfect time or perfect answer. If you follow your passions, apply yourself, and work hard, everything will come to fruition. Surround yourself with good people; that's another big one for me.

Just back yourself and go do things; there's no time like the present. The worst thing is to sit back.

My recent health challenges, while frustrating, might end up being the best thing that happened to me because I had a significant realisation at 29, which some people don't have until they're 60. There's always a silver lining.

Q: You mentioned your personal brand. How important is your personal brand, and also how important is your network?

A: Personal brand, I think it's important, but I've never proactively tried to cultivate it in a superficial way like scheduled LinkedIn posts. For me, it's about ensuring that at the end of the day, an organisation is just a group of people working towards a common goal. I always told people to be the person everyone wants to work with. This opens up amazing opportunities, whether it's asking for favors, getting the most out of others, or gaining different perspectives. Early on, I would use my own money to buy Subway cookies for the office, dress up playfully, and hand them out, interacting with everyone from new graduate designers to the CEO. It humanised everything, and I got a reputation for being that guy. I use humor a lot at work because, at a macro level, no one is overly enthusiastic about working all the time. So, how do you make it enjoyable? It was never artificial; being superficial doesn't work. It was about building a legacy I'm proud of.

Networking is massive, but I value the quality of my network more than the breadth. I firmly believe you are who you surround yourself with.

That's why I took pride in the quality and talent density of our business; great people want to work with great people and do great things. Look at your friend group and ask if you're proud of them and their accomplishments because it's a reflection of you. Surround yourself with people with the same values: smart, driven, ambitious, wanting to change the world. Getting that inner circle right is infinitely more valuable than a broad network of superficial connections.

Ninety-five percent of your interactions are in your inner circle, 5% in the outer circle. Focus on the nucleus, and the outer circle will take care of itself; the people I met through my roles happened organically.

Q: Have you always felt that way about networking, or did you realise it later?

A: It was probably organic and through maturing a lot. Early on, at law school networking events, there might have been a focus on connecting with partners. But even then, I think it's a Hamilton thing – trying to do things without being overly formal. You could often tell which university people were from based on stereotypes. Law partners, for example, don't want to talk about legal reforms at social events; they are humans with interests, hobbies, and families. Interacting on a personal level is much more important than a purely professional one. People networking just for the sake of networking often came across as disingenuous. Keeping it human is key. My beliefs are more crystallised now, but fundamentally, I've always behaved this way.

You can't force genuine connections.

Some people are good at persistent outreach, like Nick with retail buyers, but that's not every personality.

Q: Do you set goals?

A: Not really. I do now, but I've always focused on macro-directional stuff – where I want to get to, what's important to me. I'd rather spend my time working towards those directions than rigidly setting goals. Even at work, while we had performance objectives, the business was so dynamic they often became outdated quickly. I'm not sure if it's good or bad, but my fear with goal setting is that it becomes too prescriptive.

Q: When you say macro-directional, can you give an example?

A: Well, I think about my health journey now. My adrenal system was completely fried. I didn't have a clear metric for "good" health. I wanted to lose weight, but it wasn't about hitting a specific number; I wanted to start playing tennis again, and as long as I enjoyed it, that mattered. So, I focused on fundamental macro buckets. I wanted to fundamentally feel better – sleep better, have more energy, be there for friends, give back more. It's more directional about what success will look like, and various things contribute to that. It probably means I'm less disciplined in a way, but if I say I'm going to do something, I usually just do it.

Q: Do you believe in healthy body, healthy mind?

A: Yes, I do. I think I've always believed it, but I probably haven't always acted on it. Nick's health journey has also been public, with challenges due to the early compromises at Zuru. They've also reached the point where they realise you can have it all, but without health, you have nothing.

Poor health affects decision-making and the ability to work hard. So, balancing it all is crucial.

Q: Zuru's finished, and you're going on a bit of travel. Do you have any idea where you want to be or what you want to be doing afterwards?

A: Yes, a little bit. At a macro level (using that word again), I'd like to start mentoring people. This ranges from those considering university to those starting small businesses in New Zealand and Australia with bigger ambitions. It might take the form of some consulting, but I'd probably hate not being directly involved in delivery. I've really enjoyed property, so doing some property development in my "spare time" is something I want to do. It could also be rewarding to apply the model that I know and start my own FMCG business down the line.

Q: So, you still want to scale things, perhaps the next Zuru?

A: Yeah, I don't think another Zuru is going to happen. But the experience I've had in a short time, at this age in New Zealand, is very unique, and I'm very blessed. Many people never dream of the experiences and knowledge I've gained at Zuru. I'd be remiss if I didn't use that and share it with the world. I love creating value and taking on the world.

Q: When assessing significant career-defining decisions, like the law-Zuru choice or now Zuru-health-life-travel, is it just a gut feeling, or how do you assess the risk?

A: The health one was easier because I fainted on some flights, and I knew that wasn't good. But looking at the Zuru-law decision, everyone thought I was insane. Turning down a top law firm in New Zealand felt counterintuitive, as there's inherent safety in working for a big corporate with career progression, income certainty, and global transferability. For me, that safety was almost a turn-off.

I actually declined my graduate contract with Chapman Tripp before meeting Nick because I felt I would settle too easily and wanted to challenge myself.

Even with Zuru, it felt strange, as not many people knew them despite their size. I remember writing a pros and cons list, and if I had followed it logically, the cons might have outweighed the pros. If I had listened solely to my parents and close friends, I wouldn't have taken it. But at a gut level, it felt like the right thing to do. You never know the alternative, but that feeling was strong. A big thing for me is to thoroughly debate the merits of a decision. Once you've made it, forget about it. Living in a "what if" state is one of the worst things. I'm a massive believer in going hard on due diligence, not overthinking, identifying gaps, getting perspectives, making a decisive decision, and then only focusing on the learning, never the "what if". That philosophy, in a rawer form back then, probably enabled me to take more risk.

Q: That idea of not overthinking after doing your due diligence is something many people struggle with.

A: Yeah, it's tough.

Whether it's choosing a university major or leaving a first proper job, people often stress and angst over decisions that, once made, feel like they were never a problem three weeks later.

Being decisive and taking action is the most important thing. Very few life decisions are truly irreversible and problematic. Considering that counterfactual can liberate you to be more decisive. For me, not focusing on my health while working at Zuru, despite the lifestyle, involved risk in leaving. But I back myself to find my way if it turns out to be the wrong decision; I could even call them back. If they say no, okay, move on. As I said before, I'm comfortable when I'm uncomfortable and enjoy problem-solving.

Q: I have three last questions. A lot of the audience will be a few years into their career and probably starting to think about their financial futures. As someone whose financial journey has moved faster than others, do you have any wisdom or advice for the younger generation?

A: The way I operated is probably quite different from how I'd recommend others operate. I worked in a private business with a lot of flexibility. I remember an early conversation with Nick where, to be fair, I never made it about money. My graduate contract at Zuru in 2018 was for £21,000 (NZD $42,000) in Auckland, which would have been tough to live on in London. My decision was for the experience and exposure, not the cash. Even if I had been paid that for seven years, the knowledge I gained made it the right financial decision. Now, people will likely pay for my perspective and advice. Once I proved my value, Nick asked about my five-year goals and how to keep Zuru a part of that. I admitted I don't plan that far ahead. He asked how to ensure I saw Zuru as a long-term play. I told him I would never ask for a pay increase; as a leader, that was his responsibility. However, with that came the understanding that if someone else offered more money and a great opportunity, he couldn't object to me taking it. I had five different compensation reviews in seven years, all initiated by him. I thought that was interesting. I've also been on the other side of compensation conversations with my teams. The difference between the right and wrong approach was clear.

People who focused solely on money often used it to justify underlying unhappiness — dissatisfaction with their role, values misalignment, or personal life compromises.

The fact they couldn't play hockey was somehow meant to be fixed with a pay rise, which wasn't the real issue. Conversations around value creation are much better. With a high performer, the progression and requirements for unlocking compensation should be transparent from the leader. Be wary of ridiculous salary expectations when recruiting; it can signal the wrong person. So, while this is complex, early in your career, don't make it about the money.

Focus on the experience, exposure, opportunity, and mentorship you can get. If you get those fundamentals right and apply yourself, the money will come.

Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?

A: A couple of things. One is to take every opportunity – be a yes man, not a no man. I acknowledge the risk of taking on too much, but whenever you commit to something, do it well. Two, and I mentioned it earlier, learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. That's my biggest macro piece of advice for anyone starting their career. You'll often be unsure of what you're doing, and that's okay.

The key is to get comfortable with that uncertainty and surround yourself with people and apply yourself to build confidence. Potential leads to promotion, and then you're uncomfortable again. If you're not uncomfortable, you're not pushing yourself enough.

The best growth comes from embracing that. My second big mantra is to take note of who you are and who you surround yourself with, and really challenge those relationships. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day. While I have lifelong friends, I acknowledge some might have been less aligned with my ambitions. It's not about cutting people off, but about managing your time. The most important metric for me is return on time and return on energy. Who you spend time with influences your energy levels. My third point, my big personal mantra, is that I want to go to bed every night the dumbest future version of myself. How do I get better every single day? At Zuru, we talked about the power of continuous improvement. If you can get 2% better daily, it multiplies hugely over a year, like compounding interest. Put yourself in positions, surround yourself with people, and challenge yourself to improve daily. If you do that, the cumulative effect is amazing. Looking back at my seven years, it feels like 15-20 years of normal experience. I never would have thought I could do it, but day by day focus on getting better, and suddenly you look back and realise what you've accomplished.

Q: Final question. If neither time nor resources were a constraint, what ultimate goal or dream would you pursue?

A: I honestly don't know if I'd think much differently. I feel very blessed with the life I have. I've always loved sports. Owning an NBA franchise would be pretty cool, or being an agent representing top talents globally, creating brands and value for them. Looking at the Nadal, Federer, or Jordan brands, imagine representing the best in their craft and creating the next generation. That would be pretty rewarding. So, yeah, that would be pretty sick. But generally, it's similar to what I've been fortunate to do, maybe on a bigger scale, although the scale was already quite large. I don't know if I could handle much bigger, to be honest!