I was fortunate enough to sit down with Will Dean, founder and CEO of Tough Mudder. For anyone who’s been living under a rock these past four years, Tough Mudder is the enormously popular endurance event series which launched in obscurity in 2010 and has since gone on to attract over 1.3 million participants and is today valued at $70 million.
I asked Will about coming to work in the U.S., his meteoric success, and his top five tips on starting a successful company.
Dan Simon: As a fellow Brit, I’m interested in hearing how you came to start working in America?
Will Dean: I came here to get my MBA and there are a lot of good things about Harvard but it is such a bubble. You may be living in the states studying American businesses but you aren’t interacting very much. I think there was a personal interest in sticking around longer and really seeing America properly.
Read more: Forbes
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
